Superhuman has earned its reputation as one of the fastest email clients on the market. But it's not the right fit for everyone. Maybe you're looking for something cheaper, or you need specific features that Superhuman doesn't offer.
Whatever your reason for exploring options, this guide breaks down the most popular Superhuman alternatives, what they do well, and where Superhuman Mail still has the edge.
What is a Superhuman alternative?
A Superhuman alternative is any email client or productivity tool that aims to help professionals manage their inbox more efficiently. These tools typically offer features like keyboard shortcuts, email scheduling, AI-powered writing assistance, and inbox organization.
The ideal alternative depends on your specific needs. Some users prioritize cost savings, especially if they aren’t managing a large number of emails, others just want an overlay-style tool that only works with Outlook, and some require team collaboration features or enhanced security.
Superhuman alternatives at a glance
How we chose these Superhuman alternatives
When evaluating these alternatives, we considered several factors that matter most to busy professionals:
- Email volume capacity. If you receive hundreds of emails daily, you need a client built for high-volume workflows. Tools designed for casual users often struggle with heavy inbox loads.
- Platform requirements. Many alternatives only support Gmail. If your organization uses Outlook, or you need to switch between providers, your options narrow significantly.
- AI implementation approach. Some tools require you to interact with AI through chat interfaces or manual prompts. Others work automatically in the background. The difference affects how much time you actually save.
- Team vs individual use. Some alternatives are built primarily for team collaboration with shared inboxes. If you're an individual looking to maximize personal productivity, these may include features you don't need at a higher price point.
The best Superhuman alternatives reviewed
We evaluated six of the most popular Superhuman alternatives based on the criteria above. For each tool, we break down the pricing, what it does well, and the key differences compared to Superhuman Mail so you can decide which option fits your workflow.
1. Shortwave
Shortwave comes from former Google Inbox engineers and brings a modern, AI-forward approach to email. The app bundles similar emails together and offers an AI Assistant that can help you draft messages, summarize threads, and search your inbox using natural language.
Pricing: Free plan available. Personal plan at $7/month. Pro plan at $14/month with full AI features.
What it does well: Shortwave's AI Assistant is genuinely capable, and the bundling feature helps reduce visual clutter. If you're a Gmail-only user who enjoys chatting with AI to get things done, Shortwave offers a polished experience.
Key differences between Superhuman Mail and Shortwave: Shortwave only supports Gmail, so Outlook users are out of luck. More importantly, the AI requires active interaction.
You need to open the Assistant and ask it to do things rather than having tasks happen automatically. Superhuman Mail's AI works invisibly in the background with features like Auto Reminders that detect when you need to follow up, and Auto Drafts that prepare responses in your voice before you even ask.
2. Notion Mail
Notion Mail extends Notion's workspace philosophy to email management. If you already live in Notion for project management and documentation, the tight integration makes sense. The interface is clean and minimal, and AI features can reference your Notion pages when drafting emails.
Pricing: Free to use. AI features require a Notion AI subscription at $8-10 per user per month.
What it does well: The ability to reference Notion pages while composing emails is useful for teams deeply embedded in the Notion ecosystem. The custom views feature lets you organize your inbox in ways that match how you think about work.
Key differences between Superhuman Mail and Notion Mail: Notion Mail only supports Gmail and lacks mobile apps entirely. Reviews consistently mention slow loading times and typing lag.
Superhuman Mail offers native apps across iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and web, with a decade of focused development on email speed and performance. The AI features also differ significantly: Superhuman's AI operates automatically with features like Instant Reply and Auto Archive, while Notion Mail's AI requires manual prompting.
3. Spark
Spark positions itself as the smart email client for teams, with a strong free tier and collaboration features that punch above its weight class. The Smart Inbox automatically categorizes emails, and team features allow shared drafts and internal comments.
Pricing: Free plan with core features. Premium Individual at $59.99/year (about $5/month). Premium Teams at $6.99/user/month.
What it does well: For teams on a budget, Spark offers genuine collaboration features at an accessible price. The Smart Inbox does a reasonable job of surfacing important emails, with cross-platform support for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
Key differences between Superhuman Mail and Spark: Spark optimizes for team workflows, which means individual power users may find features they don't need cluttering the experience.
Superhuman Mail's AI capabilities are deeper and more automatic. Features like Auto Reminders proactively detect when emails need follow-up, and Auto Drafts prepare responses in your voice without requiring manual intervention. Superhuman also prioritizes speed optimization at every level, which becomes noticeable when processing high email volumes.
