Klar vs Inbox Zero
What actually differs: where each filter runs, who gets to read your mail, and what it costs.
| Aspect | Klar | Inbox Zero |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Your Mac | Inbox Zero's servers, or your own if you self-host |
| Who can read your mail | No one new during filtering. Classification stays on your device. | Full read and write access to your mailbox; message content goes to third-party AI providers |
| Works with | Apple Mail, with any account: IMAP, Gmail, iCloud, Exchange | Gmail, Google Workspace and Outlook accounts, in its own web app |
| Price | Free forever | From $18/month billed annually ($216 a year); no free plan |
Klar fits better when Spam is the problem, and you would rather not give a service permission to read, change and send mail from your mailbox
The honest picks
- Inbox Zero
- Not a spam filter: it is an assistant that sorts your inbox, drafts replies in your style, blocks cold outreach and unsubscribes in bulk. It is SOC 2 Type 2 certified, its source is public, and a self-hosted install can run against a local model. Pick it if you want that assistant across Gmail or Outlook and are comfortable with the access it needs.
- Klar
- Pick Klar if you read mail in Apple Mail and want a modern multilingual model that runs entirely on your Mac. No account, no cloud, nothing to hand over.
Product and price details from the vendors' public pages, July and August 2026: getinboxzero.com. Klar is not affiliated with any vendor named here. No vendor endorses Klar. Product names only identify the tools.
Reclaim your inbox
Spam filter for Apple Mail. Free on the App Store.
