# Superhuman alternatives: Spark, Shortwave, Canary, Fyxer

> Looking for a Superhuman alternative? Prices, strengths and limits of Spark, Shortwave, Canary, Fyxer and Command Mail, and who each one suits.

Updated: 2026-10-17 · Fact-checked: 2026-10-17 · Canonical: https://commandmail.app/en/alternatives/superhuman · Deutsch: https://commandmail.app/de/alternativen/superhuman.md

Superhuman is a fast AI email client for Gmail and Outlook accounts; Starter costs $30 billed monthly or $300 a year, and its MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and other agents needs the $40 Business plan.[^1][^2] If price is the issue, look at Spark or Canary; if your team lives in Google Workspace, Shortwave is the closest fit, and if you mostly want reply drafts and meeting notes inside Gmail or Outlook, try Fyxer. Command Mail fits when your own agent should work across several addresses and you want to set, per permission and per mailbox, what it is allowed to do.

Command Mail is our product. We checked every claim about the other products on their pricing and help pages on 2026-10-17 and link the source next to it.

## What Superhuman does well

Superhuman is built for people who write a lot of email and want to get through it quickly, such as executives and sales teams. Business adds Auto Drafts, Ask AI for questions about your inbox, Custom Auto Labels, HubSpot and Salesforce integration and a feed of recent opens.[^1] Enterprise adds SSO, advanced security controls and dedicated support.[^1]

The Superhuman Mail MCP gives agents real access. Its help center lists setup steps for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Perplexity and other MCP clients. Once connected, an assistant can search mail, draft replies in your voice, manage calendar events and send messages, including scheduled sends, and you can link several Gmail and Outlook accounts that belong to your own seat.[^2] Drafts created over MCP show up in the Superhuman app, where you can edit and send them.

Superhuman also documents the controls. The send tool can send directly, you must approve the tool in your AI client, and Superhuman advises a confirmation step for every call. You can also run the MCP server in read-only mode, and an undo tool cancels a message within the undo window.[^2] Approval of individual sends is configured in Claude or ChatGPT.

## Why people look for Superhuman alternatives

Cost is one possible reason. Starter is $30 billed monthly or $300 per year, and Business is $40 per month or $396 per year.[^1] Because the MCP server is not available on Starter, anyone who mainly wants an agent in their inbox pays the Business price.[^2]

Account coverage is another. Superhuman works with Gmail and Outlook accounts.[^2] Addresses at iCloud, Fastmail, a regional provider or your own mail server have no direct home there.

A third reason concerns agents. With Superhuman, you choose between read-only mode and sending with approval in your AI client.[^2] Some people also want a limit inside the mailbox itself, such as a fixed daily cap on sends without approval, or an approval tied to one exact draft revision.

## Superhuman alternatives compared

| Product | Price (checked 2026-10-17) | Accounts | Built-in AI | Agents and integrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superhuman Mail | Starter $30/month or $300/year, Business $40/month[^1] | Gmail, Outlook[^2] | Auto Drafts, Ask AI, Auto Labels (Business)[^1] | MCP server from Business, can send directly, read-only mode available[^2] |
| Spark Mail | Free €0, Plus €10/month, Pro €22/month (prices shown in Germany)[^3] | unlimited accounts, also on Free[^3] | Spark +AI, AI meeting notes; Autopilot announced[^3] | Spark CLI for agents: read access, triage access from Pro; no MCP server found[^3] |
| Shortwave | Business plans: $30, $45, $120 per seat per month[^4] | Gmail and Google Workspace; other providers only by forwarding into Gmail[^5] | AI assistant, AI search, AI filters[^4] | MCP integrations for its built-in assistant (client side); no server for outside agents found[^4] |
| Canary Mail | Free $0, Growth $36/year, Pro+ $100/year, lifetime option[^6] | Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Exchange, IMAP[^7] | Copilot drafts, on-device triage[^7] | no agent access found |
| Fyxer AI | Free $0, Pro $37, Team $64 per person per month billed yearly[^8] | Gmail, Outlook[^8] | drafts in your style, meeting notes, follow-ups[^8] | MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and your own tools from Team, API on Enterprise[^8] |
| Command Mail | Free €0, Pro €19 or €29/month[^10] | any address by forwarding, up to ten mailboxes on Pro[^10] | morning brief, risk scores, sorting[^12] | hosted MCP server, CLI and REST with permissions per connection and autonomy per mailbox[^11] |

"Not found" means we found nothing on the vendor's own pages on 2026-10-17. That may change.

