Spark vs Superhuman for Mac, price and accounts

Pick Spark if you want a free mail app on Mac, iPhone, Windows and Android that takes iCloud, Yahoo and IMAP accounts as well as Gmail and Outlook. Pick Superhuman if your mail is Gmail or Microsoft 365, your team will pay at least $25 per person a month, and you want AI drafts and a keyboard-first inbox built in.

If neither fits, for example because you're on a Mac with an iCloud account and the AI you want is Claude or ChatGPT, Alrighty is a third option, covered after the comparison.

How we checked

We read Spark's and Superhuman's own pricing, help and privacy pages on November 8, 2026, and every fact below links to the page it came from. We did not test the apps. Alrighty is our app.

Spark vs Superhuman at a glance

	Alrighty	Spark	Superhuman
Platforms	Mac (Apple silicon), Windows, Linux	Mac, iPhone, Windows, Android	Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Chrome extension
Accounts	iCloud, Gmail, Outlook and Microsoft 365	iCloud, Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, Yahoo, IMAP	Gmail and Microsoft 365 / Outlook
Price	14-day trial with no card, then Free or Pro	Free; Plus $10/mo or $99/yr; Pro $20/mo or $199/yr	$25 or $33 per member per month, billed yearly
Where mail is kept	Your provider, plus a copy and search index on your computer	Your provider; Spark's servers run push and team features	Its pages disagree
Unwanted mail	Stop mail, Clean up, Filters	Gatekeeper screens new senders; block sender or domain	Split Inbox, auto labels, unsubscribe
AI, and is it on?	Your own AI off until you connect it; reply drafts on when signed in	Spark +AI, paid, "disabled by default"	Included on every plan; default not stated

Is Spark or Superhuman cheaper?

Spark is cheaper at every level. Its free plan costs nothing and has unlimited accounts, Smart Inbox and a calendar. Plus is $10 a month or $99 a year, and Pro is $20 a month or $199 a year, with a seven-day trial "when you subscribe directly in the app" (Spark pricing).

Superhuman has no free plan on its plans page. Starter is $25 per member per month and Business is $33, both billed yearly, so Starter is $300 a year for one person. Billed monthly, Starter is $30 and Business is $40. It names no trial either, only "Get started" and "Contact sales." Each plan bundles Superhuman Mail with Grammarly, Docs and Go, so part of the price pays for those.

Put side by side, a year of Spark Pro ($199) costs less than a year of Superhuman Starter ($300), and Spark Pro adds Auto-Drafts and Autopilot.

Does Superhuman work with iCloud?

No. Superhuman says its mail app is "Built for teams that use Gmail or Outlook" (Superhuman), and its comparison pages say the same: "Superhuman Mail is built for Gmail and Outlook" (Superhuman). An iCloud, Yahoo or other IMAP address can't go in.

Spark takes far more. Its home page lists IMAP, iCloud, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo and Google (Spark). For iCloud, you make an app-specific password at Apple and enter it in Spark (Spark).

So if even one of your addresses is iCloud or Yahoo, the choice between these two is already made: Spark.

What does Superhuman do that Spark doesn't?

Superhuman's case is speed and AI for people who live in email. It says you can "Fly through your email twice as fast as before" (Superhuman); that is Superhuman's own claim, not a measured result. Its features aim at that:

• Split Inbox separates mail "from your team, your VIPs, or your most used tools."
• Auto labels sort the inbox and archive "the noise."
• AI that can send. Its assistant drafts and, if you allow it, sends "fully written emails on your behalf."
• A Mail MCP on Business, so Claude, ChatGPT and other assistants can reach your inbox (plans).

Spark's design is calmer. It sorts mail into a Smart Inbox, puts newsletters and notifications in their own inboxes, and Gatekeeper lets you "Screen and block emails from unwanted senders" before they reach you (Spark). Superhuman's pages describe no screener.

Which has better AI, Spark or Superhuman?

Superhuman puts more AI in front of you by default. Spark makes you ask for it.

• Spark. "Spark +AI is disabled by default" (pricing). It's a paid feature: Free gets "a limited free preview" through the AI Assistant. Plus adds Spark +AI and 40 AI meeting notes a month. Pro adds Autopilot and Auto-Drafts. Spark +AI runs on Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service, which "will not retain the data for more than 30 days" and does not train on it (Spark).
• Superhuman. Every plan includes Superhuman AI: Write with AI, Instant Reply, Auto Summarize, Autocorrect and Autocomplete. Business adds Auto Drafts, Ask AI, custom AI labels and the Mail MCP (plans). Its privacy policy says it restricts its AI providers "from training their models on user content." It doesn't name the model company, and the pages we read don't say whether its AI is on by default.

