Superhuman vs HEY (2026): Which Should You Pick?
We may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site, at no extra cost to you. This does not affect our editorial independence. Learn more.
Superhuman and HEY both promise inbox zero, but they attack the problem from opposite ends. Superhuman keeps your Gmail and makes you faster at it. HEY throws out your Gmail, hands you a @hey.com address, and forces a completely new way of handling mail. Pick wrong and you either pay $300/year to stay fast on a system you already know, or move your entire address book and find out you can’t connect your existing accounts. After three weeks on both, here’s the verdict.
The One-Sentence Verdict
Go with Superhuman if you need to keep your Gmail or Outlook address and just want to move through it faster. Go with HEY if you’re willing to abandon your current inbox entirely and let 37signals design your email workflow for you.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dimension | Superhuman | HEY | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning | Fast client on top of Gmail/Outlook | Full email service with a new address | Different use case |
| Price | From $25/mo annual ($300/yr) | $99/yr for personal ($12/user/mo for Work) | HEY |
| Speed | Instant; sub-second on large archives | Fast, but not optimised for keyboard power users | Superhuman |
| Keyboard flow | Best-in-class shortcuts and command palette | Mouse-first; opinionated workflow | Superhuman |
| Team collaboration | Shared Conversations on Business ($33/mo) | Thread sharing and private comments on Work | Tie |
| Multi-channel | Email + calendar + sidebar integrations | Email + HEY Calendar; almost no third-party integrations | Superhuman |
| AI features | Built in: summarise, reply, drafts, auto-archive | No AI writing features at all | Superhuman |
| Calendar | Built-in calendar and scheduling | HEY Calendar included | Tie |
| Mobile | Mature iOS; Android newer | Polished iOS and Android by 37signals | HEY |
| Best for team size | 1–10 power users on existing mail | 1–20 teams willing to move to @hey.com | Depends on size |
What Each One Actually Is
Superhuman
Superhuman is a VC-backed email client out of San Francisco that rebuilt the Gmail and Outlook experience from scratch. It bills itself as the fastest email experience in the world, and after three weeks of daily use I kept landing on the same word: instant. The Mac and iOS apps are mature; Windows and Android are newer but catching up. It’s not a team help desk and not a calm-inbox reset tool—it’s a precision instrument for people who plow through hundreds of emails a day.
- Split Inbox auto-separates team, VIP, and tool mail
- Built-in AI: Auto Summarize, Instant Reply, Auto Drafts, Auto Archive
- Command palette and keyboard-first flow (n, e, r, s)
- Integration sidebar: Slack, Notion, Linear, Figma, GitHub, Calendly
- Read receipts, scheduling, recurring reminders, snooze
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Starter | $25/mo annual ($300/yr) or $30 monthly |
| Business | $33/mo annual ($396/yr) or $40 monthly |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing (SSO, security, dedicated success) |
HEY
HEY isn’t a client—it’s a full email service from 37signals, the company behind Basecamp. You sign up for a @hey.com address, 100GB of storage, and a deliberately different workflow: Screener makes every first-time sender ask permission, Feed holds newsletters and nothing else, and Paper Trail archives handled mail automatically. There’s no IMAP, so you can’t point it at your existing Gmail or Outlook. It’s a walled garden, and that’s the whole point.
- Screener blocks first-time senders cold until you approve
- Feed keeps newsletters out of the inbox
- Paper Trail auto-archives handled mail
- No ad tracking, no data selling, 100GB included
- HEY Calendar and apps on every platform
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| HEY for You | $99/yr (~$8.25/mo) — @hey.com address, 100GB, Screener, Feed, Paper Trail, Calendar |
| HEY for Domains / Work | $12/user/mo — custom domain, multiple users, thread sharing, private team comments |
Where Superhuman Wins
I kept my existing Gmail address on Superhuman and set up a brand-new @hey.com address for the HEY test. The difference was immediate: in Superhuman I could reply to a thread, archive it, and move on without touching the mouse, and the integration sidebar opened the matching Linear ticket or Slack thread in one click. HEY has no such sidebar, and there’s no Linear, Slack, or GitHub integration at all. If your work lives inside those tools, Superhuman is the only one that stays out of your way.
The concierge onboarding is the other edge. A Superhuman rep spent 30 minutes on a call configuring my Split Inbox rules, snooze defaults, and keyboard shortcuts. On G2, new users say the first two weeks require that onboarding to click—but once it does, ‘fast’ is the word they repeat. The downside, again, is price: $300/year is a real line item.
