Comparison
A calmer SaneBox alternative that shows its work
SaneBox is one of the better-known inbox filtering tools: it moves unimportant mail into folders like SaneLater so your main inbox stays clean. For many people that works — until an important email lands in the wrong folder and nobody notices.
InboxPilot takes a different approach: instead of silently filing your mail away, it gives you one short digest, an action queue, and cleanup rules you explicitly approve. Every decision comes with a reason you can read.
How SaneBox works
- Connects to your mailbox via IMAP and moves messages between folders
- Uses machine learning to decide what is unimportant
- Learns from how you move messages between folders over time
Where it falls short
- Filtering happens silently — you have to trust that nothing important was filed away
- The model is a black box: there is no per-message explanation you can audit
- Folder-based triage means you still check multiple folders to feel safe
How InboxPilot is different
- Nothing is moved or marked read until you approve a cleanup rule — first scans are read-only
- Every classification shows its reason: sender type, intent, and why it is safe to clean
- Important categories (client, payment, security, legal) are structurally blocked from cleanup
- One digest replaces folder-checking: what matters, grouped by project, delivered where you already look
| Aspect | SaneBox | InboxPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Default behavior | Moves mail to folders automatically | Read-only scan until you approve |
| Why a decision was made | Not shown | Human-readable reason per message |
| Important-mail protection | Model-based | Hard-blocked categories + approval gate |
| Daily workflow | Check filtered folders | One digest + action queue |
| Data stored | Cloud processing of mailbox content | Classification metadata only — never bodies or subjects |
Questions
Does InboxPilot move my emails into folders like SaneBox?
No. InboxPilot scans read-only, shows you cleanup candidates with reasons, and only marks proven noise as read after you explicitly approve a rule and confirm execution.
Can I trust it with client and payment email?
That is the core design constraint. Client, payment, security, account, and legal mail are hard-blocked from cleanup and always stay visible in your digest and action queue.
Which email providers work with InboxPilot?
Any standard IMAP mailbox: iCloud, Fastmail, Microsoft 365, and custom IMAP hosts. Credentials are encrypted at rest.
Try it on your own inbox
Create an account, connect a mailbox, and run a read-only scan. Nothing is touched until you approve it.
Start free — read-only firstFree plan: 1 mailbox, daily digest. No card required. See pricing