## Spark: many accounts at a low price

Spark by Readdle is a traditional email client with AI features. Even the free plan takes unlimited email accounts. In Germany, Plus costs €10 per month or €99 per year and Pro €22 per month or €229 per year; visitors from other regions may see prices in their own currency.[^3] Paid plans include the Spark +AI assistant and AI meeting notes, and the Pro column lists Autopilot and Auto-Drafts as "soon".[^3]

For agents, the pricing page lists a Spark CLI with read access, and triage access on Pro.[^3] We found no MCP server that Claude or ChatGPT could add directly. Pick Spark if you want several accounts in one app, built-in AI is enough, and an agent working from the command line should read or triage your mail.[^3]

## Shortwave: built for Gmail teams

Shortwave is tied closely to Google. Its Business plans cost $30, $45 (Premier) and $120 (Max) per seat per month; plans for individuals sit on a separate tab of the pricing page, and there is a 14-day trial.[^4] You get an AI assistant that searches your mail, AI filters that act on new mail based on your own prompt, and MCP integrations that let this built-in assistant use other services.[^4]

The limit is documented in Shortwave's help: other providers work by forwarding their mail to a Gmail account. Outlook.com and Proton Mail are forwarding-only and cannot send from their address, and Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported at this time.[^5] For a team that runs entirely on Google Workspace, Shortwave is a strong choice.

## Canary Mail: low price, privacy focus

Canary has the lowest paid tier in this list. Growth costs $36 a year and Pro+ $100 a year, and there is a free plan plus lifetime licenses. According to its FAQ, Canary has no monthly subscriptions; the pricing page also shows monthly reference figures of $3 and $10; the annual charges are $36 and $100.[^6] Canary supports Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Exchange and IMAP on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android.[^7]

According to Canary, triage and prioritization run on your device, while drafting and summaries use cloud AI without training general models on your mail.[^7] It is a good fit for a budget client that handles many account types. Canary does not describe a way to connect your own agent.

## Fyxer AI: drafts and meeting notes without a new client

Fyxer stays inside Gmail or Outlook and works like an assistant: it sorts mail, drafts replies in your style, takes meeting notes and keeps a list of follow-ups you promised.[^8] Pro is $37 per person per month billed yearly and Team is $64; the free plan runs on a small monthly credit allowance.[^8]

Fyxer states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certification and says your data is never used to train third-party AI models.[^9] From the Team plan, the pricing page also lists MCP for using your Fyxer context in Claude, ChatGPT and your own tools, and Enterprise adds a full API.[^8] The page does not say what an agent may do through it, such as sending or moving mail. For customer-facing teams that do not want to switch clients, Fyxer is a solid package.

## Command Mail: one inbox your agent works in

Command Mail is one inbox for all of your addresses, built so that your AI agent can work in it.[^10] You forward Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, a custom domain or any other provider to a private inbound address, then connect Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor or another agent through the hosted MCP server or the CLI.[^11]

The difference from Superhuman is where the limits live. When you connect an agent, you choose individual permissions: read, save drafts, send exactly the revision you approved, or send on its own. Sending on its own starts switched off.[^10] If you grant it, every message needs its own send key and a daily limit applies, 50 messages by default.[^11] Each mailbox also has an autonomy level that sets how far an agent may organize mail there on its own. It does not restrict sending: send permissions apply to the whole account. Mail content is treated as data, suspected prompt injection is flagged, and a direct agent reply to a message that Command Mail recognized as machine-sent from its headers is blocked.[^10] [Permissions and autonomy](https://commandmail.app/en/docs/permissions-and-autonomy) explains every permission and level in detail.

