Your inbox is overflowing. Dozens of new emails every day, half of which aren’t really important. Sanebox promises to provide a solution with AI that automatically sorts your email. It works in the background with any email client you already use.
Who is behind Sanebox?
Sanebox was founded in 2010 by Stuart Roseman and Dmitri Leonov in Boston. They saw people around them drowning in their email. Everyone suffered from ’email overload’, but existing solutions required learning new software or setting up complex rules.
Their idea was different. They wanted to build a system that works without having to learn or install anything. By analyzing only the header data of emails (sender, subject, time) and not the content itself, it could remain privacy-friendly. The system automatically learns what’s important to you and what’s not.
By now, more than 100,000 people worldwide use the service. According to the company, the average user saves 3 to 4 hours per week. The tool works with virtually any email client via IMAP or Exchange, allowing you to continue using your favorite email app.
Who is Sanebox for?
Sanebox is primarily aimed at professionals with full inboxes. Think of entrepreneurs who receive dozens to hundreds of emails daily. Or managers who need to sift through important messages among all the newsletters and notifications.
It’s less suitable if you only get a handful of emails per day. Then the added value is too small. Also not ideal if you’re looking for a free solution, because Sanebox has no free version after the trial period. You pay for the service, and that’s not for everyone.
What can Sanebox do?
The core of Sanebox revolves around smart filtering and automation. All features below are available in the paid plans, with the cheapest Snack plan limited to one email account.
- SaneLater: This is the heart of the tool. Emails that are not urgent are automatically moved to a separate folder. The AI learns from your behavior which senders and subjects are important. This keeps your inbox clean and you only see what really needs attention.
- SaneBlackHole: Drag an email to this folder and you’ll never hear from that sender again. It’s a safe way to unsubscribe without clicking on suspicious links. Also works well for that one colleague who always cc’s you on irrelevant emails.
- SaneReminders: Send an email and expect a response? Sanebox monitors it and reminds you if someone doesn’t respond. You set yourself after how many days you want a reminder.
- SaneNoReplies: An overview of all outgoing emails you haven’t received a response to yet. Useful for following up on important conversations or requests you’ve sent.
- Do Not Disturb: Pause your incoming email for a certain period. Ideal when you want to work focused without distraction. The emails do come in, but only at the time you indicate.
- Daily Digest: Get a summary once a day of all filtered emails. That way you don’t miss anything, but you don’t have to constantly check your inbox for unimportant matters.
- Deep Clean: Cleans up old emails and frees up storage space. Especially useful if your mailbox is almost full or if you haven’t cleaned up in years.
The system works at the server level, so you can use it with Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail or any email client. On your phone, tablet or computer. Everything syncs automatically because it works via IMAP or Exchange.
What does Sanebox cost?
Sanebox has no free version, but you can try it free for 14 days. After that, you choose from three paid plans with food-related names.
The Snack plan costs 7 dollars per month or 59 dollars per year (equivalent to 4.92 dollars per month). This plan supports one email account and gives you access to the basic features. For most individual users, this is sufficient.
The Lunch plan costs 12 dollars per month or 99 dollars per year (8.25 dollars per month). This allows you to connect two email accounts and gives you extra features like attachment search and email encryption.
The Dinner plan is the most comprehensive option for 36 dollars per month or 299 dollars per year (24.92 dollars per month). This plan supports unlimited accounts and has all possible features on board.
All prices are in US dollars. If you pay annually, you save between 30 and 40 percent compared to monthly payments. The 14-day trial doesn’t require a credit card, so you can test risk-free whether it’s right for you.
What should you watch out for?
The AI needs training time before it works well. The first few weeks you need to manually move emails regularly to teach the system what’s important and what’s not. Some users find this frustrating, especially if they expect immediate results.
The lack of a free version is a barrier for many people. After the trial period you have to pay, and the prices are not exactly low. For someone who receives little email, the investment is hard to recoup.
Sanebox adds various folders or labels to your email client. For some people that makes their inbox cluttered instead of more organized. You have to get used to the extra structure the system imposes.
The Snack plan is limited to one email account. If you have multiple accounts for work and personal, you need to upgrade quickly to a more expensive plan. That can drive up the costs significantly.
Sanebox alternatives
Sanebox is not the only player in the field of email management. Here are three alternatives you can consider:
- Clean Email: Choose this if you mainly want to do a large one-time cleanup. Clean Email is better at bulk deleting and organizing old emails, while Sanebox is more focused on daily filtering.
- Mailstrom: Go for this if you want to maintain manual control over large amounts of email. Mailstrom focuses on bulk actions and quick processing, but does less automatic filtering than Sanebox.
- Gmelius: This is the better choice if you work in a team with shared inboxes. Gmelius has extensive collaboration features and CRM integrations, while Sanebox is really designed for individual use.
Frequently asked questions
Here are answers to the most frequently asked questions about Sanebox:
Does Sanebox read my emails?
No, Sanebox only analyzes the headers of your emails. That means sender, subject and time, but not the content of your messages. This makes it more privacy-friendly than services that do scan the full content.
Does it work with my email program?
Yes, Sanebox works at the server level and is compatible with virtually any email client. Whether you use Outlook, Apple Mail, Gmail or another app, it doesn’t matter. It also works on any device because it synchronizes via IMAP or Exchange.
What happens to my emails if I stop?
Your emails simply remain in your account. The folders that Sanebox has created also remain, but nothing is automatically filtered anymore. You can manually delete the folders or just leave them.
Conclusion
Sanebox is a solid choice for people who are flooded with email daily and are willing to pay for it. The automatic filtering really saves time, especially if you’ve trained the AI well. The SaneBlackHole feature alone is worth the investment for many users.
But it’s not for everyone. If you receive little email or prefer a free solution, there are better options. You also need to have patience during the AI’s learning phase. For professionals with chronically full inboxes who are willing to invest in their productivity, however, Sanebox is one of the better tools on the market.
