Superhuman held its $30 monthly rate after Grammarly acquired it for about $700M in April 2025, with annual saving roughly a sixth on the Starter tier. The cost flips when a focused alternative covers the one or two Superhuman features you actually use: AI assist on Gmail, a screen-the-sender workflow, polished mobile across multiple providers, or a real team-shared inbox.
Where alternatives win
Shortwave Personal Plus at $8.50/mo runs on top of Gmail with AI summarize, AI search, and smart bundles at roughly a third of Superhuman Starter's annual-equiv rate.
HEY Personal at $99/yr ships the most distinct workflow rethink in email, with Screen The Sender, The Feed, and Paper Trail at less than a third of Superhuman's annual cost.
Spark Plus at $10/mo annual-equiv covers a unified inbox across Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and IMAP, with iOS, Mac, Windows, and Android parity Superhuman does not match.
Missive Starter at $14/user/mo bakes chat-in-email and shared inboxes for support@ or sales@ into the same client Superhuman cannot do at all.
By Subrupt EditorialPublished Reviewed
Email is the load-bearing app for a lot of jobs, and Superhuman built a product around that fact: a keyboard-first interface, an AI assistant that drafts and triages, and read-receipt data that lets you act on context. For someone who spends three or four hours a day in their inbox and measured the time savings, the rate is defensible. Grammarly's April 2025 acquisition did not move the floor.
The four picks below cover the four lanes where Superhuman is shape-mismatched. Shortwave does AI-Gmail without the keyboard cult. HEY rethinks email from scratch instead of speeding up the existing model. Spark covers Gmail plus Outlook plus IMAP polished across every device. Missive turns email into a team app with chat threads attached to messages.
Where Superhuman's pricing premium kicks in: a user who spends thirty minutes a day in email does not save proportionate time at the Starter rate, and the Outlook plus HubSpot plus Salesforce integrations sit behind the Business tier, which lifts the rate by another third. The picks below each undercut Superhuman Starter on annual cost, three of them by more than half.
Quick map by what your email actually costs you. Heavy AI Gmail user equals Shortwave. Want email rethought equals HEY. Multi-provider polished mobile equals Spark. Team-shared inbox equals Missive.
Affiliate disclosure: Subrupt earns a commission when you switch to a service through our recommendation links. This never changes the price you pay. We only recommend services where there's a real cost or feature advantage for you, and our picks are based on the data on this page, not on which programs pay the most.
Quick pick by use case
If you only have thirty seconds, find your situation below and skip to that pick.
Personal Plus at $8.50/mo ships AI summarize, AI search, and smart bundles directly on Gmail at roughly a third of Superhuman Starter's annual-equiv rate.
HEY Personal at $99/yr replaces inbox-zero discipline with Screen The Sender plus The Feed plus Paper Trail; less than a third of Superhuman's annual cost.
Missive Starter at $14/user/mo bakes chat-in-email and shared support@ inboxes into the email client itself.
Skip these picks if: If your actual job is email (the HubSpot or Salesforce integrations live in the Business tier and you use them daily), or you have already invested months internalizing the keyboard shortcuts, Superhuman's premium is doing real work and any pick below trades capability for savings.
At a glance: Superhuman alternatives
Quick comparison across pricing floor, best fit, and switching effort. Tap a row to jump to the full pick.
Best for shared team inboxes built into the email client
$14/user/mo annual (up to 5 users)
Medium
Feature comparison
Feature
Shortwave
HEY
Spark by Readdle
Missive
Free tier
✓
✗
✓
~
Gmail support
✓
✗
✓
✓
Outlook + IMAP support
✗
✗
✓
✓
AI summarize + replyBuilt-in AI to summarize threads and draft replies
✓
✗
~
~
Screen the senderNew senders blocked at the door until approved
✗
✓
✗
✗
Shared team inboxes
✗
✗
~
✓
Cross-platform parityMac, Windows, iOS, and Android all first-class
~
✓
✓
✓
Entry rate (annual-equiv)
$8.50/mo
$8.25/mo
$10/mo
$14/user/mo
Cost at your volume
Approximate cost per pick at typical users.
