Your inbox is overflowing and you’re losing track between work, personal, and that one newsletter you never unsubscribe from. Canary Mail wants to change that with an email client that combines privacy and AI. It promises secure encryption and smart assistance with writing and summarizing messages.
Who is behind Canary?
Canary Mail Inc. was founded in 2017 by brothers Sohel and Dev Sanghani in San Francisco. Their goal was clear: to build a spiritual successor to Sparrow, the legendary email client that once captured the hearts of Mac users. They wanted to create a lightweight, minimalist email app that integrates modern AI and PGP encryption – a combination that didn’t exist anywhere at the time.
The company got a major boost when it was accepted into Sequoia’s Surge program, an accelerator for promising startups. That brought them $ 3.3 million in funding. That investment proved well-chosen: Canary became the first email app in the world with generative AI features through their Copilot feature. They also tackled an important security issue by building protection against Efail vulnerabilities, a serious leak in PGP encryption that was discovered in 2018.
Canary has now collected more than 1 million users. The company has remained independent and has evolved into a mature product available on macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows. The focus on privacy and AI remains at the core of their approach.
Who is Canary for?
Canary targets privacy-conscious users who don’t want to choose between security and ease of use. Professionals who send and receive dozens of emails daily will find useful tools here like AI summaries and read receipts. Tech-savvy users appreciate the PGP encryption and the ability to manage multiple accounts in one inbox.
But Canary isn’t for everyone. Do you have a strong preference for webmail and don’t want to install a separate app? Then you’re better off sticking with Gmail or Outlook. People who fundamentally don’t want to use AI in their email will also have little use for Canary’s core features. The app requires an investment in time and money, and that only pays off if you actually use the extra features.
What can Canary do?
The free version of Canary offers basic email functionality with a modern interface. For AI Copilot, advanced security options, and extensive read receipts, you need a paid plan. Here are the key features:
- AI Copilot: The smart assistant helps you write emails. You provide a few keywords and Copilot writes a complete email. You can also have long email threads summarized into a few lines, useful when you need to quickly catch up on a project.
- PGP and SecureSend encryption: Send end-to-end encrypted messages via PGP if your recipients also use it. For people without PGP, SecureSend offers an alternative where you share a password through another channel.
- Read receipts: See when someone opens your email and how often. This works similar to WhatsApp checkmarks, but for email. Useful for sales or when you want to know if your message has arrived.
- Snooze and Send Later: Temporarily park emails out of your inbox and have them return at a chosen time. Or write an email now and schedule sending for later, for example if you work in the evening but don’t want recipients to see that.
- Unified Inbox: Combine all your email accounts in one overview. Gmail, iCloud, Office365, Yahoo, IMAP and Exchange are all supported. You no longer have to switch between different apps or tabs.
- 1-Click Unsubscribe: Unsubscribe from newsletters with one click. Canary automatically detects which emails contain an unsubscribe link and makes it directly accessible.
The interface is remarkably clean and modern, without unnecessary buttons or menus. Everything is focused on speed and overview. The app feels lighter than Outlook or Apple Mail, but offers more functionality than minimalist clients like Hey.
What does Canary cost?
Canary has a free basic version, but you pay for the interesting features. The Pro+ plan costs $ 10 per month or $ 100 per year (equivalent to $ 8.33 per month). That gives you access to AI Copilot, advanced encryption, extensive read receipts, and all other premium features on all platforms.
Those who need less can choose the Growth plan: $ 36 per year ($ 3 per month). This is an intermediate option with fewer AI credits and more limited features. For people who prefer to pay once, there are lifetime licenses. Pro+ then costs $ 300 for all platforms, Growth $ 100. Do you want to use Canary on just one operating system? Then there’s a Pro license of $ 60 per platform.
New users get a 7-day free trial to test the premium features. Note: the free version lacks the AI features and has limited security options, so you won’t get the full Canary experience without paying.
What should you watch out for?
The Windows version of Canary regularly receives complaints about bugs and crashes. Users report that the app sometimes freezes or that notifications don’t work properly. If you primarily work on Windows, it’s wise to try the trial first.
Folder management is limited compared to traditional email clients. You can’t customize the folder structure as much as in Thunderbird or Outlook. People who like to organize their inbox down to the last detail may find this annoying.
Synchronization between devices doesn’t always go smoothly. Some users experience delays in updating read messages or folder structures. An email you mark as read on your iPhone sometimes still appears as unread on your Mac.
The price is also a point of discussion. $ 100 per year is not cheap for an email client, especially if you don’t use the features intensively. Other apps like Spark Mail offer similar basic functionality for free, with or without the encryption and AI features.
Canary alternatives
If Canary doesn’t quite fit what you’re looking for, there are other options you can consider:
- Spark Mail: Choose this if you work in a team and want to compose emails together. Spark has more collaboration features but less focus on encryption than Canary.
- Superhuman: Go for this if speed is your only priority and budget doesn’t matter. Superhuman is lightning fast but more expensive and doesn’t offer native PGP encryption.
- Thunderbird: Choose this if you’re looking for a completely free, open-source solution. The interface is outdated but the functionality is extensive and you pay nothing.
Frequently asked questions
A few questions that often come up about Canary:
Is Canary Mail secure?
Yes, Canary offers end-to-end encryption via PGP and its own SecureSend feature for non-PGP users. They also have built-in protection against Efail vulnerabilities, an important security flaw discovered in 2018. Your emails are well protected if you use these features.
Does the AI feature work on all devices?
Yes, Canary Copilot is available on macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows. You can use the AI features for writing and summarizing messages on any device. However, you do need a paid subscription to use Copilot.
Does Canary Mail support Exchange accounts?
Yes, Canary supports Gmail, iCloud, Office365, Yahoo, IMAP, and Exchange accounts. You can add all these accounts to the unified inbox and manage them from one place. Most business email systems work just fine with Canary.
Conclusion
Canary Mail is a solid choice for those who want to combine privacy and modern features. The AI Copilot saves time when writing emails, and the PGP encryption offers serious protection for sensitive communication. The unified inbox and sleek design make daily use pleasant. But the Windows version has teething problems and the price is on the high side for what you get. For privacy-conscious professionals who email a lot and use the tools intensively, Canary is worth the investment. Casual users who mainly use webmail or have no need for encryption and AI are better off staying with their current solution.
