Superhuman vs Hey vs Spark 2026: Premium Email Client Pricing Compared

About 27; min

Superhuman, Spark, and Hey are the three email clients trying to convince you that email can feel good again. Superhuman charges $30/month for speed. Spark is free with team features. Hey reinvents email from scratch for $99/year. Three radical bets on how to fix the inbox.

Quick Pricing Comparison

App	Free	Paid	Platforms
Gmail/Outlook	Free (full features)	$6+/user (Workspace/M365)	All
Spark	Full features for individuals	$8/user/mo (Teams)	Mac, iOS, Android, Windows
Superhuman	No free plan	$30/mo	Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, Web
Hey	14-day trial	$99/yr ($8.25/mo)	Web, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux

Gmail is free. Spark is free. Superhuman costs $360/year. Hey costs $99/year. The question for Superhuman and Hey isn’t “is it good?” — it’s “is email worth $100–$360/year when free alternatives exist?”

Superhuman: Speed as a Feature

Superhuman’s pitch: email at the speed of thought. Every action takes under 100ms. Keyboard shortcuts cover every function. The interface strips away everything except the email you’re reading and the action you need to take.

Superhuman’s Strengths

• Speed: Measurably the fastest email client. Messages load in under 100ms. Search returns results instantly. Switching between emails has zero perceptible delay. For power users who process 200+ emails daily, this speed compounds into hours saved per month
• Keyboard shortcuts: J/K to navigate, E to archive, H to mark done, R to reply. Every action has a keyboard shortcut. After 1 week of muscle memory, you never touch the mouse in your inbox
• AI triage: Superhuman’s AI auto-labels emails (newsletters, receipts, notifications) and surfaces the most important messages first. Split inbox separates your email into categories without manual filters
• Snippets: Pre-written email templates inserted with a / command. Sales teams with 10+ standard responses save 15–30 minutes per day
• Read receipts: See when recipients open your email. For sales and recruiting, knowing that a prospect read your email 3 times changes your follow-up strategy
• Reminders: Set an email to reappear at a specific time. “Remind me about this Friday at 9am” — the email disappears and returns when you need it. Keeps your inbox clean while ensuring nothing is forgotten

Superhuman’s Limitations

• $30/month: The most expensive email client by far. $360/year for what is essentially a Gmail wrapper (Superhuman connects to Gmail and Outlook — it’s a client, not a separate email service)
• Gmail/Outlook only: Works with Gmail and Outlook accounts only. No support for ProtonMail, Fastmail, or custom IMAP
• No free plan: You can’t try Superhuman without paying. The onboarding includes a 1:1 session with a Superhuman concierge (included in the price), which is a nice touch but also a conversion tactic
• Read receipts are controversial: Some recipients consider email tracking invasive. Superhuman’s read receipts load a tracking pixel — the same technology that privacy-focused email users actively block
• Not revolutionary: Superhuman is Gmail but faster. It doesn’t change how email works — it optimizes the existing experience. Hey fundamentally rethinks email; Superhuman polishes it

Hey: Email Reinvented

Hey isn’t an email client — it’s a separate email service with its own @hey.com address (or custom domain on Hey for Work). You don’t connect Gmail to Hey. You use Hey instead of Gmail. This is both its biggest strength and biggest limitation.

Hey’s Radical Ideas

• The Screener: When someone new emails you, they land in the Screener — not your inbox. You decide: approve (future emails go to Imbox), reject (never see them again), or send to The Feed/Paper Trail. This eliminates cold email spam without unsubscribe links or spam filters
• Imbox (not inbox): Only approved, important emails appear here. No newsletters, no receipts, no notifications. The Imbox is genuinely empty most of the time — a radical departure from the 500-email inbox most people dread
• The Feed: Newsletters and content emails live here — a separate section you browse when you want to, not mixed with urgent messages. Like an RSS reader for email newsletters
• Paper Trail: Receipts, confirmations, and automated notifications go here. You know they’re captured but they never interrupt your attention
• No tracking pixels: Hey strips all tracking pixels from incoming emails. Senders can’t see when you open their email. Privacy by default — the opposite of Superhuman’s read receipts
• Reply Later / Set Aside: Two separate actions: “I need to reply to this but not right now” (Reply Later) and “I want to keep this visible but it’s not urgent” (Set Aside). More nuanced than a simple snooze

Hey’s Limitations

• New email address: Moving to Hey means a new @hey.com address. 20 years of contacts, accounts, and registrations linked to your Gmail don’t transfer. You run two email addresses or commit to Hey fully
• No IMAP: Hey doesn’t support IMAP. You can’t use Hey with a third-party email client. It’s Hey’s apps or nothing
• Basecamp ideology: Hey is built by 37signals (Basecamp). Their opinionated approach means “we know better than you how email should work.” If you disagree with any of Hey’s design decisions, there’s no setting to change it
• Missing features: No calendar integration, no rich text formatting (plain text only), no email templates, no scheduling. Hey deliberately omits features it considers anti-email
• $99/year for email: When Gmail is free with more features, $99/year is a philosophical purchase, not a practical one. You’re paying for Hey’s opinionated approach to email, not for feature superiority

Spark: The Free Team Email

Spark is the only premium email client that’s genuinely free for personal use — all features, no time limit. The free plan includes smart inbox (auto-categorization), email scheduling, snooze, templates, and AI-powered compose. Spark charges ($8/user/month) only for team features: shared drafts, delegation, and team inbox.

