3 Best Free Alternatives to HEY in 2026
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
Compared: free alternatives to HEY
| Alternative | Best for | Standout | Biggest weakness | Learning curve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HEYreference | individuals and small teams who want an opinionated, spam-resistant inbox and are willing to pay a flat annual fee instead of using free Gmail or Outlook | The Screener holds every first-time sender for approval before it can reach the inbox, permanently blocking rejected senders and splitting the rest into Imbox, Feed, and Paper Trail views. | No permanent free tier and no monthly billing option for individuals — HEY for You is $99/year paid upfront, and switching from an existing email address means re-pointing every account and contact to a new @hey.com domain. | Moderate | From $12/mo |
| Proton Mail | privacy-conscious individuals, journalists, and small teams who want end-to-end encrypted email with open-source, independently audited clients rather than a mainstream provider that can technically read stored mail | Zero-access encryption paired with open-source, independently audited client apps, so Proton itself cannot decrypt a Mail Plus or Unlimited inbox even under legal compulsion. | The free tier caps storage at just 1 GB and one address, and the higher-value Unlimited and Family tiers bundle VPN, Drive, and Pass features that email-only switchers may not need, pushing the effective per-mailbox cost above single-purpose providers like Fastmail. | Low | Free tier · paid from $3.99/mo |
| Gmail | individuals who want a free, reliable, spam-filtered inbox with strong search, and businesses wanting professional email bundled with Google's collaboration suite | Search-driven inbox management with strong spam filtering and tabbed auto-categorization, tightly integrated with Google Meet, Chat, Calendar, and Drive from the same interface. | Free personal accounts show ads in the inbox and rely on automatic tab categorization that can bury important emails in Promotions or Updates; storage is shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos rather than dedicated to email, so heavy attachment use eats into the same 15GB quota as everything else. | Low | Free tier · paid from $7/mo |
| Outlook | individuals who want a free, ad-supported webmail and calendar client, with the option to upgrade to an ad-free inbox, larger storage, and Copilot AI through a Microsoft 365 subscription | Unified email, calendar, contacts, and (on Microsoft 365 plans) Copilot AI drafting in one interface, tightly integrated with Word, Excel, and Teams rather than functioning as a standalone mail app. | The standalone, low-cost Outlook.com Premium subscription was discontinued for new users in 2017, so removing ads and getting 100GB of storage now requires a full Microsoft 365 subscription starting at $9.99/month rather than a cheaper email-only upgrade; reviewers also report slowdowns and sync issues with large inboxes and unreliable attachment search. | Low | Free tier · paid from $9.99/mo |
HEY
Proton Mail
Gmail
Outlook1.Proton Mail — best HEY alternative for privacy-conscious individuals, journalists, and small teams who want end-to-end encrypted email with open-source, independently audited clients rather than a mainstream provider that can technically read stored mail
Proton Mail is the best HEY alternative for privacy-conscious individuals who want zero-access encryption HEY doesn't offer, since HEY's marketing focuses on inbox organization and sender screening rather than encryption architecture. Proton Mail's free tier covers 1GB of storage and one address at no cost, an option HEY doesn't have at any tier since HEY for You is a flat $99/year commitment with no free plan. Mail Plus adds 15GB, 10 aliases, and one custom domain for $3.99/month billed annually, cheaper than HEY for You's $99/year ($8.25/month equivalent). Proton Mail's client apps are open source and independently audited across web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, unlike HEY's closed-source apps. Proton Mail holds a 4.5/5 rating from 122 Capterra reviews, a larger sample than HEY's own 6 Product Hunt reviews. HEY is still the better choice for anyone who wants HEY's Screener and Imbox/Feed/Paper Trail sorting system: Proton Mail has no equivalent first-time-sender approval gate, and its higher-value Unlimited and Family tiers bundle VPN, Drive, and Pass features that email-only switchers may not need, raising the effective cost above what HEY charges for email and calendar alone.
Compared to HEY: zero-access encryption on every paid plan which HEY doesn't market, free tier at 1GB which HEY doesn't offer at any tier, no Screener-style first-time-sender approval gate matching HEY's core mechanic
Wins:Zero-access encryption means Proton itself cannot read message content on any paid plan, a privacy guarantee HEY doesn't market · Free tier covers 1GB of storage and one address at no cost, an option HEY doesn't have at any tier · Open-source, independently audited client apps across six platforms, unlike HEY's closed-source apps
Loses:No Screener-style approval gate that holds first-time senders until explicitly approved, HEY's core anti-spam mechanic · Higher-value Unlimited and Family tiers bundle VPN, Drive, and Pass, raising the effective cost for switchers who only want email · No Imbox/Feed/Paper Trail structural mail sorting the way HEY organizes incoming messages by type
Pros
- Zero-access encryption means Proton cannot read message content on any paid plan.
- Open-source, independently audited client apps across web, desktop, iOS, and Android.
- No phone number required to sign up, and Swiss jurisdiction outside US/EU data-sharing agreements.
- Bridge app connects Proton Mail to standard IMAP clients like Outlook or Apple Mail on Mail Plus and up.
Cons
- Free tier is limited to 1 GB storage and a single email address.
- Higher tiers bundle VPN, Drive, and Pass, which raises the effective price for users who only want email.