If you want AI drafts on everything, Superhuman Business and Spark Pro both offer them. If you want no AI until you turn it on, Spark is the one that says so in writing.

Which keeps my mail more private?

Spark is clear about using its servers. Superhuman's pages contradict each other.

Spark says its team features, Send Later, Templates and push notifications "require our server-side email processing to work." For push, it syncs "the subject and a part of your message" and deletes that data "in 4 hours after sending a notification." For Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo it stores "an application-specific token," but for "AOL, Exchange, and custom IMAP" accounts the token "is your email login and password," encrypted in its database. It runs on Google Cloud in the US (Spark privacy).

Superhuman's blog says "your inbox is never stored on our servers" and that it is "stored on your machine." Its privacy policy says "We receive the content you upload or enable our products to access, such as emails and drafts." We can't tell you which statement describes the Mail app today. Ask Superhuman before you connect a work account if this matters to you.

Which is better for a team?

Both sell to teams, in different ways. Superhuman Starter and Business each allow up to 25 seats, Enterprise adds single sign-on and an admin console, and every plan lists shared conversations, team comments and team scheduling (plans). Spark's paid plans add team collaboration, with shared emails, comments, shared drafts and delegation, and those run on Spark's servers (Spark privacy).

A team on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 with a budget is Superhuman's target buyer. A mixed team, or one that wants free seats and Windows or Android, fits Spark.

Alrighty: a third option on a Mac

Alrighty is a desktop mail app for iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts in one inbox. It isn't a team tool and it has no phone app, so it doesn't replace either app for everyone. It's for the person who sits between them: with an iCloud address Superhuman can't add, and wanting an AI they choose rather than one built in.

• Your own AI, iCloud included. Superhuman's MCP sits on its $33 Business plan and covers Gmail and Outlook. Alrighty runs a local MCP server so Claude, ChatGPT's desktop app, Codex, Cursor or a local model can read and search every account you've added. That AI can also work in a window you watch, and nothing sends until you click Send. It's off until you turn it on with Connect AI; the setup guide has the steps.
• Stop mail, not screening. Spark's Gatekeeper asks about new senders. Alrighty doesn't screen first-time senders. It goes after the ones already in your inbox: Stop mail unsubscribes every way the message offers, archives their mail and moves their new mail out as it arrives. Clean up lists the senders you probably don't want so you can stop them all at once.
• Search on your computer. It matches meaning as well as words, so "when is my flight" finds the airline's confirmation, across every account.

Where your mail goes. Your mail stays with Apple, Google or Microsoft. Alrighty keeps its copy, its search index and your sign-ins on your computer. When you're signed in, opening a reply starts a suggested draft by itself, and Clean up sorts senders in the background. Those AI features send the emails they need through Alrighty's server to OpenAI and other model companies.

What it can't do. It runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, but has no iPhone, Android or web app. It has no calendar. It can't add Yahoo, Fastmail or other IMAP accounts, which Spark can. It's a new app without a long track record. The price is a 14-day trial with no card, then a Free plan or Pro. See all features.

Which should you pick?

• On a Mac with iCloud, Gmail and Outlook, wanting junk stopped and Claude or ChatGPT in your mail: Alrighty.
• Free, on every device, with iCloud, Yahoo or IMAP: Spark.
• AI switched off until you choose it: Spark.
• A Gmail or Microsoft 365 team that pays for speed and built-in AI drafts: Superhuman.
• Single sign-on and an admin console for a large team: Superhuman Enterprise, priced on request.

For more choices on each side, see our Spark alternatives and Superhuman alternatives. If Superhuman's AI is the draw, compare it with Shortwave in Superhuman vs Shortwave. More head-to-heads are on the Compare page.

Questions

Is Superhuman worth it over Spark's free plan?

It depends on your accounts and your budget. If all your mail is Gmail or Microsoft 365 and you want AI drafts and auto labels from day one, Superhuman Starter is $25 a month, billed yearly. If you have an iCloud or Yahoo address, Superhuman can't add it, so Spark's free plan is the one of the two that works.

Does Spark have a free trial of its paid plans?

Yes. Spark offers "a seven-day free trial for both Plus and Pro when you subscribe directly in the app." Superhuman's plans page names no trial.

Can I use Spark and Superhuman with the same Gmail account?

Yes. Both connect to your Gmail account rather than replace it. Spark says "The content of the emails you send and receive is stored on the server of your email account," so trying one doesn't move your mail out of Gmail. Superhuman's listed prices are for yearly billing, so try Spark's free plan first if you're unsure.

Which one runs on Windows and Android?

Both. Spark runs on Mac, iPhone, Windows and Android. Superhuman has native apps for Mac and Windows, apps for iPhone and Android, and a Chrome extension for the web (Superhuman). Alrighty runs on Mac, Windows and Linux, with no phone app.