Spark’s Strengths

• Free for individuals: Every personal feature at $0. Smart inbox, scheduling, snooze, templates, and AI compose — all free. Superhuman charges $30/month for comparable features
• Smart Inbox: Auto-categorizes email into Personal, Notifications, and Newsletters sections. Similar to Gmail’s tabs but more customizable and works across Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, and any IMAP account
• AI compose: AI writes email replies based on context. “Reply saying I’ll attend the meeting but can’t stay past 3pm” generates a professional response. Included free — Superhuman and Hey both include AI too but Spark’s was first
• Team features ($8/user): Shared drafts (collaborate on an email before sending), email delegation (assign emails to team members), and team templates. Useful for support teams, agencies, and sales teams sharing an inbox
• Multi-account: Connect Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and any IMAP account in one unified inbox. Superhuman only supports Gmail and Outlook. Hey is its own service entirely

Spark’s Limitations

• Privacy concerns: Spark processes your email on their servers for smart inbox features. They’ve addressed this with updated privacy policies and optional server-side processing opt-out, but privacy-sensitive users may prefer Hey (strips trackers) or standard clients
• No read receipts: Unlike Superhuman, Spark doesn’t track email opens. Depending on your perspective, this is a limitation or a feature
• No web client: Desktop and mobile apps only. No browser-based access. If you’re at a borrowed computer, you can’t check email without installing Spark
• Speed: Fast but not Superhuman-fast. Spark loads in 200–300ms vs Superhuman’s 100ms. The difference is noticeable for power users processing hundreds of emails daily

Cost Comparison Over 3 Years

Client	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3	3-Year Total
Gmail	$0	$0	$0	$0
Spark (personal)	$0	$0	$0	$0
Hey	$99	$99	$99	$297
Superhuman	$360	$360	$360	$1,080

Superhuman costs $1,080 over 3 years. Hey costs $297. Spark costs $0. The productivity question: does Superhuman save you enough time to justify $783 more than Hey and $1,080 more than Spark over 3 years?

Who Should Pick What

Stick with Gmail/Outlook If:

• Your email volume is under 50/day — the default clients handle this fine
• $0 is the right price for email (it usually is)
• Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 integration (Calendar, Drive, Teams) matters
• You don’t have strong opinions about email workflow

Pick Spark If:

• You want smart inbox, scheduling, and AI compose at $0
• Multi-account support (Gmail + Outlook + iCloud in one app) is needed
• Team email features (shared drafts, delegation) at $8/user would improve your team’s workflow
• You want a premium email experience without paying Superhuman’s price

Pick Hey If:

• You’re frustrated by email fundamentally — not just the client, but how email works
• The Screener concept (approve new senders before they reach your inbox) resonates with you
• Privacy matters — you want tracking pixels stripped and your email data not processed by third parties
• You’re willing to adopt a new email address and commit to Hey’s approach
• $99/year is a reasonable price for email peace of mind

Pick Superhuman If:

• You process 200+ emails daily and speed is genuinely a bottleneck
• Your work (sales, recruiting, executive communication) depends on fast email response
• Read receipts and email tracking inform your follow-up strategy
• $30/month is justified by the time you save (calculate your hourly rate × hours saved)
• You’ve tried everything else and still feel slow in your inbox

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FAQ

Can I try Superhuman before paying?

Superhuman offers a 1-month trial (sometimes). The onboarding includes a 30-minute 1:1 session where a Superhuman team member sets up your account and teaches keyboard shortcuts. This onboarding is part of why users get hooked — you’re invested after someone personally configures your inbox.

Can I use Hey with my existing email address?

Hey for Work ($12/user/month) supports custom domains. Hey personal requires an @hey.com address. You can forward your existing email to Hey, but replies come from @hey.com unless you use Hey for Work with your domain.

Is Spark safe for business email?

Spark processes email on their servers for features like smart inbox and AI compose. They comply with GDPR and offer an EU data processing agreement. For businesses with strict data policies, check whether server-side email processing is acceptable. Hey and Superhuman also process email server-side.

What about Apple Mail?

Apple Mail is free, private (no server-side processing), and works with any email provider. It’s basic — no smart inbox, no AI, no scheduling — but it’s fast, reliable, and doesn’t send your email data to a third party. For Apple users who value privacy and simplicity, Apple Mail is underrated.