Pick
Solo1 users
Small team5 users
Mid team10 users
Shortwave
$9/mo
$43/mo
$240/mo
HEY
$8/mo
$60/mo
$120/mo
Spark by Readdle
Free
$50/mo
$100/mo
Missive
$14/mo
$70/mo
$140/mo
Modeled on the realistic plan tier each pick steers a buyer to at that scale. Superhuman Starter for comparison: $25/mo annual-equiv (1 user), $125/mo (5 users), $250/mo (10 users).
Shortwave is what a Superhuman-style AI email client looks like if the team built only for Gmail and priced it for individuals. Personal Plus at $8.50/mo unlocks unlimited AI summarize, AI search across full history, and smart bundles that auto-categorize without label-rule busywork. The two founders are ex-Google Inbox engineers, and the product feels like the spiritual successor: bundling, snooze, and an AI assistant that drafts replies in your voice.
The trade: Gmail-only. No Outlook, no IMAP, no @yourdomain mailbox of your own. The keyboard depth is shallower than Superhuman, which still wins for users who hit J, K, E, and Y reflexively.
The upside: roughly a third of Superhuman Starter's annual-equiv rate, with an AI assistant that is honestly comparable on summarize and reply, and a free tier that lets you trial the AI workflow before committing.
“After Grammarly acquired Superhuman in 2025, Superhuman Mail moved to the $33/mo Business plan. Shortwave at $9/mo covers the same AI workflow on Gmail and has been the easier sell internally for our team.”
Strengths
+AI-assisted Gmail at $8.50/mo Personal Plus
+Gmail-native (no separate sync layer)
+Smart bundles auto-categorize without rule busywork
+Free tier covers most AI features for testing
Trade-offs
−Gmail-only (no Outlook, no IMAP)
−Less keyboard-shortcut depth than Superhuman
−AI usage caps on the free tier
Free
Limited AI
Personal Plus
$8.50/mo (gmail.com / .edu only)
Business
$24/seat/mo annual
Pricing verified
2026-05-11
Migration steps
Install Shortwave on web, iOS, Android, or Mac and connect your Gmail account.
Let the AI bundle inbox content for 48 hours; spot-check the categorization.
Run AI summarize on a few long threads to confirm the output is useful for your actual mail.
Switch your signature and forwarding so external senders land in Shortwave-rendered Gmail.
Cancel Superhuman after logging a full work week in Shortwave without going back.
Not for: Skip Shortwave if you use Outlook or a non-Gmail provider; Spark or Missive are shaped better.
HEY (by 37signals) is the email client that asks a different question than Superhuman: instead of how do I get through this faster, it asks why is the inbox like this at all. Every new sender hits Screen The Sender, transactional email goes to Paper Trail, newsletters land in The Feed, and your real conversations live in The Imbox. Personal at $99/yr is annual-only, includes a @hey.com mailbox plus 100 GB storage, and ships no AI features by design (37signals's stance is HI not AI).
The trade: you migrate to @hey.com (or bring your custom domain). HEY's full workflow assumes the new address as primary, which means a forwarding period and inertia for senders who have your old address.
The upside: the workflow is plainly different in a way that pays back if you find inbox-zero discipline exhausting. Less than a third of Superhuman's annual cost, and Screen The Sender stops cold-outreach noise at the door instead of asking you to triage it.
“Instead of Superhuman's 'get to inbox zero ASAP,' HEY was saying 'just stay at inbox zero in the first place,' which felt fundamentally different. Screen The Sender does more for my actual stress than any speed gain.”
Strengths
+$99/yr Personal versus Superhuman Starter's annual rate
+Plainly distinct workflow (Imbox / Feed / Paper Trail)
+Screen-the-sender blocks new senders at the door
+100 GB storage and ad-free for life
Trade-offs
−Requires migration to @hey.com or custom domain
−No AI features (37signals's HI not AI stance)
−Workflow takes 2-4 weeks to internalize
Personal
$99/yr annual-only ($8.25/mo equiv)
For Work
$12/user/mo custom domain
Storage
100 GB included
Pricing verified
2026-05-11
Migration steps
Sign up at hey.com Personal; pick a @hey.com handle or bring your custom domain.
