HEY Review 2026
HEY is the only mainstream email service designed to make you receive less email. Whether that is worth $99/year depends on one structural trade-off.
Quick verdict HEY is the only mainstream email service designed to make you receive less email — and for individuals drowning in a noisy Gmail inbox, that alone can justify the $99/year. Its Screener makes every first-time sender ask permission, its Imbox/Feed/Paper Trail triage kills inbox clutter structurally rather than with filters, and it blocks spy pixels as a core feature, not an add-on. The catch is equally structural: HEY only works inside HEY's own apps — no IMAP or POP — so you trade the entire ecosystem of clients and integrations for the workflow. That makes this a philosophy decision first and a price decision second. Best for: individuals who get too much email and want screening, focus, and privacy by default; families (two people already make the $179 plan cheaper than two singles); small teams that live in email Avoid if: you depend on Gmail/Outlook ecosystems, third-party mail clients, or deep integrations — or you refuse to relearn email habits Starting price: $99/year (HEY for You) · $12/user/month (HEY for Domains, first user $10) · $179/year (Families, up to 5) Biggest limitation: closed system — HEY apps or nothing The Imbox: new mail grouped at top, previously seen below, and a Screener prompt gating five first-time senders. Source: hey.com What HEY is HEY is 37signals' opinionated email-plus-calendar service, launched in 2020 and steadily expanded since — the same company whose Basecamp we reviewed recently , and the same product philosophy: fewer features, stronger opinions, flat prices. The pitch on hey.com is blunt: "Gmail, Outlook, and Apple got complacent and took their eye off the ball." HEY's answer isn't a faster inbox for processing more email; it's a different contract with email itself — you decide who may reach you, where each kind of mail lives, and when anything is allowed to notify you. The HEY workflow: Screener, Imbox, Feed, Paper Trail Four ideas carry the whole product, all named from HEY's official features page : The Screener. "Screen emails like you screen calls." The first time anyone emails you, they land in a holding pen and you decide — once — whether to hear from them again. Refused senders never bother you after that. This is HEY's single most valuable idea: it moves spam/noise control from filtering to consent . The Imbox. Not a typo — the "important inbox." Only mail from people and services you've approved as important lands here, with new messages grouped at the top and previously seen ones below. T