4. SaneBox
SaneBox takes a different approach as an email management overlay rather than a standalone client. It works with your existing email provider, using AI to automatically sort incoming messages into different folders based on importance.
Pricing: Snack plan at $7/month (1 email account). Lunch plan at $12/month (2 accounts). Dinner plan at $36/month (all features).
What it does well: If your primary problem is sorting through noise to find important emails, SaneBox addresses that directly. Features like SaneBlackHole let you permanently block unwanted senders, and SaneReminders help you follow up on messages. Because it works as an overlay, you can use it with whatever email client you prefer.
Key differences between Superhuman Mail and SaneBox: SaneBox handles organization but not composition. You won't get AI writing assistance, keyboard-first navigation, or the speed optimizations that make email faster to process.
Superhuman Mail is a complete email client with features like Write with AI for composing messages, Instant Reply for quick responses, and comprehensive keyboard shortcuts that eliminate the need to touch your mouse. SaneBox solves one piece of the productivity puzzle rather than the whole thing.
See why professionals choose Superhuman Mail
5. Front
Front reimagines email as a team collaboration platform. Think of it as Slack meets email, where conversations become shared threads that team members can comment on, assign, and collaborate around without forwarding chains or CC chaos.
Pricing: Starter plan at $19 per seat per month (billed annually), limited to 10 seats. Growth plan at $59 per seat per month with a minimum of 5 seats. Scale plan at $99 per seat per month.
What it does well: For customer-facing teams that share inboxes, Front genuinely transforms how email works. The ability to tag colleagues, collaborate on drafts, and maintain shared context eliminates many pain points of team email communication.
Key differences between Superhuman Mail and Front: Front is built for teams managing shared inboxes, and the pricing reflects that. Individual users or professionals focused on personal productivity will pay for collaboration features they don't use.
Superhuman Mail focuses on individual email velocity, with features designed to help you personally move faster through your inbox, plus personalized onboarding to ensure you get value immediately.
6. Canary Mail
Canary Mail emphasizes security and privacy alongside productivity features. The app supports PGP encryption out of the box and offers a unified inbox across multiple accounts.
Pricing: Free plan available. Growth plan at $36/year (about $3/month). Pro+ plan at $100/year.
What it does well: If end-to-end encryption is a requirement, Canary delivers that alongside reasonable AI features and cross-platform support. The pricing is accessible, and the unified inbox handles multiple accounts smoothly.
Key differences between Superhuman Mail and Canary Mail: While Canary checks many boxes, it hasn't matched the speed and polish that define Superhuman's experience.
Superhuman Mail's AI features like Instant Reply, Auto Archive, and Auto Drafts operate with an invisible, automatic approach that saves time without requiring attention. Superhuman customers report saving four hours every week, a proven result from a decade of focused email development.
Why Superhuman Mail remains the category leader
After comparing these Superhuman alternatives, a pattern emerges. Most tools either focus on one aspect of email productivity, require significant manual interaction to benefit from AI, or serve team use cases at the expense of individual workflows.
Superhuman Mail approaches the problem differently. The AI works invisibly in the background:
- Auto Reminders detect when emails need follow-up without you setting anything.
- Auto Drafts prepare responses in your voice before you ask.
- Instant Reply suggests contextual responses at the bottom of every message.
- Auto Archive clears marketing emails and social notifications automatically.
- Auto Summarize distills long email threads into key points instantly.
- Auto Labels categorize incoming messages automatically so you can prioritize what matters.
- Split Inbox sorts emails into focused sections like Important, Team, and VIP without manual rules.
- Ask AI searches five years of email history using natural language instead of keywords.
- Read Statuses show when recipients open your messages so you know the right moment to follow up.
- Snippets let you reuse proven messages with dynamic variables that auto-fill recipient details.
This invisible approach is why Superhuman customers report saving four hours every week. You get the benefits of AI without spending time interacting with AI.
Superhuman Mail also works with both Gmail and Outlook, across Mac, Windows, web, iOS, and Android. That combination is rare among alternatives that typically support only Gmail or lack mobile apps entirely. And with a decade of focused development on email specifically, the depth of features and polish is unmatched.
Make the right choice for your needs
If you need end-to-end encryption, Canary Mail delivers that. If you're building team workflows around shared inboxes, Front is purpose-built for collaboration. If you're already deep in Notion, Notion Mail makes sense despite its limitations.
But if you're a professional who handles significant email volume and wants to genuinely move faster through your inbox, Superhuman Mail remains the category leader. The alternatives have gotten better, but the original still sets the standard.