Set up forwarding from your existing Gmail or Outlook to your new HEY mailbox.
Run Imbox, The Feed, and Paper Trail for 2-4 weeks to internalize the model.
Update your signature and forwarding rules once HEY covers your daily flow.
Cancel Superhuman after one full billing cycle in HEY.
Not for: Skip HEY if you cannot change your primary email address; HEY's full benefit assumes the new address as primary, and forwarding-only setups miss most of the value.
Spark by Readdle is the email client for users whose inbox spans Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and IMAP, with the richest mobile UX in the lineup and a Free tier covering most personal use. The 2026 restructure retired the old Premium tier and replaced it with Plus at $10/mo annual-equiv, which unlocks Spark +AI assist, AI meeting notes (40/month), and unlimited accounts.
The trade: less keyboard-shortcut depth than Superhuman, and the Smart Inbox occasionally mis-categorizes. Some Spark features route through Readdle's sync layer, which matters to users with hard data-residency requirements.
The upside: Mac plus Windows plus iOS plus Android parity is unique among the picks here, and Outlook plus IMAP support means you keep all your existing addresses. Plus's annual rate is roughly a third of Superhuman Starter's annual-equiv rate while shipping AI assist plus translation plus unlimited send-later.
“Spark connects to Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, and most IMAP-compatible providers, giving you flexibility to manage multiple accounts from different providers. That is the wedge over Superhuman for anyone whose inbox is not all in one place.”
Strengths
+Free tier covers up to 5 personal accounts honestly
+Plus at $10/mo annual-equiv across all platforms
+Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, and IMAP all supported
+Cross-platform parity (iOS, Mac, Win, Android)
Trade-offs
−Smart Inbox can mis-categorize new senders
−Less keyboard-first than Superhuman
−Some features route through Readdle's sync layer
Free
5 personal accounts
Plus
$10/mo annual-equiv ($120/yr)
Pro
$24/mo or $264/yr
Pricing verified
2026-05-11
Migration steps
Install Spark on Mac, Windows, iOS, or Android and add all your email accounts.
Configure Smart Inbox priorities to match your actual triage habits.
Try Spark +AI summarize on a sample of long threads to confirm output quality.
Run Spark on Free for one billing cycle before deciding whether Plus's AI features earn the upgrade.
Cancel Superhuman after Spark covers your full daily flow.
Not for: Skip Spark if you specifically want keyboard-first workflow; Superhuman still wins on raw input speed for users who measured it.
Missive (Quebec City, bootstrapped since 2015) is the email client that bakes team collaboration into the message itself: chat threads attached to every email, shared inboxes for support@ or sales@ addresses, real-time collaborative drafts, and shared rules. Starter at $14/user/mo annual covers unlimited inboxes and read receipts for teams up to 5 users.
The trade: less polished as a personal email client than Superhuman, the per-user pricing scales with team size, and the workflow requires team buy-in to pay back.
The upside: Superhuman cannot do shared inboxes at all. If the problem you are actually solving is team coordination on a support@ address (not personal email speed), Missive is a different category of tool, and the rate matches Superhuman Starter's monthly per user with a real shared-inbox model in return.
Strengths
+Chat-in-email for team coordination on threads
+Shared inboxes for support@ or sales@ addresses
+Real-time collaborative drafts
+30-day free trial to test on a single shared inbox
Trade-offs
−Less polished as a personal email client
−Per-user pricing scales with team size
−Workflow requires team buy-in
Free trial
30 days
Starter
$14/user/mo annual (up to 5 users)
Productive
$24/user/mo annual
Pricing verified
2026-05-11
Migration steps
Start a 30-day Missive trial on a single shared inbox (support@ or hello@).
Connect the shared address and have two team members handle a day's worth of mail together.
Set up assignment rules and a few chat threads on real emails to test the workflow.
Upgrade to Starter once team coordination is dependent on Missive features.
