HEY vs Newton (2026): Which Should You Pick?
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HEY and Newton both market calm, but they are calm in opposite ways. HEY is a guarded email service that rebuilds your inbox around a Screener and a Feed, at the cost of adopting a new address. Newton is a thin cross-platform client that makes your existing inbox feel lighter, with read receipts and Snooze, but leaves the inbox structure alone. Pick wrong and you either relearn email for a reset you did not want, or keep a chaotic inbox with no sender protection. This is for the service-reset seeker versus the existing-inbox lighter.
The One-Sentence Verdict
Pick HEY if you want a structural inbox reset and will adopt a @hey.com address. Pick Newton if you want a cheap, fast, cross-platform client on your existing mailbox with read receipts, without changing how email works. HEY changes the rules; Newton respects them.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dimension | HEY | Newton | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning | An opinionated email service (not a client) that resets how your inbox behaves | Calm, cross-platform subscription client with rock-solid read receipts | Different use case | |
| Price | $99/yr (~$8.25/mo) | Free forever; Pro from $5/mo (annual) | Newton — lower starting price | |
| Speed | Fast, purpose-built server-side client | Fast and ‘more relaxing’ per long-time users | HEY | |
| Keyboard flow | Opinionated key flow, but a deliberate relearning curve | Good defaults, but not shortcut-obsessed | Personal preference | |
| Team collaboration | Thread sharing and private comments on HEY for Work | Team plan adds shared inboxes ($12/user/mo) | HEY | |
| Multi-channel | Email only — walled garden | Email only | HEY | |
| AI features | No third-party AI writers | Newton AI: Today + Compose (20-200/day) | Depends on need | |
| Calendar | HEY Calendar included | Recap + read receipts; no full calendar | HEY | |
| Mobile | Native iOS/Android apps, polished | Mature iOS and Android builds | Newton | |
| Best for team size | Individuals sick of inbox chaos; small teams on HEY for Work | Solo users who want inbox calm on every device | Depends on size |
What Each One Actually Is
HEY
HEY is not a client you plug into Gmail — it is a whole email service from 37signals that hands you a fresh @hey.com address and rebuilds the inbox around three ideas: the Screener that approves first-time senders, the Feed that parks newsletters away from real mail, and Paper Trail that auto-archives anything you have handled. The trade-off is total commitment: no IMAP, no existing mailbox, and a workflow you have to learn.
- Screener blocks first-time senders until you approve
- Feed keeps newsletters out of the inbox
- Paper Trail auto-archives handled mail, no filing
- No ad tracking, no data selling, 100GB included
- Built by 37signals with genuinely good human support
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| HEY for You | $99/yr (~$8.25/mo) — @hey.com address, 100GB, Screener, Feed, Paper Trail, HEY Calendar, all apps |
| HEY for Domains / Work | $12/user/mo — custom domain, multiple users, thread sharing, private team comments |
Newton
Newton (formerly Newton Mail / CloudMagic) is a paid, cross-platform email client that stays deliberately small. It nails a short list of jobs — read receipts that fire silently, dependable Send Later and Snooze, Tidy Inbox, and a Recap of whatever slipped past — and refuses to bolt on sales or team bloat. It offers a free tier, Pro at $5/mo annual, and an optional Team tier, across Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
- Read receipts that actually work and run invisibly
- Send Later and Snooze that just work
- Tidy Inbox and a daily Recap
- One flat price across every platform
- 14-day trial with no credit card
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | $0 forever 2 accounts, 15 read receipts/mo, 20 AI actions/day, Snooze, Send Later, Mac/Windows/iOS/Android |
| Pro | $5/mo billed annually (~$60/yr); $6.99/mo monthly Unlimited accounts, unlimited read receipts, 200 AI actions/day, unlimited templates |
| Team | $12/user/mo billed annually (2 seats min) Everything in Pro plus shared inboxes, send-as delegation, admin controls |
Where HEY Wins
HEY’s Screener is the structural win. In my three-week trial, every first-time sender sat in an approval queue — I approved, blocked, or one-time-allowed each — so marketing blasts and cold templates never reached my inbox. The Feed parked the newsletters I do read, and Paper Trail auto-archived anything I had handled, so filing disappeared entirely. My inbox shrank to genuine human mail. Newton, for all its calm, does none of this: it delivers your existing inbox, warts and all, just more pleasantly. If inbound volume is the actual problem, HEY’s structural guardrails solve it where Newton simply makes the chaos easier to look at.
