Superhuman optimizes email.
Hey reimagines it.
Two premium email clients with fundamentally different beliefs about what's wrong with email. Superhuman says the problem is speed. Hey says the problem is the entire model. Here's how to choose between them.
Superhuman or Hey: which email client should you choose?
- Choose Superhuman if you want to move through your existing Gmail or Outlook inbox faster. Superhuman layers AI drafting, keyboard shortcuts, split inboxes, and read statuses on top of your current email without changing providers.
- Choose Hey if you want to rethink how email works entirely. Hey requires a @hey.com address and replaces the traditional inbox with consent-based screening, feed-style newsletters, and a deliberate anti-AI philosophy.
- Superhuman costs $30/month with a 30-day free trial. Hey costs $99/year. Superhuman works with Gmail and Outlook; Hey is a standalone email service.
- If speed and AI matter most, Superhuman wins. If privacy, philosophy, and a fresh start matter most, Hey wins.
Both are premium email clients for individuals. If you want AI that actually manages your inbox — triaging, drafting, and following up automatically alongside calendar and tasks — neither is designed for that.
Superhuman vs Hey: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Superhuman | Hey |
|---|---|---|
| Best For | Speed-obsessed professionals on Gmail/Outlook | People who want to rethink email from scratch |
| Pricing | $30/month (30-day trial) | $99/year (~$8.25/month) |
| Email Provider | Layers on Gmail & Outlook | Standalone (@hey.com required) |
| AI Features | AI drafting, summarization, auto-triage | None ("HI not AI" philosophy) |
| Speed / Performance | Sub-100ms interactions | Fast, but not speed-optimized |
| Keyboard Shortcuts | Vim-style, every action mapped | Basic shortcuts available |
| Integrations | Calendar, CRM, Slack, Zapier | Virtually none |
| Search | Instant, AI-enhanced | Basic search |
| Tracker Blocking | ||
| Consent-Based Screening | ||
| Mobile App | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
| Platform Support | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Web, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux |
The Core Difference: AI Speed vs. Anti-AI Philosophy
Superhuman and Hey don't just differ on features — they disagree on what email should fundamentally be. This philosophical split defines every design decision in both products.
Feature Comparison: Where Each Tool Wins
Email Speed & Keyboard Shortcuts
Superhuman's defining feature is raw speed. Every interaction — opening an email, composing a reply, archiving, snoozing — happens in under 100 milliseconds. The interface is built around Vim-style keyboard shortcuts: j/k to navigate, e to archive, h to set a reminder. Power users can process their entire inbox without touching a mouse. Superhuman also pre-fetches emails before you open them, so there's zero loading time.
Hey is fast in the conventional sense — pages load quickly, and the interface is responsive — but speed isn't the design priority. Hey's keyboard shortcuts are basic compared to Superhuman's exhaustive mapping. Hey's approach to email volume isn't "process faster" but "receive less": by screening senders and separating streams, Hey reduces the number of emails demanding attention in the first place.
AI Features
Superhuman AI is a core part of the product. It drafts full email replies in your writing style, summarizes long threads so you can catch up in seconds, and auto-triages incoming mail by categorizing messages and surfacing what needs attention first. Superhuman's AI also powers instant reply suggestions — one-tap responses for quick acknowledgments. For executives processing 200+ emails daily, the AI features can save 30-60 minutes per day.
Hey has no AI features — deliberately. The company's "HI not AI" positioning isn't a feature gap; it's a product philosophy. 37signals (Hey's maker) argues that AI in email creates new problems: generic-sounding replies, privacy concerns from training on your messages, and a race to automate communication that should be human. Every workflow in Hey is human-designed: you decide which senders get through, you choose which emails become tasks, you manually sort into Imbox, Feed, or Paper Trail.
This isn't a case where one product is behind on AI and will catch up. Hey has explicitly committed to never adding AI features. If AI-powered drafting and triage matter to you, Hey will never offer them. If you distrust AI handling your communications, Superhuman's AI can be turned off but it's baked into the product's value proposition.
Privacy & Data Philosophy
Hey takes a hard stance on privacy. It blocks tracking pixels by default — the invisible images that marketers embed in emails to know when you opened them, where you were, and what device you used. Hey shows you which emails contained trackers and blocks them silently. It also doesn't sell data, doesn't show ads, and stores emails encrypted.
Superhuman's privacy history is more complicated. In 2019, the company faced backlash over its read receipt feature, which showed senders the exact location and time recipients opened their emails. Superhuman responded quickly by making read statuses opt-in and removing location tracking. Today, Superhuman's AI processes email through LLM providers, which means your email content is sent to third-party AI services for drafting and summarization. For privacy-sensitive users in regulated industries (legal, healthcare), this is worth considering.