- Custom domain support starts at just 1 domain on Mail Plus, fewer than some business-focused competitors.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $3.99/mo — Free at 1GB, or Mail Plus $3.99/month for 15GB, vs HEY for You's $99/year ($8.25/month equivalent)
2.Gmail — best HEY alternative for individuals who want a free, reliable, spam-filtered inbox with strong search, and businesses wanting professional email bundled with Google's collaboration suite
Gmail is the best HEY alternative for anyone who wants a completely free inbox with a massive existing user base, rather than paying HEY's $99/year flat fee for a from-scratch redesign. Gmail's free tier includes 15GB of storage shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos, spam filtering, and tabbed inbox categorization (Primary, Promotions, Social), a genuinely free option HEY doesn't offer at any tier. Gmail holds a 4.8/5 rating from 13,516 Capterra reviews, by far the largest sample of any alternative in this comparison and vastly larger than HEY's own 6 Product Hunt reviews. Business use through Google Workspace starts around $7/user/month, still cheaper than HEY for Domains' $12/user/month. HEY is still the better choice for anyone frustrated with cold email and inbox clutter that Gmail's tab system only partially solves: Gmail has no equivalent to HEY's Screener, which requires every first-time sender to be approved before reaching the inbox at all, and free Gmail accounts show ads that HEY's paid, ad-free model avoids entirely.
Compared to HEY: completely free tier with 15GB storage which HEY doesn't offer at any price, 4.8/5 from 13,516 Capterra reviews vs HEY's 6 Product Hunt reviews, no equivalent to HEY's Screener so unwanted senders are sorted by tabs after the fact rather than blocked before arrival
Wins:Completely free tier with 15GB of storage, an option HEY doesn't offer at any price since HEY for You is a flat $99/year commitment · 4.8/5 rating from 13,516 Capterra reviews, by far the largest evidence base of any alternative in this comparison · Massive existing user base and native Google Meet, Chat, Calendar, and Drive integration in one interface
Loses:No equivalent to HEY's Screener, which requires every first-time sender to be approved before reaching the inbox at all · Free accounts show ads, unlike HEY's fully paid, ad-free model · Automatic tab categorization (Promotions, Social, Updates) can bury important emails, the exact clutter problem HEY was built to solve differently
Pros
- Free tier is genuinely capable, with strong spam filtering and powerful search operators.
- Tight integration with Google Meet, Chat, Calendar, and Drive inside the same interface.
- Business (Workspace) tiers add a custom domain and admin controls without switching providers.
- Broad platform support with reliable offline access and cross-device sync.
Cons
- Free accounts show ads, and the automatic tab system (Promotions, Social, Updates) can bury important messages.
- 15GB free storage is shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos rather than dedicated to email alone.
- Some advanced settings and filters are not intuitive to configure for less technical users.
- Business pricing tiers beyond Starter require checking Google's site directly, as exact per-tier pricing isn't always shown plainly.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $7/mo — Free personal tier, or Google Workspace Business Starter from $7/user/month, vs HEY for You's $99/year or HEY for Domains' $12/user/month
3.Outlook — best HEY alternative for individuals who want a free, ad-supported webmail and calendar client, with the option to upgrade to an ad-free inbox, larger storage, and Copilot AI through a Microsoft 365 subscription
Outlook is the best HEY alternative for anyone who wants free, ad-supported webmail with the option to integrate directly with Word, Excel, and Teams, rather than HEY's standalone, subscription-only design. Outlook's free tier (Outlook.com) requires no subscription, an option HEY doesn't offer since HEY for You is a $99/year commitment with no free plan. Microsoft 365 Personal at $9.99/month removes ads, expands storage to 100GB, and adds Copilot AI drafting, a higher monthly cost than HEY's $99/year ($8.25/month equivalent) but bundled with the full Microsoft 365 suite. Outlook holds a 4.5/5 rating from 2,501 Capterra reviews, a much larger sample than HEY's own 6 Product Hunt reviews. HEY is still the better choice for anyone who wants aggressive spam and cold-email blocking built into the core product: Outlook has no equivalent to HEY's Screener, and reviewers report performance slowdowns and unreliable attachment search on large mailboxes, issues that don't apply to HEY's smaller, more opinionated feature set.
Compared to HEY: free ad-supported webmail tier which HEY doesn't offer, 4.5/5 from 2,501 Capterra reviews vs HEY's 6 Product Hunt reviews, no equivalent to HEY's Screener for blocking first-time senders before they reach the inbox
Wins:Free ad-supported webmail tier requires no subscription, an option HEY doesn't offer since HEY for You is a $99/year commitment · 4.5/5 rating from 2,501 Capterra reviews, a much larger sample than HEY's own 6 Product Hunt reviews · Deep integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams for Microsoft 365 subscribers
Loses:No equivalent to HEY's Screener for blocking first-time senders before they reach the inbox at all · Reviewers report performance slowdowns and unreliable attachment search on large mailboxes · Removing ads requires a full $9.99/month Microsoft 365 subscription rather than a cheaper email-only upgrade, a higher monthly cost than HEY's $99/year equivalent
Pros
- Free tier is a fully usable webmail client with calendar and contacts, no subscription required.
- Premium features (ad-free, 100GB mailbox, Copilot) are bundled into a Microsoft 365 subscription rather than sold separately.
- Deep integration with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams for Microsoft 365 subscribers.
- Broad platform support across web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
Cons
- Ads appear throughout the free tier.
- Ad-free and expanded-storage upgrades require a full Microsoft 365 subscription, not a low-cost Outlook-only add-on.
- Reviewers report performance slowdowns and sync issues with large mailboxes.
- Attachment search can be unreliable, according to user reviews.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $9.99/mo — Free ad-supported tier, or $9.99/month Microsoft 365 Personal (ad-free, 100GB) vs HEY for You's $99/year (verified undefined NaN, NaN)