Wavebox alternatives for your mail and web apps

The best Wavebox alternative depends on what you keep in it. If you use Wavebox mostly for mail, Alrighty is the pick: a mail app for Mac, Windows and Linux that puts iCloud, Gmail and Outlook in one inbox, with one search across them. If you use it for many web apps, Shift is the closest browser with a free plan, Rambox is the cheapest paid one, and Ferdium is free and open source. Mimestream suits people whose every account is Gmail.

Wavebox calls itself "The #1 browser for multi-client sign-in and workflows" (Wavebox). The lists that rank for this search swap it for other browsers, or for to-do apps. None of them asks which job you hired Wavebox to do. A browser keeps webmail signed in. It doesn't merge your inboxes, because each one is still the provider's website. This page splits the alternatives along that line.

How we checked

We read each app's own home, pricing, download and privacy pages on November 4, 2026, and every fact links to its source. For each app we noted the price, the free plan's limits, the platforms, whether it is a browser for web apps or a mail app, and what it says about your data. We didn't install or time the apps. Alrighty is our app, and it's listed first.

What Wavebox does

Wavebox is a browser for macOS, Windows and Linux. It groups web apps and tabs, keeps you signed in to many accounts of the same type, shows unread badges and notifications, and runs extensions from the Chrome Web Store (Wavebox). It adds split screen, dashboards, and an AI assistant called Brainbox that works "within the context of the app/tab you're on." Wavebox says "If AI isn't for you, it can be disabled easily."

Price. Basic is free, with 2 groups of 2 apps, 1 extension and one dashboard. Pro is $8.33 a month, paid yearly. Teams is $12.50 a month per user. Every account starts with a 7-day Pro trial with no credit card, and Wavebox offers a 30-day money-back guarantee (pricing). The page has a monthly toggle, but the monthly price wasn't in the text we read.

Your data. Wavebox's privacy policy says "your sensitive data and content is kept only on your computer and not shared with us," and "We do NOT request or require access to your communications content."

People look elsewhere for a few reasons. The free plan holds 4 apps in all. Pro is a yearly subscription. And for mail, Wavebox gives you each provider's website side by side, not one inbox.

Do you need a browser or a mail app?

Ask what you open Wavebox for most.

• Many web apps (Slack, Asana, ClickUp, Teams, Notion, several Google accounts): you want another app browser. Shift, Rambox and Ferdium do this job.
• Mostly mail (two Gmail accounts, an Outlook address, maybe iCloud): you want a mail app. It signs in to each account and shows the mail in one list. It searches every account at once. It can act on a sender across all of them.

You can also do both: a mail app for mail, and a browser for the rest.

Wavebox alternatives at a glance

App	Price	Platforms	Browser or mail app	Mail accounts	Free plan limit
Alrighty	14-day trial with no card, then Free or Pro	Mac (Apple silicon), Windows, Linux	Mail app	iCloud, Gmail, Outlook in one inbox	Small monthly AI allowance
Shift	Free; Advanced $199.99/yr	Mac, Windows	Browser	Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo webmail	5 Spaces, 10 apps each
Rambox	Free; Pro $7/mo or $70/yr	Mac, Windows, Linux	Browser	Any webmail	Up to 2 instances per app
Ferdium	Free, open source	Mac, Windows, Linux	Browser	Any webmail	None stated
Mimestream	$4.99/mo or $49.99/yr, 14-day trial	Mac	Mail app	Gmail only	No free plan
Kiwi	Monthly or yearly plans, 7-day trial on yearly	Mac, Windows	Gmail wrapper	Gmail and Workspace only	No free plan
Wavebox	Free Basic; Pro $8.33/mo billed yearly	Mac, Windows, Linux	Browser	Any webmail	2 groups, 2 apps each

Alrighty: best Wavebox alternative if you use it mostly for mail

Alrighty is a mail app. It puts iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts in one inbox, so you read them as one list and not as a row of webmail tabs. Gmail signs in with Google, Outlook.com, Hotmail and Microsoft 365 sign in with Microsoft, and iCloud uses an app-specific password.

• One search across every account. It runs on your computer and matches what you mean as well as the words: "when is my flight" finds the airline's confirmation. Ask a question and get the answer with the emails it came from. See how it compares in our list of email search apps.
• Stop mail. One action ends a sender's mail in any account. It unsubscribes in every way the message offers, archives their mail, and moves their new mail out as it arrives.
• Clean up. It lists the senders you likely don't want (scams, cold outreach, newsletters you never open) so you can stop them all at once.
• Filters. Describe a kind of mail in your own words, such as cold sales, or set rules. New Inbox mail that fits moves to Archive before the list shows it.
• Your own AI. Wavebox's Brainbox works on the page in front of you. Alrighty lets Claude, ChatGPT's desktop app, Codex, Cursor or a local model read and search all your mail, and work in a window you watch. Nothing sends until you click Send. It's off until you turn it on with Connect AI.

Where your mail goes. Your mail stays with Apple, Google or Microsoft. Alrighty keeps its copy and search index on your computer. Your passwords and tokens stay on your computer, encrypted with a key from your system's keychain. Signed in, Alrighty's AI features, such as suggested replies, answers, described filters and Clean up, send only the emails they need to Alrighty's server, which asks a model from OpenAI or another model company. Signed out, nothing goes to Alrighty's server.

Price. A 14-day trial with no card, then a Free plan or Pro.