Integrations & Ecosystem
Superhuman integrates with the professional tool ecosystem you're already using. It connects to Google Calendar and Outlook Calendar natively, shows CRM data from Salesforce and HubSpot alongside emails, works with Slack for notifications, and supports Zapier for custom automations. Because Superhuman sits on top of Gmail or Outlook, every integration those platforms support still works — your existing filters, labels, and forwarding rules carry over.
Hey has virtually no integrations. There's no API, no Zapier support, no calendar integration, no CRM sidebar, and no way to connect Hey to external workflows. This is intentional — Hey wants email to be a self-contained experience, not a node in an automation graph. For professionals whose work depends on email-to-CRM syncing, email-triggered automations, or calendar coordination from the inbox, Hey's isolation is a dealbreaker.
Mobile Experience
Both apps offer polished mobile experiences, but the design priorities differ. Superhuman's mobile app mirrors the desktop: fast, gesture-driven, with swipe actions for archive, snooze, and reply. AI drafting works on mobile, so you can process emails at full speed from your phone. The app is optimized for triage — quickly deciding what needs attention now vs. later.
Hey's mobile app reflects its screening philosophy. New senders go to "The Screener" where you accept or reject them. Accepted messages flow into the Imbox, newsletters into the Feed (which you can browse like social media), and transactional emails into the Paper Trail. The mobile experience is more browsing than processing — Hey encourages you to check email on your terms, not react to every notification.
Pricing Comparison
The pricing models are as different as the products themselves — and the true cost goes beyond the sticker price.
| Feature | Superhuman | Hey |
|---|---|---|
| Plans | ||
| Personal Plan | $30/month | $99/year (~$8.25/month) |
| What You Keep | ||
| Existing Email Address | Yes (Gmail/Outlook) | No — requires @hey.com |
| Hidden Costs | ||
| Provider Lock-in | None — switch away anytime | High — @hey.com address is Hey-only |
Hey isn't just an email client — it's an email service. You get a @hey.com address. You can forward from Gmail, but native Hey features only work with @hey.com. This means telling every contact your new address, losing your email history, and being locked to Hey's infrastructure. If you leave Hey later, your @hey.com address stops working. Superhuman sits on top of your existing address — you can stop paying anytime and go back to Gmail or Outlook with zero disruption.
On raw price, Hey is dramatically cheaper: $99/year vs. Superhuman's $360/year. But the true cost of Hey includes the switching cost of a new email address, the loss of integrations, and the lock-in to a proprietary platform. Superhuman is expensive monthly, but it's a reversible decision — you can cancel and go back to regular Gmail without losing anything. Hey is a commitment.
Who Should Choose Superhuman
Pros
- You process 100+ emails daily and need raw speed — sub-100ms interactions and keyboard shortcuts for every action
- You want AI drafting and auto-triage to cut email processing time by 30-60 minutes per day
- You need to keep your existing Gmail or Outlook address with no disruption to contacts or workflows
- Your work depends on integrations — CRM data in the inbox, calendar sync, Zapier automations, and Slack notifications
- You want a risk-free trial: 30 days free, and if you cancel, you're back to Gmail/Outlook with nothing lost
Cons
- $30/month ($360/year) makes it one of the most expensive email clients on the market
- No tracker blocking — your emails still contain tracking pixels from senders
- AI features process your email content through third-party LLM providers, which raises privacy considerations
- Only works with Gmail and Outlook — no support for other email providers
Who Should Choose Hey
Pros
- You want to fundamentally change how email works — consent-based screening, separated streams, and intentional email habits
- Privacy is a priority: tracker blocking, no data selling, no AI processing of your email content
- You're comfortable with a new @hey.com address and starting fresh with a clean inbox philosophy
- You prefer Hey's pricing model: $99/year is 72% cheaper than Superhuman annually
- You don't need integrations — email is email, not an automation platform
Cons
- Requires a @hey.com address — you can't use your existing email address natively
- Zero integrations: no API, no Zapier, no CRM sidebar, no calendar sync within the email client
- No AI features by design — no drafting, no summarization, no auto-triage, ever
- Leaving Hey means your @hey.com address stops working — high lock-in risk
- You have to tell every contact your new address and manage forwarding from your old account
The Verdict
This isn't a feature-by-feature comparison where one product edges out the other. Superhuman and Hey represent two genuinely different visions of what email should be.