Cancel Superhuman after one full billing cycle if Missive covers your daily flow.
Not for: Skip Missive if you only need a personal email client; Spark or Shortwave are shaped better for solo use.
Paid plans from $18.00/mo
When to stay with Superhuman
Stay with Superhuman if email is your literal job, you have already internalized the keyboard shortcuts, or you depend on the HubSpot and Salesforce integrations gated to the Business tier. The picks below are honest exits for users who want a similar workflow lift at a fraction of the rate, or a different workflow shape Superhuman does not offer.
Superhuman alternatives are evaluated by the four lanes where the rate stops being defensible: AI-assist on Gmail at lower price, distinctive workflow rethink, polished multi-provider mobile, and shared team inbox. Each pick wins one lane outright; ties on a dimension are noted in the Feature Matrix rather than papered over.
Pricing is taken from each vendor's site on the review date and verified within the last 30 days. We track Grammarly's continued ownership of Superhuman (acquired April 2025) and any tier changes that flow downstream. Email migration effort is called out per pick because moving a primary mailbox is higher friction than swapping most tools.
Update history2 updates
Initial published version with 5 picks.
Backfilled to Stage 2 schema with structured verdict, 4-paragraph scannable intro, Quick Verdict, Feature Matrix, Usage Cost Table, sourced testimonials, and per-pick author ratings. Dropped MailMate as a pick (never rendered: missing from catalog, and Freron moved to subscription-only pricing in 2026). Confirmed Superhuman Starter $30/mo or $300/yr ($25/mo annual-equiv) and Business $40/mo or $396/yr after the April 2025 Grammarly acquisition. Spark restructure: old Premium $4.99 and Business $7.99 tiers retired; new Plus and Pro replace them.
Frequently asked questions about Superhuman alternatives
Did Grammarly's acquisition change Superhuman's pricing?
Not the headline rate. Starter is still $30/mo (or $300/yr annual, $25/mo equivalent), Business is still $40/mo (or $396/yr annual, $33/mo equivalent). Some integrations and feature gates have shifted between tiers, and Superhuman Mail is gated to Business in some reseller channels. Confirm your specific plan inclusions on a fresh checkout.
Is Superhuman worth $30/month if I am not in email all day?
Probably not. The rate is calibrated for users who measured their email-time-per-day in hours and saved 30+ minutes daily. Below that threshold, Shortwave Personal Plus or HEY Personal cover most of the workflow gain at less than a third of the annual rate.
Does HEY work with my existing Gmail address?
HEY For Work supports custom domains, so you can keep your @yourcompany.com address. HEY Personal uses @hey.com unless you bring your own domain. Forwarding is supported, but the full HEY workflow assumes the new address as primary; forwarding-only setups miss most of the value.
What is Shortwave's actual difference from Gmail.com?
Shortwave runs on top of your existing Gmail (it does not replace the underlying mailbox); the difference is the AI features (summarize, search, smart bundles) and the cross-platform polish on mobile and Mac. You can revert to gmail.com anytime without data loss.
Can I use Spark on Outlook business email?
Yes. Spark supports Outlook, Microsoft 365, Exchange, iCloud, Yahoo, and any IMAP. Plus at $10/mo annual-equiv unlocks Spark +AI assist plus unlimited accounts; Pro adds team collaboration and HubSpot integration.
Ready to switch?
Our top Superhuman alternative: Shortwave
Shortwave Personal Plus at $8.50/mo runs on top of Gmail with AI summarize, AI search, and smart bundles at roughly a third of Superhuman Starter's annual-equiv rate.
The team behind subrupt.com. We track subscriptions, surface cheaper alternatives, and publish comparisons where the score formula is on the page so you can recompute it yourself. We do not claim 30,000 hours of testing. What we claim is live pricing from our database, a transparent composite score, and honest savings math against a category baseline.
Get notified of price drops for Superhuman
We'll email you when Superhuman or its alternatives lower their prices.
Track Superhuman and find more savings
Add Superhuman to your dashboard to monitor spending and discover even more alternatives.