Is HEY or Kami better?

Neither clearly leads. HEY starts at $99/year and Kami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, HEY or Kami?

Kami has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/year for HEY and Free for Kami.

Does HEY or Kami run on more platforms?

HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Kami runs on Web, Chrome Extension, IOS, Android.

Can I use Kami for free?

Yes. Kami has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HEY starts at $99/year.

What is HEY best used for?

HEY is most often used for someone who wants to replace gmail or icloud mail entirely with an email service built around approving senders before they reach the inbox, a user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversation, a family that wants shared but individually addressed email under one annual plan, a small company wanting hey for work on its own domain with the screener model for the whole team. Of those, someone who wants to replace gmail or icloud mail entirely with an email service built around approving senders before they reach the inbox and a user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversation are not what Kami is typically brought in for.

What can HEY do that Kami cannot?

HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode. Kami covers PDF annotation, Drawing tools, Text tools, Voice comments.

Productivity · head to head

HEY vs Kami

HEY

Productivity

Flat annual subscription email service from 37signals, with its own hey.com domain and a distinctive Screener

From: $99/year
Rated: -

Full review Website

Kami

Productivity

The ultimate document annotation and collaboration tool

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Kami has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: HEY there is no free tier and no monthly billing option, so trying it beyond the trial means committing to a full year upfront.; Kami the free Basic plan exposes only about 10 of the 40 or more tools
They diverge on capability: HEY covers The Screener, Kami covers PDF annotation.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HEY and Kami actually diverge.

Attributes where HEY and Kami differ
Attribute	HEY	Kami
Starting price	$99/year	Free
Pricing model	Per user per month	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android	Web, Chrome Extension, IOS, Android
Founded	Unknown	2013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in HEY

The Screener
Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail
Reply Later stack
Focus and Reply mode
Screen sharing style clips
No tracking pixels

Only in Kami

PDF annotation
Drawing tools
Text tools
Voice comments
Text-to-speech
OCR
Split/merge PDFs
Video embedding

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

HEY

Someone who wants to replace Gmail or iCloud Mail entirely with an email service built around approving senders before they reach the inboxnot Kami
A user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversationnot Kami
A family that wants shared but individually addressed email under one annual plannot Kami
A small company wanting HEY for Work on its own domain with the Screener model for the whole teamnot Kami

Kami

Free document collaboration for individualsnot HEY
Professional document management with advanced toolsnot HEY
Dedicated account management for workplace teamsnot HEY
K-12 and higher education document workflowsnot HEY

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

HEY

There is no free tier and no monthly billing option, so trying it beyond the trial means committing to a full year upfront.
Adopting HEY means changing your actual email address, not just installing a new client, which is a bigger migration than switching apps on an existing address.
The Screener and categorisation model is a real departure from a standard inbox, and some users take time to adjust or find it gets in the way for high volume mail.
Short vanity addresses carry steep additional annual fees, up to 999 US dollars a year for a two character address.
It does not connect to or manage existing Gmail, Outlook or iCloud accounts, so it cannot be used as a general client the way Mimestream or Apple Mail can.

Kami

The free Basic plan exposes only about 10 of the 40 or more tools
Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas and Microsoft Teams integrations require the Teacher plan at $149 per year
School and district licensing including domain wide deployment is custom priced and requires a quote
Non education users pay separate Workplace plans at $85 or $220 per year rather than the education rate
A dedicated account manager is only available on the School or District plan

Pricing, plan by plan

HEY

$99/year

HEY for You$99/year
- One hey.com email address
- Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail
- Billed annually only, no monthly option
HEY for Families$179/year
- Covers up to five family members
- Same features as HEY for You per member
HEY for Work$12/month
- Per user, for organisations on a company domain
- Admin controls for a team

Kami

Free

Basic (Free)Free
- 10+ essential tools
- Google Drive and OneDrive integration
- Unlimited collaborators
Pro$12/month
- All 40+ tools and features
- Unlimited pages and document types
- Priority support
Work$25/month
- Everything in Pro
- Free onboarding and training
- Dedicated Account Manager
Teacher Plan$149/year
- All 40+ tools and features
- Full LMS integrations (Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Teams)
- Free onboarding and training

Which should you pick?

Choose HEY if

You need the screener.
You work on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
You also want imbox, feed and paper trail.

HEY review

Choose Kami if

You need pdf annotation.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Chrome Extension, IOS, Android.
You also want drawing tools.

Kami review

Questions people ask

Is HEY or Kami better?: Neither clearly leads. HEY starts at $99/year and Kami at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HEY or Kami?: Kami has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/year for HEY and Free for Kami.
Does HEY or Kami run on more platforms?: HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Kami runs on Web, Chrome Extension, IOS, Android.
Can I use Kami for free?: Yes. Kami has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HEY starts at $99/year.
What is HEY best used for?: HEY is most often used for someone who wants to replace gmail or icloud mail entirely with an email service built around approving senders before they reach the inbox, a user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversation, a family that wants shared but individually addressed email under one annual plan, a small company wanting hey for work on its own domain with the screener model for the whole team. Of those, someone who wants to replace gmail or icloud mail entirely with an email service built around approving senders before they reach the inbox and a user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversation are not what Kami is typically brought in for.
What can HEY do that Kami cannot?: HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode. Kami covers PDF annotation, Drawing tools, Text tools, Voice comments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HEY: Can I use HEY with my existing Gmail address?

No. HEY provides its own hey.com email address; it is not a client layered over an existing Gmail or other account.

Kami: Does Kami offer a free plan and what does it include?

Yes, Kami's free Basic plan includes 10+ essential tools, unlimited collaborators, Google Drive/OneDrive integration, and 1,000+ templates. Full feature access requires Pro or higher tiers.

Source

HEY: Is there a free plan?

No. HEY offers a trial but bills annually only, with no free tier and no month to month option for individuals.

Kami: What is the cheapest paid plan for Kami and what does it cost?

Pro plan is $12/month ($85/year when billed annually) and includes all 40+ tools, unlimited pages, and priority support for workplace users.

Source

HEY: What is the Screener?

A feature that holds mail from any new sender until the user explicitly approves them, before it appears in the inbox at all.

Kami: Are there Kami plans designed specifically for educators?

Yes, the Teacher plan costs $149/year and includes all 40+ tools, full LMS integrations (Google Classroom, Schoology, Canvas, Teams), free onboarding, and priority support with a 30-day free trial.

Source

Kami: How much do Kami School or District plans cost?

School and District plans do not publish pricing and require contacting Kami for custom quotes. These plans include domain-wide deployment, dedicated account managers, and full LMS integrations.

Source

HEY vs Kami

HEY

Kami

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in HEY

Only in Kami

What people use each for

HEY

Kami

Where each one falls short

HEY

Kami

Pricing, plan by plan

HEY

Kami

Which should you pick?

Choose HEY if

Choose Kami if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on HEY

More on Kami

Keep looking

Other head to heads