Question 1

Is Rythm the best alternative to SpamHero?

Accepted Answer

For an individual on Gmail or Outlook, yes. Rythm runs at the mailbox via OAuth and gives you a known-or-pay gate without touching DNS or MX records. For an admin protecting an entire domain, SpamHero is the right shape and Rythm is not.

Question 2

What does SpamHero do that Rythm does not?

Accepted Answer

SpamHero sits at the MX layer for a domain, runs reputation- and rule-based filtering on every inbound message, and gives admins quarantine reports and allow/deny controls. Rythm does none of that. Rythm is a per-inbox known-or-pay gate.

Question 3

Can I use SpamHero and Rythm together?

Accepted Answer

Technically yes. SpamHero would filter bulk spam at the domain MX; Rythm would gate strangers at the individual mailbox. In practice, most people pick one or the other based on what they administer.

Question 4

Do I need to change my MX records to use Rythm?

Accepted Answer

No. Rythm connects via Google or Microsoft OAuth at the mailbox layer. No DNS changes, no MX changes.

Question 5

How is Rythm different from a hosted spam filter?

Accepted Answer

Hosted spam filters are designed for an admin to run at the domain layer and catch bulk spam using reputation, blacklists, and content rules. Rythm is designed for an individual to run at the mailbox layer; it gates strangers using a list and a small cover charge.

Question 6

Does SpamHero turn unwanted email into income?

Accepted Answer

No. Hosted spam filters quarantine, mark, or delete spam. They do not include a payment that settles to the recipient. That is unique to economic-filter products like Rythm.

Question 7

Will Rythm replace SpamHero on my company domain?

Accepted Answer

No. If your company already runs SpamHero at the MX layer, that is the right tool for the perimeter. Rythm sits downstream, at the individual user mailbox.

Question 8

Why is Rythm cheaper than per-mailbox spam filters?

Accepted Answer

Different scope. Hosted spam filters cover an entire domain with admin tools, quarantine reports, and rule editors. Rythm covers one inbox with one decision rule. The price reflects the scope.

Question 9

Does Rythm read my email like a content filter?

Accepted Answer

No. Rythm reads for one thing, a payment proof, and discards the rest. Content-based filters read every message because their detection model needs to.

Question 10

Can a small business use Rythm instead of SpamHero?

Accepted Answer

A small team without admin or compliance needs can subscribe each member to Rythm individually. It does not give you central admin or domain-level quarantine. If you need those, SpamHero is the right shape.

Question 11

What is Rythm?

Accepted Answer

Rythm is a dual-layer deterministic email filter for Gmail and Outlook. Known senders walk in with no extra cost; unknown senders pay a small cover charge (default about four cents) that settles directly to your wallet. Non-custodial by design, powered by the Cashu ecash protocol over the Lightning Network.

Question 12

How much does Rythm cost?

Accepted Answer

Rythm has three payment options: $2.99/month monthly, $1.99/month bi-annually (billed $11.94 every 6 months), or $1.79/month annually via Lightning with a bonus 13th month (effective $1.65/month over 13 months). Same flat price for everyone. That is roughly five times cheaper than Hey.com, four times cheaper than SaneBox, and eighteen times cheaper than Superhuman.

Question 13

Is Rythm non-custodial?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Rythm never stores your email content and never holds your funds. Cashu tokens are validated in-memory for milliseconds, then discarded. Payments flow from sender, to a public Cashu mint, to your Lightning wallet.

	Rythm	SpamHero
Built for	Individuals on Gmail or Outlook who want a known-or-pay gate.	Small businesses and admins running a domain mail server.
How it decides	Known sender or pays the cover charge. A list you control.	Reputation scoring, blacklists, and content rules at the gateway.
Setup	Sign in with Google or Microsoft. About 10 minutes.	MX record changes that route domain mail through SpamHero filters.
Annual cost	~$21 per inbox.	Per-mailbox plans starting around $24 to $30 per year, per their public pricing.
Works with existing inbox	Yes. Gmail, Workspace, Outlook, Microsoft 365, OAuth.	Yes, but at the domain MX level, not the individual mailbox.
Strangers become	Either income (they paid) or a held-for-review list (they did not).	Quarantined messages users can release through a control panel.
False-positive risk	Low. The list is yours. You see it; you edit it.	Score-based. Reputation and rule-based filtering can misfire.
Strangers pay you	Yes. The cover charge settles to your own wallet.	No payment mechanic.
Domain admin features	Out of scope.	Quarantine reports, allow/deny lists, and admin tools for IT.
Auto-built guest list	Yes. From contacts, sent folder, and inbox frequency.	No. Allow lists are managed by the admin or user.

Rythm vs SpamHero: gate one inbox, or filter a domain.

At a glance.

Where each one fits.

When SpamHero is the right choice

When Rythm is the right choice

On price.

One plan. One price.

Frequently asked

Is Rythm the best alternative to SpamHero?

What does SpamHero do that Rythm does not?

Can I use both?