Superhuman

Build a fast keyboard-first IMAP client with local search and a focused inbox

NOT REALLY · consider alternatives
price $40/mo per seatsubscription / year $480estimated build time closest consolation build: one sittingreplaced by 0 people

A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Superhuman, build a fast keyboard-first IMAP client with local search and a focused inbox. The hard boundary is gmail and outlook integration depth, ai, coaching, team features, and exceptional polish, plus mail infrastructure, integrations, and client polish.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • Gmail and Outlook integration depth, AI, coaching, team features, and exceptional polish
  • mail hosting and deliverability
  • push on every platform
  • advanced team collaboration
  • provider-specific AI and search

Why people still pay

People still pay for Superhuman because an email client can be rebuilt; operating a trusted mail service with excellent deliverability cannot. The recurring cost buys IMAP quirks, OAuth, MIME, threading, search, attachments, offline sync, notifications, secure storage, and provider changes, not just the visible interface.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • existing IMAP and SMTP mailbox
  • OAuth client credentials where required
  • desktop keychain access
  • local disk space
01
Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, IMAP, SMTP, and OAuth where available.
02
Model mail accounts, message IDs, threads, folders, and pending actions; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
03
Interface for this email clients and hosted mail workflow: a desktop window with source import, a work list, and result export.
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1, architecture and data

Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, IMAP, SMTP, and OAuth where available. Model mail accounts, message IDs, threads, folders, and pending actions; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.

2

Phase 2, implement

Support one IMAP and SMTP account with credentials stored only in the OS keychain.

3

Phase 3, implement

Implement standards-based threading, folders, labels, archive, snooze, drafts, and search.

4

Phase 4, review and output

Render HTML email in a locked-down sandbox and block remote images by default. Add export, local cache reset, account reconnect, diagnostics, and safe logging.

5

Phase 5, recovery and acceptance

Record delivery failures and retries by message ID; never duplicate a send after restart. Verify this invariant with a saved fixture: A reconnect must not duplicate mail; after an ambiguous send response, retain pending status until the provider confirms it. State the practical limit: Gmail and Outlook integration depth, AI, coaching, team features, and exceptional polish.

the pro prompt
Build me a focused email clients and hosted mail workflow for the personal core of Superhuman. Requirements:

- Use Tauri 2, React, TypeScript, SQLite, IMAP, SMTP, and OAuth where available. Model mail accounts, message IDs, threads, folders, and pending actions; keep stable source IDs and timestamps.
- Paid product context: Build a fast keyboard-first IMAP client with local search and a focused inbox. Build only this DIY scope: Connect an existing mailbox through a fast keyboard-first IMAP client, index messages locally for search, provide a focused inbox, and send through the account's normal SMTP service.
- Support one IMAP and SMTP account with credentials stored only in the OS keychain.
- Implement standards-based threading, folders, labels, archive, snooze, drafts, and search.
- Render HTML email in a locked-down sandbox and block remote images by default. Send multipart messages with attachments and preserve a local copy of every draft. Add export, local cache reset, account reconnect, diagnostics, and safe logging.
- Use a desktop window with source import, a work list, and result export. Required input or access: existing IMAP and SMTP mailbox; OAuth client credentials where required. Keep credentials in .env.
- Recovery: Record delivery failures and retries by message ID; never duplicate a send after restart.
- Acceptance: with one labelled sample, show the input, saved intermediate state, and exported result; verify this invariant: A reconnect must not duplicate mail; after an ambiguous send response, retain pending status until the provider confirms it.
- Out of scope: Gmail and Outlook integration depth, AI, coaching, team features, and exceptional polish; mail hosting and deliverability. Keep this a personal, inspectable workflow.
- Include a README with setup, a sample input, required keys or permissions, data location, and the supported scope.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy AGENTS.md · generated from this app's build plan

share on X ↗

Alternatives to building your own

MMailspringKeyboard-first desktop mail with a local index; the speed is real even when the workflow extras are paid.18kaug 2026open source↗ThunderbirdKeyboard-driven local mail and search with no subscription; the interface will not flatter your venture round.92aug 2026open source↗BlueMail PersonalUnified accounts, clusters and keyboard control for free; it is less monastic and much less expensive.$0free↗

all 5 free alternatives to Superhuman →· no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real

Superhuman pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
starter$30/user$25/user1 paid person may connect multiple email accounts they own; each teammate requires a separate seat.$300/year when billed annually.
business$40/user$33/user1 paid seat per teammate; shared team features and admin controls.$396/year when billed annually.
enterprise——Custom seats, controls and pricing; numeric limits not public.

free tierno free tier; current official pricing help did not publish a numeric trial allowance

billingmonthly + annual; annual prepaid and auto-renewing; added annual seats are prorated

hidden costsEach person requires a paid seat, although one person may connect multiple email accounts they own. Annual plans are paid upfront and added seats are prorated for the remainder of the term.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-11 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Superhuman

Can you build your own Superhuman with AI?

A full replacement is not the recommended project. A consolation build is possible, but the paid product's decisive value sits outside a solo rebuild. For Superhuman, build a fast keyboard-first IMAP client with local search and a focused inbox. The hard boundary is gmail and outlook integration depth, ai, coaching, team features, and exceptional polish, plus mail infrastructure, integrations, and client polish.

What does the Superhuman build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Connect an existing mailbox through a fast keyboard-first IMAP client, index messages locally for search, provide a focused inbox, and send through the account's normal SMTP service. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: Gmail and Outlook integration depth, AI, coaching, team features, and exceptional polish; mail hosting and deliverability; push on every platform. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Superhuman prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Superhuman project take?

The catalogue estimate is closest consolation build: one sitting for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Superhuman?

Gmail and Outlook integration depth, AI, coaching, team features, and exceptional polish; mail hosting and deliverability; push on every platform; advanced team collaboration; provider-specific AI and search. People still pay for Superhuman because an email client can be rebuilt; operating a trusted mail service with excellent deliverability cannot. The recurring cost buys IMAP quirks, OAuth, MIME, threading, search, attachments, offline sync, notifications, secure storage, and provider changes, not just the visible interface.

What price is this guide comparing against?

The recorded Business plan is $40/mo per seat (monthly per user), checked 2026-08-07. Check the linked pricing source before buying. Building your own also has hosting, API and maintenance costs; the recorded amount is not a guaranteed saving.

What can I use instead of building Superhuman?

Mailspring: Keyboard-first desktop mail with a local index; the speed is real even when the workflow extras are paid. Thunderbird: Keyboard-driven local mail and search with no subscription; the interface will not flatter your venture round. BlueMail Personal: Unified accounts, clusters and keyboard control for free; it is less monastic and much less expensive. Compare all listed options at https://howtovibecodeit.dev/superhuman/alternatives. Check each option's license, hosting needs and feature limits.

Every week, more subscriptions die.

New verdicts, new prompts, the week's most-doomed apps.
One email. Unsubscribe in one click.

last week:100 Questions · KINDA1of10 · KINDA1Password · KINDA+1090 more

free forever · no scanner spam · the prompt stays on the site, the deaths come to you

$weekly: what got a verdict, what died.