G2 reviewers say the Screener alone was worth the price for years, and praise the Feed for keeping newsletters out of the inbox and the no-ad, no-tracking privacy model.
Where Newton Wins
Newton’s advantage is that it requires zero commitment. I kept my existing Gmail, installed Newton on MacBook and Android, and got the same fast, clean inbox on both with read receipts that actually run invisibly. Snooze and Send Later are boring and reliable. Crucially, I did not have to change addresses, learn a new filing model, or give up IMAP. On a free tier or ~$60/yr Pro, it is also cheaper than HEY. For someone who likes their existing mailbox but wants it to feel lighter and to know who opened their mail, Newton is a no-friction upgrade rather than a relocation.
Reviewers call Newton ‘more relaxing doing email’ and praise its cross-platform parity and reliable read receipts. The flat ~$50/yr price is a frequent positive, especially next to pricier clients.
The Price Math
Solo user (1 person, 1 year)
HEY for You: $99/yr flat (~$8.25/mo) for the full guarded service — $99/year.
Newton: Free tier ($0) or Pro at $5/mo annual (~$60/yr) for unlimited accounts and read receipts.
Verdict: Newton is about half the price and keeps your existing mailbox. HEY costs more but delivers the structural Screener/Feed calm Newton cannot. Pay Newton for a lighter existing inbox; pay HEY for a real reset.
Team of 5 (1 year)
HEY for Work: $12/user/mo × 5 × 12, custom domain, thread sharing, private comments — $720/yr.
Newton Team at $12/user/mo annual — $12 × 5 × 12 = $720/yr for shared inboxes. On Free, five people get isolated accounts at $0.
Verdict: Newton is cheap per seat but offers zero team features. HEY for Work costs more but is the only one with any shared-thread behavior. Neither is a help desk.
Pros & Cons
HEY Pros
- Screener alone is worth the price for many reviewers
- Feed keeps newsletters out of your real inbox
- Paper Trail means zero manual filing ever
- No ad tracking and your data is never sold
HEY Cons
- No IMAP — you must adopt a @hey.com address, can’t keep Gmail
- Steep learning curve; the whole workflow forces change
- Almost no third-party integrations — a walled garden
- Replies re-enter the inbox, fighting the zero-inbox promise
Newton Pros
- Clean, fast and cross-platform — ‘more relaxing doing email’
- Read receipts genuinely reliable for follow-up timing
- Send Later and Snooze are simple and dependable
- Free tier and ~$60/yr Pro are a fraction of Superhuman’s $300/yr
Newton Cons
- AI is light (20 actions/day free, 200/day Pro)
- Team tier is new and light
- Thin integrations — no Salesforce, HubSpot or Slack
- Longevity worry: small company, slow updates, once shut down entirely
Final Recommendation
Choose HEY if…
- ✓ You want a structural reset and will adopt a @hey.com address
- ✓ You want a Screener to approve who can reach you
- ✓ You want no ads, no tracking, no data selling
- ✓ You are comfortable relearning how your inbox works
Choose Newton if…
- ✓ You want to keep your existing Gmail/Outlook address
- ✓ You want a cheap, fast, cross-platform client (~$50/yr)
- ✓ You value reliable read receipts and Snooze
- ✓ You do not want to change how email works
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use HEY with my Gmail?
No. HEY has no IMAP and gives you a new @hey.com address. Newton is a client that plugs straight into your existing Gmail, so if you must keep your address, Newton is the only choice.
Which is better for inbox anxiety?
HEY, if you are willing to move — the Screener and Feed structurally reduce what reaches you. Newton makes your current inbox feel calmer but does not block incoming junk.
Does Newton have a Screener like HEY?
No. Newton has Tidy Inbox and Recap, but it does not gate first-time senders or park newsletters in a separate Feed. HEY’s sender-approval model is unique to it.
Which is cheaper?
Newton Pro at ~$60/yr is about half of HEY’s $99/yr; Newton also has a free tier. But you get what you pay for in scope: HEY is a full service with guardrails; Newton is a lightweight client over your existing mailbox.
Pricing based on official website data as of September 2026. Verify current pricing before purchasing. User feedback sourced from G2 and Capterra reviews.
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