Editor's Verdict

The Best AI Email Filter
for Busy Professionals

4.7
★★★★★
Excellent
After 6 weeks of testing, SaneBox saved us 3-4 hours weekly with 98.5% accuracy. It's the only email tool that works silently in the background without requiring a new app.

What We Love

  • Works with any email provider
  • No app needed—uses existing client
  • AI learns from your behavior
  • SaneBlackHole blocks senders permanently

! Could Be Better

  • No free plan (14-day trial only)
  • Takes 1-2 weeks to learn preferences
  • iOS app only—no Android
✓ No credit card required • 14-day full access Start 14-Day Free Trial →

See SaneBox in Action

Real screenshots from our hands-on testing.

1

Gmail Integration

Smart folders appear directly in your Gmail sidebar

SaneBox Gmail integration
@SaneLater46 non-urgent emails filtered
@SaneNews248 newsletters organized
@SaneNoRepliesTrack awaiting responses
2

Train the AI with One Click

Move emails to train SaneBox—it learns from every action

SaneBox AI training
@SaneBlackHoleBlock any sender permanently
Move to InboxMark as important
3

Power Tools

Do Not Disturb, response tracking, and more

SaneBox Power Tools
@SaneDoNotDisturbSchedule focus time
@SaneTodoTasks from emails
4

Snooze Emails

Defer to tomorrow, next week, or any date

SaneBox Snooze
@SaneTomorrowReturns at 7 AM
@SaneNextWeekReturns Monday

Ready to see these features in your own inbox?

Start Your Free Trial →14-day free trial • No credit card required

How SaneBox Works

1

Connect Your Email

Works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, or any IMAP provider. OAuth for major providers, no passwords needed.

2

AI Analyzes Your History

SaneBox scans 4-6 weeks of email headers (not content) to learn your patterns and priorities.

3

Smart Folders Appear

@SaneLater, @SaneNews, and other folders show up in your email sidebar. No app needed.

4

Train & Improve

Move emails between folders to train the AI. It reaches 98%+ accuracy in 1-2 weeks.

Privacy-First Design

SaneBox only analyzes email headers (sender, subject, timestamp)—never the actual content of your messages.

Key Features

Core

SaneLater

Non-urgent emails filtered to a separate folder. Check when you have time.

Core

SaneBlackHole

Drag emails here to permanently block that sender. No more unwanted messages.

Pro

SaneReminders

Snooze emails to resurface later. Get reminded if no one replies.

Pro

SaneNoReplies

Track emails you sent that didn't get a response. Never let things slip.

Core

SaneNews

Newsletters and bulk emails go here. Read them in batch.

Core

SaneNotSpam

Rescue important emails from spam. Train it with one click.

Pro

Custom Folders

Create your own smart folders with custom rules and filtering.

Core

Daily Digest

Summary email with one-click actions for everything filtered.

Experience all features risk-free:

Start 14-Day Free Trial →No credit card required

Pricing Plans

Save up to 30% with annual or biannual billing.

Snack

$7.99/mo
✓ 1 Email account
✓ 2 SaneBox Features
✓ Email, Chat Support
Get Started

Dinner

$38.99/mo
✓ 4 Email accounts
✓ All SaneBox Features
✓ Phone Support
Get Started
All plans include: 14-day free trial • No credit card • Cancel anytime
Save more: Annual saves ~20% • Biannual saves ~30%

Is It Worth It?

3-4 hours
saved per week
=
$2,400+
value per year*

*Based on $50K salary. The Lunch plan pays for itself in the first month.

Detailed Pros & Cons

✓ Pros

Universal Compatibility

Works with any email provider that supports IMAP. No lock-in.

No App Switching

Uses your existing email client. Nothing new to learn.

Impressive AI Accuracy

98.5% accuracy after training. Very few false positives.

Real Time Savings

Users report 3-4 hours saved weekly. That's 150+ hours/year.

Privacy-Focused

Only reads email headers, never the content of your messages.

✗ Cons

No Free Plan

Only a 14-day trial. Clean Email offers a free tier if budget is tight.

Learning Curve

Takes 1-2 weeks to reach peak accuracy. Requires patience.

iOS Only Mobile App

No Android app. You can still use SaneBox via your email app.

Price Adds Up

$7-36/month. Worth it for heavy email users, less so for light users.

Occasional False Positives

Rare after training, but important emails can get filtered initially.

SaneBox vs Alternatives

How does SaneBox stack up against the competition?

FeatureSaneBoxClean EmailSuperhumanSpark Mail
Starting Price$7/mo$10/mo$30/moFree
Free Plan14-day trialLimited freeNone✓ Free tier
Email ProvidersAny IMAPAny IMAPGmail onlyAny IMAP
AI Filtering✓ Advanced✓ Basic✓ Advanced✓ Basic
Mobile AppiOS onlyiOS + AndroidiOS + AndroidiOS + Android
Best ForProfessionalsBudget usersPower usersTeams

Which Tool Is Right For You?

Clean Email

Free Tier

Best for: One-time inbox cleanup. Great for bulk cleaning but less sophisticated ongoing AI than SaneBox.

Spark Mail

Free Plan

Best for: Teams who need shared inboxes and a free option. Requires using their app instead of your existing client.

Superhuman

Premium

Best for: Power users who want the fastest, most polished email experience. $30/month but Gmail/Outlook only.

Frequently Asked Questions

SaneBox shows good results within 2-3 days and reaches 98.5% accuracy after 1-2 weeks. It analyzes 4-6 weeks of email history on setup for immediate baseline filtering.
No. SaneBox only analyzes email headers (sender, subject, timestamp)—never the message content. Your emails remain completely private. This is why SaneBox has SOC 2 Type II certification.
SaneBox stops filtering new emails, but all your existing folders and emails remain—they're part of your email, not SaneBox. You can reactivate later without losing training data.
SaneBox works with Gmail, Outlook (365 & .com), Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail/iCloud, Exchange, Fastmail, and any IMAP-compatible provider.
Clean Email focuses on bulk cleaning existing emails; SaneBox provides ongoing AI-powered filtering that learns and improves. Think of Clean Email as a deep clean, SaneBox as a smart assistant. See our comparison →
No permanent free plan, but SaneBox offers a 14-day free trial with full features and no credit card required. If you need a free alternative, Spark Mail offers a free tier.
Final Verdict

Should You Try SaneBox?

After extensive testing, SaneBox delivers on its promise: less time managing email, more time for actual work. If you receive 50+ emails daily and want AI filtering without switching apps, SaneBox is the best solution available.

The lack of a free plan is the main drawback, but the 14-day trial gives you enough time to see real results. For anyone receiving 50+ emails daily, SaneBox pays for itself within the first month.

Our Recommendation

Start the free trial with your busiest email account. Don't test with light usage—connect your primary inbox to see the full impact.

Start Your Free Trial →
4.7
★★★★★
Excellent
About This Review: We tested SaneBox across Gmail and Outlook over several weeks. Pricing verified November 2025. This review contains affiliate links—we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.