Both care about privacy. Canary adds encryption and sorts on your device, but its writing and summary features use cloud models. Dusk keeps all of its AI on your Mac.
The short answerIf you need encrypted email (PGP) or apps on Windows and Android, Canary is the better fit. If you want every AI feature, including summaries and replies, to stay on your Mac, choose Dusk.
At a glance
| Dusk | Canary Mail |
|---|
| AI stays on your Mac | ✓ Yes, always | ✗ Sorting only. Writing is cloud |
|---|
| AI included in the price | ✓ Yes | ✗ Paid plans only |
|---|
| Pay once, no subscription | ✓ Yes | ✓ Lifetime option |
|---|
| Gmail and iCloud in one inbox | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
|---|
| Cost over 3 years | $49 | $108 with AI (Growth) |
|---|
Why people choose Dusk over Canary Mail
- All the AI on your Mac. Canary's Copilot uses cloud models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere and Google for writing and summaries. Dusk uses only the on-device model.
- Sorted by action. Important, Needs reply, Waiting, Newsletters and Screened, with a reason for each.
- Built for the keyboard. Designed around single-key actions.
- iCloud and Gmail in one fast inbox. A small Swift app for the Mac.
Private and quick by design
- 12 MB
- download
- 0.46 s
- to open
- 65 MB
- of memory
- 0.9 s
- to sort and sum up an email
- No Dusk server between you and your mail. Dusk talks to Google and iCloud directly from your Mac, and there's no analytics.
- AI with no cloud fallback. Sorting, summaries and drafts use only Apple's on-device model, and still work offline.
- Tracking blocked. Emails are shown with scripts off and every remote image and tracker blocked, so senders can't see when you open them.
- Phishing set aside. A stranger's urgent email linking to a different site goes to Screened, not your inbox.
- Safe sending. Undo send, reply all only when you choose it, and a failed send is never resent blindly.
- Your keys stay yours. Sign-ins are stored in the macOS Keychain, and your licence is checked on your Mac.
Measured on a pre-release build on a MacBook Pro with M3 Max: zipped universal download, warm launch, idle memory with example mail, and triage of one email. Older Macs are slower.
Every detail, side by side
| Canary Mail | Dusk |
|---|
| Price | Free. Growth $36 a year. Pro+ $100 a year. Lifetime options | $49 once (launch price) |
|---|
| Free plan | Yes | No |
|---|
| Where the AI runs | Sorting on your device. Writing and summaries in the cloud | On your Mac only (Apple's on-device model) |
|---|
| AI features | Prioritisation, AI Copilot for writing and summaries (paid) | Sorting, summaries, thread digests, reply suggestions, Ask |
|---|
| Accounts | Any | Gmail, Google Workspace, iCloud |
|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iPhone, Windows, Android | Mac (iPhone planned) |
|---|
| Requires | Mac, Windows, iOS or Android | macOS 26 on a Mac that supports Apple Intelligence |
|---|
Is Dusk right for you?
- ✓ You use Gmail, Google Workspace or iCloud Mail
- ✓ Your Mac has Apple silicon and runs macOS 26 or later
- ✓ You want to get through email fast, from the keyboard
- ✓ You would rather your mail never went to a cloud AI
If that sounds like you, Dusk is built for you. If you need something else, Canary Mail may fit you better.
Switching from Canary Mail takes a minute
Your mail stays with Google or iCloud, so nothing needs moving. Add the same account to Dusk and your inbox arrives already sorted. Keep Canary Mail for a week alongside it if you like. Most people don't open it again.
Questions
- Is Canary's AI on-device?
- Partly. Canary says its prioritisation models run on your device, while Copilot writing and summaries use cloud models.
- Does Dusk encrypt email?
- Dusk doesn't add PGP. Mail travels between your Mac and Google or iCloud over their encrypted connections.
Sources
Checked September 2026. Prices change, so check each maker's site before you buy.
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