SaneBox alternative
The SaneBox alternative that never reads your email
SaneBox routes your messages through its servers to sort them. Premail does the same job on your own machine with the AI model you choose, including fully offline with Ollama. No mailbox passes through us, no per-inbox bill, and the free tier covers personal accounts.
Free for personal inboxes. No account required.
Why people switch to Premail
What you get that SaneBox doesn't offer
Your mail never leaves your machine
SaneBox connects to your mailbox over IMAP and processes messages on its own infrastructure. Premail runs on your computer and, with Ollama, classification is fully offline. With Anthropic or OpenAI, requests go straight from your machine to the provider you chose.
No per-inbox subscription
SaneBox bills per email account per month, and the price climbs as you add features. Premail is free for personal inboxes. Pro is one flat price for unlimited custom rules and professional inboxes, with a one-time Lifetime option for early adopters.
Reads the body, not just the envelope
SaneBox publicly limits itself to mail headers because its servers see your mail. Premail has no servers, so it can safely use the full body as a classification signal. An LLM judges each message the way you would, instead of guessing from sender and subject alone.
Side by side
Premail vs SaneBox
Premail
Local desktop app · BYOK AI
SaneBox
Cloud service · IMAP integration
Pricing for personal inboxes
Per-inbox subscription
SaneBox prices scale per account and per feature add-on.
Email is processed on your own computer
Premail with Ollama is fully offline. SaneBox processes mail on its own servers.
Uses email body content as a classification signal
SaneBox publicly limits itself to headers and metadata. Premail can use the full body because nothing leaves your machine (or, with BYOK, only goes to the model you chose).
Bring-your-own AI key (Anthropic, OpenAI)
Plain-English custom rules
Works with any email client
Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud support
Bulk unsubscribe
Filters apply across all devices automatically
SaneBox runs in the cloud, so actions sync instantly to phone. Premail acts on the inbox itself, so changes show up everywhere too, but require your desktop to be running.
Open audit log of every action
No account, no signup required
One-time Lifetime license available
Native desktop app
Works while your computer is asleep
Pick SaneBox if
You need filtering to keep running 24/7 even when your laptop is off, you live on your phone, and you are happy to pay a recurring per-inbox fee in exchange for a service that has been around since 2010.
Pick Premail if
You want your email to be classified on your own hardware, you prefer one price (or a free tier for personal use) over a per-inbox subscription, and you want to write custom rules in plain English using a real LLM.
FAQ
SaneBox vs Premail, answered
How is Premail different from SaneBox at a high level?
SaneBox is a cloud service. You give it IMAP access to your mailbox and its servers sort your mail. Premail is a desktop app that runs on your own computer and uses an AI model of your choice, including local Ollama, so your email is never processed on a third-party server controlled by us.
Does Premail charge per inbox like SaneBox?
No. The free plan covers up to two personal inboxes. Pro is a flat subscription (or one-time Lifetime fee) that includes professional inboxes, unlimited custom rules, and Reputation Shield. Adding another account does not change the price.
What does SaneBox do better?
SaneBox has been around since 2010 and runs in the cloud, which means filtering keeps going even when your laptop is off. If you need server-side filtering with no desktop dependency, SaneBox is a more mature fit. Premail runs on your machine, so it catches up on missed mail when you wake up but does not act while your computer is off.
Can I keep my existing SaneBox folders?
Yes. Premail acts on the inbox directly using your own folders, so you can keep SaneLater, SaneBlackHole, or anything else around while you evaluate. Rules in Premail can move mail into any folder you already have.
Is Premail really free for SaneBox refugees?
Yes, for personal inboxes on consumer domains like gmail.com, icloud.com, and outlook.com. You only need Pro if you connect a work or Google Workspace inbox, want unlimited custom rules, or want Reputation Shield.
What about AI cost?
Use Ollama locally and there is no AI cost at all. With Anthropic or OpenAI, you bring your own key and pay them directly. For most inboxes that is pennies per month with the default models. Premail never marks up AI usage because we never see it.
Does Premail actually read the body of my email?
Yes, and that is the point. SaneBox publicly limits itself to mail headers because its servers would otherwise be reading your content. Premail has no servers, so the body can be a classification signal without anyone but you (and, if you choose, your own LLM provider) ever seeing it. With Ollama, even that provider is your own machine.
Also considering
Other email tool comparisons
Try Premail free
Free for personal inboxes. No Premail account, no servers touching your email. Works alongside the email client you already use on Mac, Windows, and Linux.