SortWerk vs Inbox Zero: a comparison with prices and features
Inbox Zero (getinboxzero.com) is an open-source AI assistant for Gmail and Outlook. As with SortWerk, you describe in your own words what goes where. On top come reply drafts, a cold email blocker and bulk unsubscribe. The differences lie in scope, price and approach.
Features compared
| SortWerk | Inbox Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | 6 to 29 (USD, EUR or CHF), 3 to 14.50 during the test phase | USD 20, 35 or 50 per person |
| Annual plan | ten monthly prices, so 60 to 290 | USD 18, 28 or 42 per person per month |
| Free | Yes, 50 emails a month without a subscription | email app free, AI plans 7-day trial |
| Email services | Gmail and Google Workspace | Gmail and Outlook |
| Sorts into | your own Gmail labels | labels following your rules |
| Defining folders | one sentence per label | rules in your own words |
| Borderline cases | a folder of its own, «Unsure», with confidence in percent | not stated |
| Existing emails | preview, then apply; every run can be undone | bulk unsubscribe and bulk archive |
| Reply drafts | no, only reply labels | yes |
| Self-hosting | no | yes, open source (check the licence terms) |
Inbox Zero prices from getinboxzero.com/pricing, as of 18 October 2026.
The biggest difference: scope
Inbox Zero is a toolkit: you write rules such as «If someone asks for a quote, label as client and prepare a draft», and the assistant carries them out. On top come analytics, meeting briefings and, in the higher plans, a meeting notetaker and integrations.
SortWerk does less and does one thing in a very controlled way: every email gets exactly one target folder or goes to «Unsure». You see existing emails in a preview first, and every run can be undone email by email. There is also a spam check with an adjustable threshold and fixed sender rules.
When Inbox Zero fits better
- You want reply drafts and further automation.
- You use Outlook.
- You want to run the software yourself.
When SortWerk fits better
- You primarily want sorting, with as little setup as possible.
- You want an in-between folder for uncertain cases instead of silent mistakes.
- You want low costs and a free tier to try it out.
- You want a provider from Switzerland.
To be honest
Inbox Zero and SortWerk share the idea of describing order in your own words. Inbox Zero offers more features, SortWerk more control over sorting and the lower price. SortWerk is young (version 0.6, Google's review is still under way).