You can start free with one mailbox, the last 90 days, search, sorting, the morning brief and drafts; the free plan does not send. Pro costs €19 per month for the first 100 paying Pro accounts for as long as the subscription runs and €29 per month after that, and adds sending, up to ten mailboxes and full history.[^10] In ChatGPT, Command Mail currently needs developer mode and an eligible plan because our directory listing is still under review.[^11]

## When Superhuman is the better choice

Stay with Superhuman if you want a polished client for Gmail or Outlook where you do most of the writing yourself, and if your team needs HubSpot or Salesforce inside the inbox.[^1] Superhuman's MCP works on your accounts directly and covers your calendar as well.[^2] Command Mail works on forwarded copies and has no calendar.

If you are happy with Superhuman and only want to add agent access, the Mail MCP on Business gets you there without moving anything. In that case, turn on confirmation before sending in your AI client, as Superhuman itself recommends, or use read-only mode.[^2]

## When Command Mail fits

Command Mail fits when your agent should do most of the inbox work and you rarely write in a client yourself. A common case is several addresses at different providers, such as a Gmail address, a company domain and an old Yahoo address, sorted by one agent. Another is a morning brief with deadlines, open replies and invoices, or a support mailbox where the agent may send answers.[^12] If your personal mailbox must stay out of reach, put the support mailbox in a separate Command Mail account, because an agent with send permission can send from any send-enabled mailbox in its account.

Price helps too if Superhuman's client features matter little to you: Command Mail Pro is €19 or €29 per month, and you can try Pro for seven days for €1.[^10]

## Who Command Mail is not for

Command Mail does not replace a full email client with calendar, CRM integration and meeting notes. If you need those, Superhuman, Spark or Fyxer serve you better. Because Command Mail works through forwarding, archiving or deleting there does not change your Gmail or Outlook account, and importing old mail is not an ongoing sync.[^12]

If you must show certifications such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001, Fyxer documents them and Command Mail does not.[^9] Command Mail is operated by FYN Labs LLC in the United States, and the app and database run on Cloudflare.

## Moving from Superhuman to Command Mail

You can keep Superhuman while you test. Command Mail only receives forwarded copies, so both run side by side.[^12]

1. Create an account on commandmail.app with Google, Apple or email.
2. Connect an address. The app, or an agent with the `mailboxes` permission, creates the mailbox and returns its private inbound address.[^12]
3. Set up forwarding in Gmail or Outlook to that inbound address.
4. Connect your agent: in Claude, add a custom connector with `https://commandmail.app/mcp`; in Claude Code, run `claude mcp add --transport http commandmail <https://commandmail.app/mcp`>.[^11]
5. Choose permissions. Start with reading and drafting and add sending later.
6. Optionally import old mail from MBOX or EML files with the CLI.[^12]

You know it works when the first forwarded message appears in your inbox and your agent's first `capabilities` call names your account, its permissions and your mailboxes.[^11] The [documentation](https://commandmail.app/en/docs) and the [page for agents](https://commandmail.app/en/agents) cover the full setup.

## Which alternative should you choose?

- **Many accounts, small budget, AI inside the client:** Spark or Canary; Spark also offers a CLI for agents.[^3][^6]
- **Everything in Google Workspace, team AI search and filters:** Shortwave.[^4][^5]
- **Reply drafts and meeting notes in Gmail or Outlook, certifications required, MCP on Team:** Fyxer.[^8][^9]
- **Fast client with CRM and its own MCP, budget available:** stay with Superhuman.[^1][^2]
- **Your own agent, several providers, approval bound to one draft revision and a daily cap:** Command Mail.[^11]

If you want to try Command Mail, [start free](https://commandmail.app/login?signup=1) and connect your agent afterwards.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Superhuman have an MCP server?

Yes. The Superhuman Mail MCP connects Claude, ChatGPT, Codex, Cursor and other MCP clients to your inbox and calendar. According to Superhuman's help center it requires the Business plan or higher; Starter does not include it.