Superhuman is the right choice if you accept email as it is and want to move through it as fast as humanly possible. It respects your existing setup — your address, your contacts, your integrations — and adds a speed layer on top. The AI features are genuinely useful for high-volume emailers, and the 30-day trial makes it a low-risk experiment.
Hey is the right choice if you believe email is fundamentally broken and you're willing to start over. The screening model genuinely reduces inbox noise, the tracker blocking is the best in the industry, and the $99/year price is refreshingly simple. But it demands a commitment: a new address, no integrations, and a philosophical stance against AI that means the product will never help you write faster.
Most professionals will find Superhuman the more practical choice because it doesn't require changing their email address or abandoning integrations. But for those who've been wanting to "reset" their relationship with email, Hey offers something no other product does — a completely different model.
Looking for Something Different?
Superhuman makes email faster. Hey reimagines it. But both still leave the work to you — Superhuman helps you type replies faster, and Hey helps you see fewer emails, but neither takes email off your plate.
alfred_ goes further. Instead of making you faster at email or changing how email looks, alfred_ makes email managed. AI triages your inbox automatically, drafts replies in your voice, extracts action items, and handles follow-ups — alongside your calendar, tasks, and notes in one workspace. They make email faster. Alfred makes email managed.
$24.99/month with a 30-day free trial. Works with Gmail and Outlook. Learn more about alfred_.
Our Verdict
Superhuman for speed. Hey for philosophy.
Choose Superhuman if you want the fastest email experience on top of your existing Gmail or Outlook inbox with AI drafting and integrations at $30/month. Choose Hey if you want to rethink email from scratch with consent-based screening, tracker blocking, and an anti-AI philosophy at $99/year — but be ready to adopt a @hey.com address and leave integrations behind.
Best for
- Superhuman: Executives and professionals who process 100+ emails daily and need raw speed with AI assistance
- Hey: Privacy-conscious users who want a fresh start with consent-based email and no tracking
- Superhuman: Anyone who needs integrations — CRM, calendar, Zapier, and Slack alongside email
- Hey: People tired of inbox overload who want a fundamentally different email model at a lower annual price
Not for
- Superhuman: Budget-conscious users — $360/year is steep for an email client
- Hey: Professionals who depend on their existing email address and can't switch to @hey.com
- Hey: Anyone who needs AI drafting, auto-triage, or email-triggered automations
- Either: Professionals who want AI to fully manage their inbox, calendar, and tasks (see alfred_)
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Superhuman worth $30 a month?
For high-volume emailers processing 100+ messages daily, Superhuman's speed and AI features can save 30-60 minutes per day — making the $30/month cost worthwhile for professionals whose time is worth more than $1/minute. For casual email users who check email a few times a day, the cost is hard to justify when Gmail and Outlook are free.
Can I use Hey with my existing email address?
Not natively. Hey gives you a @hey.com address. You can set up forwarding from Gmail or Outlook to Hey, but Hey's core features — screening, Imbox/Feed/Paper Trail sorting — only work with the @hey.com address. This means contacts need your new address, and you're locked into Hey's ecosystem.
Does Hey have any AI features?
No, and it never will. Hey's 'HI not AI' positioning is a deliberate product philosophy, not a feature gap. 37signals has publicly committed to keeping Hey AI-free, arguing that email should be a human-to-human communication channel. If AI drafting or auto-triage matters to your workflow, Hey is not the right choice.
What happens if I cancel Hey?
Your @hey.com email address stops receiving mail. Unlike canceling Superhuman (where you simply revert to Gmail or Outlook), canceling Hey means losing your email address. You can export your data before canceling, but any contacts who only have your @hey.com address will no longer be able to reach you. This lock-in is Hey's biggest risk.
Does Superhuman work with Outlook?
Yes. Superhuman supports both Gmail and Microsoft Outlook (including Office 365 and Exchange). This dual-provider support is a significant advantage — you get Superhuman's speed and AI features regardless of whether your organization uses Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
Is there a free alternative to both Superhuman and Hey?
Gmail and Outlook are free and handle email well for most people. For enhanced features without the premium price, Spark Mail offers a free tier with smart inbox and AI features. For a fundamentally different approach, Apple Mail is free and private but lacks AI. If you want AI email management beyond what any email client offers, alfred_ combines inbox triage, drafting, calendar, and task management for $24.99/month.
Try alfred_
They make email faster. Alfred makes email managed.
Superhuman speeds up email. Hey redesigns it. alfred_ manages it — AI triage, drafting in your voice, follow-up tracking, and a daily briefing alongside your calendar and tasks. The AI executive assistant for professionals who are done processing email manually. $24.99/month. 30-day free trial.
Try alfred_ Free