What it can't do. It only does mail. It won't hold Slack, Asana or any other web app, and it has no calendar. There's no iPhone or web app. It takes iCloud, Gmail and Outlook only, so Yahoo, Fastmail and other IMAP accounts are out. It's a new app without a long track record.

Pick it if most of your Wavebox tabs are inboxes, and you want them in one inbox with less junk. The features page shows the rest. For more mail apps that hold several accounts, see our list of email apps for multiple accounts.

Shift: best Wavebox alternative with a bigger free plan

Shift is a browser for Mac and Windows (Shift) that puts inboxes, apps and extensions into Spaces. Its email page names multiple Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo accounts, with their calendars (Shift). It has a free built-in ad blocker called Blocker, and its own Shift AI.

Price. Free has 5 Spaces with 10 apps in each, the Browser Builder and templates, and limited Shift AI. Advanced is $199.99 a year for unlimited Spaces and apps and more Shift AI (pricing). The page has a monthly toggle, but the monthly price wasn't in the text we read.

What it can't do. No Linux version. As in Wavebox, each inbox is the provider's website, so there's no merged inbox and no single search across accounts on the pages we read.

Pick it if Wavebox's free plan is too small and you're on Mac or Windows.

Rambox: best paid Wavebox alternative on price

Rambox puts your web apps and accounts in one window on macOS, Windows and Linux (Rambox). It has workspaces, focus mode, hibernation for apps you aren't using, and extensions on Pro.

Price. Basic is "Free forever," with unlimited apps and up to 2 instances per app. Pro is $7 a month or $70 a year, and adds workspaces, multi-login, unlimited instances and extensions. Teams is $14 per user a month, from 5 users. New accounts get a 30-day Pro trial with no credit card (pricing).

What it can't do. Like Wavebox, it shows each provider's webmail. A third Gmail account needs Pro, because Basic stops at 2 instances per app.

Pick it if you want Wavebox's job for less than Wavebox Pro, on any desktop.

Ferdium: best free, open-source Wavebox alternative

Ferdium is a community-built app that holds your services in one place, with workspaces, a built-in to-do panel and custom services. You can add "the same service twice or more" to sign in to several accounts (Ferdium). It can be used without an account, and Ferdium says "all your Ferdium app data stays with you." Its latest release ships Mac builds for Apple silicon and Intel (GitHub).

Price. Free.

What it can't do. Its home page lists no paid support. Help comes through its Discord, GitHub and Reddit. Each inbox is still the provider's website.

Pick it if you want an app browser that is free and open source.

Mimestream: best Wavebox alternative if all your mail is Gmail

If your Wavebox groups are mostly Gmail accounts, Mimestream is a native Mac mail app built for them. It takes several Gmail accounts and can "View all of your inboxes together, as one unified inbox" (Mimestream). It "only stores your data and tokens on your device."

Price. $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year, after a 14-day trial with no credit card (pricing).

What it can't do. Gmail only, Mac only, and no other web apps. Our Mimestream alternatives page covers apps that add iCloud and Outlook.

Pick it if every inbox you keep in Wavebox is Gmail.

Kiwi for Gmail: best Wavebox alternative for Google Workspace

Kiwi for Gmail is a desktop app for Mac and Windows that "takes Gmail and Google Workspace out of the browser," with Docs, Sheets, Slides, Calendar, Drive and Chat in their own windows (Kiwi). Its Elite plan holds up to 9 Gmail or Workspace accounts.

Price. Monthly and yearly plans, with a 7-day trial on yearly plans (pricing). The prices load in a widget we couldn't read.

What it can't do. Its FAQ says "We do not support other email providers at this time." No Slack or other non-Google apps. Our Kiwi for Gmail alternatives page has more.

Pick it if everything you keep in Wavebox is Google.

What happened to Station?

Station was a free app browser that older lists still name next to Wavebox. Today getstation.com sends you to an unrelated site and offers no download, so we left it out.

How to choose

• Wavebox used mostly for mail, with iCloud, Gmail and Outlook in one inbox: Alrighty.
• A bigger free plan on Mac or Windows: Shift.
• The lowest paid price, on Mac, Windows or Linux: Rambox.
• Free and open source: Ferdium.
• Only Gmail accounts, in a native Mac app: Mimestream.
• Only Google apps: Kiwi for Gmail.
• Many web apps plus one inbox: Alrighty for mail, with any of the browsers above for the rest.

Questions

Is there a free alternative to Wavebox?

Yes. Ferdium is free and open source. Shift's free plan has 5 Spaces with 10 apps in each. Rambox Basic is free forever with up to 2 instances per app. Alrighty has a Free plan after its 14-day trial, for mail only.

Can Wavebox show all my email accounts in one inbox?

Not on the pages we read. Wavebox keeps you signed in to each webmail, with badges and notifications, but each account is still its provider's website. A mail app such as Alrighty or Mimestream puts the accounts in one list.

Does Wavebox read my email?

Wavebox's privacy policy says "We do NOT request or require access to your communications content," and that this stays in the Wavebox desktop app. The mail itself stays with your provider, as it does in any browser.

Which Wavebox alternative works on Linux?

Alrighty, Rambox and Ferdium run on Linux, as Wavebox does. Shift runs on Mac and Windows. Mimestream is Mac only.

Can I use a mail app and a browser like Wavebox together?

Yes. Many people keep Slack and work tools in an app browser and read mail in a mail app. If mail is the reason you opened Wavebox, our guide to Gmail apps for Mac explains the choices for Gmail.