Superhuman has no free plan. Here's how close you can get for free with Gmail shortcuts, Apple Mail and Spark, and what $49 once gets you instead of $300 a year.
Superhuman has no free plan: Starter is $30 a month, or $300 a year. If you want its speed without paying for it, you can get surprisingly close for free, and all the way there for a one-time $49.
What you're trying to replace
People pay for Superhuman for four things:
- Speed from the keyboard: one key per action.
- A split inbox: important mail separated from the rest.
- AI: summaries and replies written for you.
- Follow-up reminders: threads come back if nobody replies.
Free option 1: Gmail with shortcuts on
Gmail's own keyboard shortcuts are close to Superhuman's: j and k to move, e to archive, r to reply, z to undo, / to search. Turn them on in Settings, See all settings, Keyboard shortcuts on. Add Gmail's tabs to separate promotions, and snooze for later.
What you get: speed and basic sorting. What you don't: AI summaries, a proper important-mail split, or automatic follow-up reminders. Full list: Gmail keyboard shortcuts.
Free option 2: Apple Mail with Apple Intelligence
On a Mac with Apple silicon, Apple Mail now sorts mail into categories, shows AI summaries in the inbox and highlights priority messages, for free. See Apple Intelligence in Mail, explained.
What you get: free AI summaries and sorting by type. What you don't: keyboard-first design, a Needs reply view, or follow-up tracking.
Free option 3: Spark's free plan
Spark's free plan includes its Smart Inbox, which groups people, notifications and newsletters, on every platform. Its AI features need Plus at $10 a month.
The $49 option: all four, paid once
If you want the whole Superhuman experience on a Mac, Dusk covers all four jobs for $49 once:
| Superhuman does | Dusk does |
|---|
| Keyboard-first | J, K, E, R, Z, ⌘K |
| Split inbox | Important, Needs reply, Waiting, Newsletters, Screened |
| AI summaries and replies | One-line summaries, thread digests, Tab suggestions, ⌘J |
| Reminders | Waiting threads come back if nobody replies |
| $300 a year, cloud AI | $49 once, AI on your Mac |
It works with Gmail, Google Workspace and iCloud, on Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 26. That's less than two months of Superhuman. See Dusk vs Superhuman.
Questions
- Does Superhuman have a free plan?
- No. Superhuman Starter is $30 a month, or $300 a year.
- What's the best free alternative to Superhuman?
- Gmail with keyboard shortcuts turned on gets you the speed. Apple Mail with Apple Intelligence adds free AI summaries on supported Macs.
- What's the cheapest full Superhuman alternative?
- Dusk: keyboard-first, a sorted inbox, AI replies and follow-up tracking, for $49 once on a Mac.
Fast, private email for $49 once
Pre-orders are open at the launch price. One payment covers the Mac app and the AI, and the iPhone app when it arrives.
Pre-order Dusk