SortWerk vs SaneBox: a comparison with prices and features
SaneBox has been around for more than ten years and sorts emails into folders of its own such as «SaneLater». SortWerk files Gmail into your own labels, each described in one sentence. Both take sorting off your hands, but in different ways. Here is the honest comparison.
Features compared
| SortWerk | SaneBox | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per month | 6 to 29 (USD, EUR or CHF), 3 to 14.50 during the test phase | USD 9.49 to 42.99 |
| Annual plan | ten monthly prices, so 60 to 290 | USD 65 to 319 a year |
| Free | Yes, 50 emails a month without a subscription | No, 7-day trial |
| Email services | Gmail and Google Workspace | all common services |
| Sorts into | your own Gmail labels | SaneBox folders such as «SaneLater», «SaneNews» |
| Defining folders | as many as you like, each described in a sentence | preset folders, learns from your moves |
| Borderline cases | a folder of its own, «Unsure», with confidence in percent | not stated |
| Existing emails | preview, then apply; every run can be undone | «Email Deep Clean» for tidying up |
| More addresses | up to 5 with BYOK and Pro (2 each), Team unlimited | 1, 2 or 4 depending on plan |
| Extras | spam check, reply labels, sender rules | daily digest, reminders, snooze, «BlackHole», attachments to the cloud |
SaneBox prices from sanebox.com/pricing, as of 18 October 2026. SaneBox also offers a two-year plan.
The biggest difference: whose folders?
SaneBox works with folders of its own. The most important emails stay in the inbox, the rest moves to «SaneLater», newsletters to «SaneNews». Whatever is wrong you move, and SaneBox learns from it. That is convenient if your goal is a quiet inbox.
SortWerk starts from your structure. You decide in Gmail which labels exist and describe each in one sentence: «Invoices, receipts, reminders and payment confirmations». SortWerk then applies exactly that label. The structure looks the same in Gmail on your phone and computer, even without SortWerk.
Uncertain cases
Every tool gets things wrong sometimes. SortWerk gives every decision a confidence in percent. Whatever stays below your threshold (60 % to start with) goes to «SortWerk/Unsure». You look there yourself instead of hunting for errors in every folder. SaneBox does not state anything comparable on its website.
When SaneBox fits better
- Besides Gmail you use Outlook, iCloud or a company address via IMAP. SortWerk only supports Gmail.
- You want extras such as a daily digest, reminders for unanswered emails or snoozing.
- You do not want to define folders, just get the unimportant out of the way.
When SortWerk fits better
- You use Gmail or Google Workspace and want emails sorted into your own folders.
- You want to start with little effort: 50 emails a month are free, and the plans cost less.
- You want to see what happens before tidying up, and be able to undo everything.
- You want a provider from Switzerland.
To be honest
SortWerk is young: version 0.6, and Google's review is still under way. Until then Google shows a warning when you sign in. SaneBox has been established for years and has many reviews. If you only use Gmail and want your own folders, though, SortWerk is the better fit.
