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Otto Mail vs SaneBox
Compare SaneBox's client-independent filtering and digests with Otto's mail, calendar, tasks and assistant in one workspace.
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Which one fits you
Pick Otto if
You want to read, reply, schedule and track work in one Gmail or Outlook app.
Stay with SaneBox if
You like your current email client and mainly want a quieter inbox around it.
At a glance
Prices in USD where listed, as of Sept 2026 unless a row gives a later date. — means not verified here, not that a feature is absent. Confirm current offers and billing intervals before subscribing.
| Compare | Otto Mail | SaneBox |
|---|---|---|
| Price (USD where listed, checked Sept–Oct 2026) | Free; Plus $6.99/month or $55.99/year; Pro $19.99/month or $159.99/year | Snack from $3.49/month, or $29/year; Lunch $5.99/month (October 2026) |
| Platforms | Web, iOS | Works with your existing email client |
| Gmail + Outlook | Both supported; one account on Free | Many email accounts; confirm provider and plan support |
| Approval model | Review AI actions; chosen senders may auto-reply under an explicit rule; check the recorded result afterward. | Filtering follows the rules you set; review folder decisions in your mail client |
| Free tier | One connected Gmail or Outlook account with core mail, calendar and tasks, plus an AI allowance. | Plan and trial terms vary; check current pricing |
| Calendar / tasks | Calendar plus Google Tasks or Microsoft To Do for the selected account | Email filtering and digests; not a full calendar and task workspace |
Price (USD where listed, checked Sept–Oct 2026)
- Otto Mail
- Free; Plus $6.99/month or $55.99/year; Pro $19.99/month or $159.99/year
- SaneBox
- Snack from $3.49/month, or $29/year; Lunch $5.99/month (October 2026)
Platforms
- Otto Mail
- Web, iOS
- SaneBox
- Works with your existing email client
Gmail + Outlook
- Otto Mail
- Both supported; one account on Free
- SaneBox
- Many email accounts; confirm provider and plan support
Approval model
- Otto Mail
- Review AI actions; chosen senders may auto-reply under an explicit rule; check the recorded result afterward.
- SaneBox
- Filtering follows the rules you set; review folder decisions in your mail client
Free tier
- Otto Mail
- One connected Gmail or Outlook account with core mail, calendar and tasks, plus an AI allowance.
- SaneBox
- Plan and trial terms vary; check current pricing
Calendar / tasks
- Otto Mail
- Calendar plus Google Tasks or Microsoft To Do for the selected account
- SaneBox
- Email filtering and digests; not a full calendar and task workspace
A layer or a workspace
SaneBox works with the client you already use. Its feature guide describes filtering, digest review and sender controls. That client independence is its advantage: you can keep your familiar mail app. Otto is the mail app, calendar and task view, with an assistant that can help carry a conversation toward an outcome.
Otto's optional sender screening and newsletter bundles also quiet the view, but they act inside Otto without rejecting messages from your email account or moving every message to a new folder. Held mail stays available to read immediately. See Otto’s automation guide.
Pricing note
SaneBox uses Snack, Lunch and Dinner tiers with monthly, yearly and two-year billing. Its pricing page lists Snack from $3.49 a month or $29 a year and Lunch at $5.99 a month, as checked in October 2026. That is less than Otto Plus at $6.99 a month, but it buys filtering rather than a mail app, so compare what each replaces. Choose SaneBox if you only want better filtering around your existing tools; choose Otto if you want the work itself together.
Weighing more than two options? See the SaneBox alternatives.
Questions, answered
Do I have to change email apps for SaneBox?
No. SaneBox is designed to work with your existing email client. Otto is a separate app for mail, calendar and tasks.
Does Otto's focus delivery delay email delivery?
No. Where available and enabled, it changes when Otto surfaces selected low-priority bundles. You can still open the original mail immediately.
Try your next step in Otto
Core mail, calendar and tasks are free. AI has an allowance.
Open Otto