Where HEY Wins
HEY’s Screener was the most surprising feature. I signed up for three SaaS trials with my @hey.com address and watched the Screener hold back every first-time sender—newsletters, upsell emails, onboarding sequences—until I explicitly allowed them. Real mail from friends and colleagues landed straight in the inbox; everything else sat in a holding queue. Feed held the newsletters I did approve, so they never touched the inbox at all. By day ten my inbox had 14 emails in it, and Paper Trail had already archived everything I’d handled.
The cost of that calm is adoption friction. There’s no IMAP, so you can’t use Superhuman, Spike, or any other client on top of HEY. You have to move to a @hey.com address. Capterra reviews note that ‘certain formatting is lost when viewing emails,’ and that replies re-enter the inbox, ‘doubling the amount of emails.’ It works for people who buy into the philosophy; it feels like a fight for everyone else.
The Price Math
Solo user (1 person, 1 year)
Superhuman: Superhuman Starter annual: $25/mo × 12 = $300/yr. You keep your existing Gmail address; no migration cost — $300/yr.
HEY: HEY for You: $99/yr flat. You get a new @hey.com address, 100GB, Screener, Feed, Paper Trail, and Calendar — $99/yr.
Verdict: HEY is $201 cheaper per year for a solo user ($99 vs $300). But the real cost of HEY is migration: changing your address, updating every service, and telling your contacts. If you are not willing to do that, HEY is not free—it is unavailable.
Team of 5 (1 year)
Superhuman: Superhuman Business for 5: $33/mo × 5 × 12 = $1,980/yr. Team features are lightweight; you still need Slack for internal chat — $1,980/yr (Business).
HEY: HEY for Work for 5: $12/user/mo × 5 × 12 = $720/yr. Includes custom domain, thread sharing, and private team comments — $720/yr (Work x5).
Verdict: HEY for Work is $1,260/year cheaper than Superhuman Business for a five-person team. But both tools are weak on real shared-inbox workflows—for a support team you want Front or Missive, not either of these.
Pros & Cons
Superhuman Pros
- Blazing speed—zero lag even with 10,000+ emails; ‘fast’ is the most-cited word on G2.
- Split Inbox automatically separates team, VIP, and tool notifications with zero manual triage.
- Built-in AI (Auto Summarize, Instant Reply, Auto Drafts, Auto Archive) genuinely saves time.
- Strongest integrations sidebar in the market—Slack, Notion, Linear, Figma, GitHub, Calendly.
Superhuman Cons
- Expensive: $25–$40/month—one Capterra user called it ‘a bit expensive considering it is basically a front-end for Gmail.’
- Steep shortcut learning curve; G2 new users say the first two weeks require the onboarding to click.
- Deep CRM integrations (Salesforce/HubSpot/Pipedrive) are gated behind the Business tier.
- Team features are lightweight; no full shared inbox, assignment, or internal chat for large teams.
HEY Pros
- Screener blocks first-time senders cold; reviewers say it alone was worth it for years.
- Feed keeps newsletters out of the inbox so only real mail reaches you.
- Paper Trail auto-archives handled mail with no manual filing.
- No ad tracking and no selling your data, with a fresh @hey.com address and 100GB storage.
HEY Cons
- No IMAP at all, you cannot connect your existing Gmail or Outlook and must adopt a @hey.com address.
- Steep learning curve; the whole workflow forces you to change how you do email.
- Almost no third-party integrations, it is a walled garden.
- Formatting gets mangled: reviewers note “certain formatting is lost when viewing emails.”
Final Recommendation
Choose Superhuman if…
- ✓ You are not willing to give up your Gmail or Outlook address
- ✓ You need Slack, Notion, Linear, or GitHub in the sidebar
- ✓ You want built-in AI summarise and reply
- ✓ Keyboard speed changes your day
Choose HEY if…
- ✓ You want a fresh start and a new @hey.com address
- ✓ You are fed up with first-time senders and newsletters
- ✓ You do not need third-party integrations
- ✓ You prefer a calmer, opinionated workflow over speed
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use HEY with my existing Gmail address?
No. HEY is a full email service, not a client. There’s no IMAP and no way to connect your existing inbox. You get a @hey.com address (or a custom domain on the Work plan).
Does Superhuman work without a Gmail address?
Yes. Superhuman connects to Gmail and Outlook. You keep your existing address—it’s a client, not a service.
Which is better for privacy?
HEY. It explicitly doesn’t sell your data and doesn’t include ad trackers. Superhuman integrates with Slack and Linear, which means your mail flows into those tools.
Can I try both without paying?
Superhuman offers a 30-minute demo but no long free trial. HEY offers a 30-day free trial on the personal plan, no credit card required.
Pricing based on official website data as of September 2026. Verify current pricing before purchasing. User feedback sourced from G2 and Capterra reviews.
About the Author
