Rythm vs Hey.com — protect your existing inbox, no migration required.
Hey.com and Rythm both try to give you control over strangers in your inbox. Hey requires a new @hey.com email address and a manual screener. Rythm works with your existing Gmail or Outlook, uses an automatic guest list plus a small cover charge for strangers, and costs roughly 5× less.
Hey makes you move. Rythm protects where you already live.
At a glance
| Rythm | Hey.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanism | Automatic guest list + cover charge | Manual Screener (yes/no per first email) |
| Works with existing inbox | Yes — Gmail & Outlook | No — requires new @hey.com address |
| Annual cost | ~$21 | $99 |
| Economic gate for strangers | Yes — cover charge settles to your wallet | No — manual approval only |
| Guest list auto-builds | Yes (contacts + sent + inbox frequency) | No — you decide each stranger manually |
| Migration required | None | New address, update everywhere |
The address question
Hey.com’s core model is: get a new @hey.com address and use their client. The trade-off is real — a clean, thoughtfully designed email experience from the ground up — but so is the cost. You update every sign-in, every newsletter, every 2FA provider, every billing record. For anyone whose professional identity is already tied to their current address, that’s untenable.
Rythm doesn’t touch your address. You keep [email protected]. Rythm layers on top of your existing Gmail or Outlook and filters from there.
The screening question
Hey uses a manual Screener: every first email from a new sender shows up in a queue, and you tap yes or no. It works, but it scales badly. If you get 30 first-time senders a day, you’re processing a queue of 30.
Rythm replaces manual approval with an automatic guest list (built from your contacts, sent folder, and inbox frequency) plus an economic gate. People you already know are on the list automatically. Strangers who truly need to reach you pay a few cents. Spam bots die the moment any cost is introduced.
You still see and edit the list whenever you want. The goal is to get you off the queue, not onto another one.
Pricing
Hey is $99/year. Rythm is ~$21/year. That’s about 5× cheaper. Rythm also pays you when strangers send email worth charging for — Hey doesn’t.
FAQ
Do I have to change my email address to use Rythm?
No. Rythm works with your existing Gmail or Outlook. Connect via OAuth; keep using the email client you already use.
I like the Hey client UX. Does Rythm offer a client?
Rythm is a filter, not a client. You keep Gmail or Outlook for the UX and run Rythm as the protection layer on top.
Can I still approve/reject senders manually with Rythm?
Yes. The RYTHM: REJECTED folder is a waiting room — check it whenever you want and drag anything you want back to your inbox. That sender is added to your guest list permanently.
Is four cents enough to actually stop spam?
Yes. Spam only works because sending at volume is free. At four cents, a 100,000-email campaign costs $4,000. The economics of mass outreach fall apart the moment any cost is introduced.
What if a real person can’t figure out how to pay?
The rejection notice includes a plain-English explanation and a one-tap link. You can also set the cover charge as low as $0.03 or as high as $6, or add specific senders to your guest list by hand. And you can always rescue anything from RYTHM: REJECTED in one click.
No migration. No new address. No manual screener.
$1.65/month. Protect the inbox you already have.
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