HEY vs Polymail (2026): Which Should You Pick?
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HEY and Polymail are almost comically different tools that share only the word ’email.’ HEY is an opinionated email service that guards your inbox and refuses to plug into anything. Polymail is a sales client that tracks opens, reminds you to follow up, and runs outbound sequences. Pick wrong and you either adopt a walled-garden address for no sales benefit, or pay for a sales tool that cannot stop the junk. This is for the inbox-reset seeker versus the outbound seller.
The One-Sentence Verdict
Pick HEY if you want to escape inbox chaos and will move to a @hey.com address. Pick Polymail if you send outbound email and need open tracking and follow-up sequences. HEY calms what comes in; Polymail tracks what you send — they are not substitutes.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dimension | HEY | Polymail | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning | An opinionated email service (not a client) that resets how your inbox behaves | Sales-oriented client: tracking, reminders, outbound sequences | Different use case | |
| Price | $99/yr (~$8.25/mo) | From $10/user/mo | HEY — lower starting price | |
| Speed | Fast, purpose-built server-side client | Solid, but users report sync gaps on large mailboxes | HEY | |
| Keyboard flow | Opinionated key flow, but a deliberate relearning curve | Decent shortcuts; not a power-user keyboard-first client | Personal preference | |
| Team collaboration | Thread sharing and private comments on HEY for Work | No real shared inbox; sequences are one-to-many outreach | HEY | |
| Multi-channel | Email only — walled garden | Email only | HEY | |
| AI features | No third-party AI writers | No AI features at all | Depends on need | |
| Calendar | HEY Calendar included | Calendar scheduling link (Premium) | HEY | |
| Mobile | Native iOS/Android apps, polished | iOS app solid; Android support spotty | HEY | |
| Best for team size | Individuals sick of inbox chaos; small teams on HEY for Work | Solo sellers, freelancers, 1-5 person outreach | 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 |
Polymail
Polymail is a Mac/iOS email client built around sales workflows. Its whole reason to exist is telling you what happened after you hit send: tracked opens, follow-up reminders, and (on Premium) automated sequences that chase non-responders on your behalf. It is not a team inbox and not an AI writer — it is a lightweight outbound tool for people who live in their inbox and need proof of engagement.
- Email tracking with open/click receipts
- Follow-up reminders if someone goes quiet
- Send Later and read receipts
- Premium outbound sequences on a schedule
- Calendar scheduling booking link
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Basic | $10/user/mo annual ($13 monthly) — 2 mailboxes, tracking, reminders, templates, 1 calendar page |
| Premium | $24/user/mo annual ($29 monthly) — 20 mailboxes, automated sequences, calendar scheduling |
| Enterprise | Custom — Salesforce integration, SSO, advanced analytics, phone support |
Where HEY Wins
HEY’s whole pitch is structural, and the Screener is the part that delivers. During my trial, every first-time sender landed in a Screener queue — I approved, blocked, or one-time-allowed each. Marketing blasts and cold templates never reached my reading surface. The Feed parked the newsletters I actually read, and Paper Trail auto-archived anything I had handled, so I filed nothing by hand. The result was an inbox of roughly ten genuine human messages a day. None of this requires filter rules; it is built into how the service works. For someone drowning in inbound, that is a reset no sales client offers.
Reviewers on G2 say the Screener alone justified the price for years. The Feed and the no-ad, no-tracking privacy stance are the other recurring praise, with people saying HEY changed their relationship with email.
Where Polymail Wins
Polymail’s value lives entirely in outbound visibility. When I ran a small outreach batch, the activity feed showed me who opened, who clicked, and who opened twice without replying. That ‘opened twice, no reply’ group became my priority follow-up list, and the built-in reminder surfaced it automatically after a few quiet days. On Premium I set a sequence that sent a second touch to non-responders after four business days. HEY does none of this — it does not even track opens, by design. For someone whose income depends on replies, Polymail’s tracking and sequences are the entire point.
G2 reviewers praise Polymail’s tracking as genuinely useful, saying it separates ‘opened, no reply’ from ‘never opened.’ The polished design and follow-up reminders are the other recurring positives.
The Price Math
Solo user (1 person, 1 year)
HEY for You: $99/yr flat (~$8.25/mo) for the full guarded inbox service — $99/year.
Polymail Basic: $10/mo × 12 = $120/yr; Premium (sequences) $24/mo = $288/yr — $120–$288/year.
Verdict: HEY is cheaper than Polymail Premium and delivers inbound calm Polymail cannot. Polymail costs more but provides tracking and sequences HEY deliberately does not. They solve opposite problems.
Team of 5 (1 year)
HEY for Work: $12/user/mo × 5 × 12, custom domain, thread sharing, private comments — $720/yr.
Polymail Premium × 5: $24 × 5 × 12 for sequences and tracking at scale; no shared inbox — $1,440/yr.
Verdict: HEY for Work is cheaper and gives shared threads on a custom domain. Polymail Premium costs double but adds outbound sequences and tracking a sales team needs. 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
Polymail Pros
- Polished, low-friction design — onboarding takes minutes
- Tracking genuinely distinguishes ‘opened, no reply’ from ‘never opened’
- Follow-up reminders are simple and reliably catch slipping leads
- Sequences chase non-responders automatically on Premium
Polymail Cons
- Recurring sync bugs; dropped emails are a common complaint on G2
- Support is weak and slow to respond
- Search is poor — users say you must type a contact’s whole name
- No AI writing help while rivals ship it by default
Final Recommendation
Choose HEY if…
- ✓ You want to reset your inbox and block first-time senders
- ✓ You will adopt a fresh @hey.com address
- ✓ You want no ads, no tracking, no data selling
- ✓ You prefer curated calm over sales analytics
Choose Polymail if…
- ✓ You send outbound email and need open/click tracking
- ✓ You want follow-up reminders and automated sequences
- ✓ You are a solo seller or small sales team
- ✓ You prefer a polished Mac/iOS client over a walled-garden service
Frequently Asked Questions
Can HEY track email opens like Polymail?
No — HEY deliberately avoids tracking and ad-style surveillance. Polymail’s read receipts and open tracking are its core feature. If you need to know who opened your pitch, HEY cannot do it.
Can I keep Gmail and use Polymail?
Yes — Polymail is a client that connects to your existing Gmail or IMAP. HEY cannot: it is a full service that requires a new @hey.com address.
Which is cheaper?
HEY for You is $99/yr flat. Polymail starts at $120/yr (Basic) and jumps to $288/yr for sequences (Premium). HEY is the cheaper subscription, but it does a completely different job.
Is HEY or Polymail better for sales?
Polymail, unambiguously — tracking, reminders, and sequences are built for sales. HEY is an inbound-calm personal service with no outbound tooling at all.
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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