### What is the cheapest Superhuman alternative?

Spark and Canary both have free plans and low paid tiers. Command Mail also starts free, but the free plan does not send email; sending starts with Pro.

### Can I keep Superhuman while I try Command Mail?

Yes. Command Mail receives copies of your mail through forwarding, so your Gmail or Outlook account and Superhuman stay as they are. Changes you make in Command Mail do not sync back to the original mailbox.

### Which alternative works with Microsoft 365?

Spark, Canary and Fyxer connect to Outlook accounts directly. Shortwave's own help page says Microsoft 365 and Exchange are not supported at this time. Command Mail accepts any address your provider can forward.

### Can an agent send through Command Mail without asking me?

Only if you grant it the mail:send permission, which starts switched off when you connect. Without it, the agent saves drafts and Command Mail sends exactly the revision you approved.

## Sources

1. [Superhuman: Pricing Plans (help center)](https://help.superhuman.com/hc/en-us/articles/46178817646861-Pricing-Plans), accessed 2026-10-17
2. [Superhuman: Superhuman Mail MCP Server (help center)](https://help.superhuman.com/hc/en-us/articles/46005696690317-Superhuman-Mail-MCP-Server), accessed 2026-10-17
3. [Spark Mail: Pricing](https://sparkmailapp.com/pricing), accessed 2026-10-17
4. [Shortwave: Pricing](https://www.shortwave.com/pricing/), accessed 2026-10-17
5. [Shortwave: Use Shortwave with other email providers](https://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/microsoft-outlook-exchange-other-sign-in-support/), accessed 2026-10-17
6. [Canary Mail: Pricing](https://canarymail.io/pricing), accessed 2026-10-17
7. [Canary Mail: AI](https://canarymail.io/ai), accessed 2026-10-17
8. [Fyxer AI: Pricing](https://www.fyxer.com/pricing), accessed 2026-10-17
9. [Fyxer AI: Security](https://www.fyxer.com/security), accessed 2026-10-17
10. [Command Mail: llms.txt (pricing, permissions, connection)](https://commandmail.app/llms.txt), accessed 2026-10-17
11. [Command Mail: For agents](https://commandmail.app/en/agents), accessed 2026-10-17
12. [Command Mail: Documentation](https://commandmail.app/en/docs), accessed 2026-10-17

[^1]: [Superhuman: Pricing Plans (help center)](https://help.superhuman.com/hc/en-us/articles/46178817646861-Pricing-Plans), accessed 2026-10-17
[^2]: [Superhuman: Superhuman Mail MCP Server (help center)](https://help.superhuman.com/hc/en-us/articles/46005696690317-Superhuman-Mail-MCP-Server), accessed 2026-10-17
[^3]: [Spark Mail: Pricing](https://sparkmailapp.com/pricing), accessed 2026-10-17
[^4]: [Shortwave: Pricing](https://www.shortwave.com/pricing/), accessed 2026-10-17
[^5]: [Shortwave: Use Shortwave with other email providers](https://www.shortwave.com/docs/how-tos/microsoft-outlook-exchange-other-sign-in-support/), accessed 2026-10-17
[^6]: [Canary Mail: Pricing](https://canarymail.io/pricing), accessed 2026-10-17
[^7]: [Canary Mail: AI](https://canarymail.io/ai), accessed 2026-10-17
[^8]: [Fyxer AI: Pricing](https://www.fyxer.com/pricing), accessed 2026-10-17
[^9]: [Fyxer AI: Security](https://www.fyxer.com/security), accessed 2026-10-17
[^10]: [Command Mail: llms.txt (pricing, permissions, connection)](https://commandmail.app/llms.txt), accessed 2026-10-17
[^11]: [Command Mail: For agents](https://commandmail.app/en/agents), accessed 2026-10-17
[^12]: [Command Mail: Documentation](https://commandmail.app/en/docs), accessed 2026-10-17

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Command Mail: one inbox for you and your AI agent. Start free: https://commandmail.app/login?signup=1 · Connect your agent: https://commandmail.app/en/agents · MCP: https://commandmail.app/mcp