A recently launched startup, Mailman, provides an email assistant designed to give Gmail users increased command over their inboxes. Unlike many other email-focused startups that necessitate a shift to a different platform or even a new email address, Mailman integrates with your current Gmail account to offer features such as blocking unwanted emails, scheduling email delivery, designating VIP senders who bypass filtering, and temporarily muting your inbox.

This service represents the newest addition to a growing number of email startups that have emerged over time, each promising an enhanced email experience—with Basecamp’s Hey being a recent example, offering a hosted email service with a more comprehensive suite of inbox organization tools.

However, many individuals are hesitant to switch email platforms or client applications, nor do they desire a new email address. Their primary goal is simply to manage their existing inbox more effectively. This is precisely the area where Mailman excels.

The service functions by authenticating with your Google account, requiring you to grant it permission to manage mailbox labels and fundamental email settings, such as moving emails to a snoozed folder. Mailman is also authorized to view and modify emails, but not to delete them.

This permission to modify emails is an important consideration. Users with highly sensitive information in their inbox may be reluctant to grant a third party access to manage it. However, security professionals generally advise against transmitting truly sensitive material via email in the first place.

Mailman states that it does not retain any data beyond what is directly utilized by the customer within the Mailman interface and assures users that it does not monetize email data—a practice employed by Gmail itself. The company also asserts that it only accesses the timestamp, sender’s address, and subject line of emails, not the email content, when assisting with inbox management. Furthermore, Mailman claims to encrypt stored data on servers located in the U.S., Canada, and India, and is compliant with GDPR regulations—allowing users to permanently delete their data with a single click.

Nevertheless, it’s essential to carefully evaluate the potential risks against the benefits of using any email add-on, given its requirement for inbox access to operate.

Should you choose to proceed and grant Mailman access, you can then utilize its features to control email flow.

A significant challenge with email is its continuous arrival throughout the day, triggered as soon as messages are sent. This often leads to responding to emails based on the sender’s timeline rather than your own.

Mailman introduces several options to address this issue.

To dedicate uninterrupted time to work, you can establish a “Do Not Disturb” schedule that temporarily holds incoming emails during specified periods.

Alternatively, you can opt to receive emails in batches at predetermined times throughout the day, or at times you define. In this scenario, Mailman delays delivery of emails to your inbox until these designated slots—allowing you to schedule dedicated times for email processing, rather than being constantly interrupted.

The service also enables you to prioritize important emails and filter out others. You can designate senders, domains, and keywords to a “VIP” list, ensuring that emails from these sources bypass filters and are always visible. This can help guarantee you don’t miss crucial communications from your manager or key clients, even while utilizing other tools to manage your inbox.

Less important emails can be automatically blocked, as Mailman can filter newsletters, notifications, and emails from senders you haven’t previously contacted. These emails are not deleted, but rather compiled into a daily digest, allowing you to determine their future handling—such as automatic blocking or immediate delivery.

Over time, this process helps Mailman learn your preferences and ensure you receive important emails with minimal distractions.

You are not required to utilize all of Mailman’s features; you can select only those that meet your needs, the company notes. Furthermore, because all filtering occurs within the Gmail service itself, you can continue using your preferred email client.

The startup was founded by experienced entrepreneur Mohit Mamoria, now Mailman CEO, and Andrew Wilkinson, the founder of MetaLab, who now invests in and collaborates with startups through Tiny. Mailman is currently operating under Tiny’s guidance, receiving support in areas such as marketing, user experience, and initial customer acquisition.

Mamoria explains that both he and Wilkinson were seeking effective ways to manage their inboxes. Mamoria had previously developed a script called Duggo for this purpose. When he encountered a tweet from Wilkinson inquiring about inbox tools (below), he reached out.

The two decided to collaborate and launched Mailman into beta in August 2020, quickly gaining nearly 3,000 users. Last week, Mailman became publicly available, announced through a Product Hunt post and endorsed by numerous entrepreneurs and founders, some of whom have also provided testimonials for the Mailman website.

While Gmail offers its own filtering capabilities, they are not as intuitive. Additionally, email services lack features for configuring batch deliveries or quiet times, leaving users to rely on silencing push notifications on their devices. The lack of innovation in email applications has led to the emergence of new services like Hey, Superhuman, and others, aiming to provide a superior experience for advanced users.

Mailman, similar to some competitors, generates revenue through subscriptions—priced at $10 per month or $96 per year. This is more affordable than the popular email service Superhuman, which charges $30 per month for its Gmail management client, but Superhuman has been noted as being expensive.

The co-founders believe Mailman has the potential to attract a wider audience than other inbox-management startups because it acknowledges users’ desire to retain their existing email and client application.

“Most individuals who have attempted to address inbox overload have focused on building an email client,” explains Mamoria. “[Basecamp’s] Hey even went further by creating an entire email service. However, they overlook the fact that changing email clients or services is more easily said than done. It requires significant behavioral adjustments and is often the biggest obstacle for the average user,” he states.

Mailman is currently available and exclusively supports Google accounts. Future support for other email providers may be considered, but there are no current plans in that regard.