Is HEY or Reflect better?

Neither clearly leads. HEY starts at $99/year and Reflect at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, HEY or Reflect?

HEY starts at $99/year and Reflect at $10/month.

Does HEY or Reflect run on more platforms?

HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Reflect runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS.

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 Reflect is typically brought in for.

What can HEY do that Reflect cannot?

HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode. Reflect covers Bidirectional links, End-to-end encryption, AI assistant, Instant sync.

Productivity · head to head

HEY vs Reflect

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

Reflect

Productivity

Fast networked note-taking with AI

From: $10/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

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.; Reflect no free tier or free plan option
They diverge on capability: HEY covers The Screener, Reflect covers Bidirectional links.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HEY and Reflect actually diverge.

Attributes where HEY and Reflect differ
Attribute	HEY	Reflect
Starting price	$99/year	$10/month
Pricing model	Per user per month	Unknown
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS
Founded	Unknown	2020

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Reflect

Bidirectional links
End-to-end encryption
AI assistant
Instant sync
Daily notes
Chrome extension
Calendar sync
Kindle highlights

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 Reflect
A user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversationnot Reflect
A family that wants shared but individually addressed email under one annual plannot Reflect
A small company wanting HEY for Work on its own domain with the Screener model for the whole teamnot Reflect

Reflect

Productivitynot HEY
Collaborationnot HEY
Task managementnot HEY
Organizationnot 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.

Reflect

No free tier or free plan option
Losing your password means permanent data loss with no recovery option
Shared notes are not end-to-end encrypted despite platform marketing encryption
AI features send your content to OpenAI servers (30-day retention)
Mobile apps have limited offline functionality compared to desktop

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

Reflect

$10/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Reflect review.

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 Reflect if

You need bidirectional links.
You work on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS.
You also want end-to-end encryption.

Reflect review

Questions people ask

Is HEY or Reflect better?: Neither clearly leads. HEY starts at $99/year and Reflect at $10/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HEY or Reflect?: HEY starts at $99/year and Reflect at $10/month.
Does HEY or Reflect run on more platforms?: HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android. Reflect runs on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS.
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 Reflect is typically brought in for.
What can HEY do that Reflect cannot?: HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode. Reflect covers Bidirectional links, End-to-end encryption, AI assistant, Instant sync.

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.

Reflect: Is there a free tier?

No. Reflect offers only a 14-day free trial before requiring $10/month (billed annually). There is no free plan.

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.

Reflect: Does Reflect work offline?

Yes, editing and note-taking work offline on desktop. Mobile apps have offline limitations compared to the desktop experience.

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.

Reflect: How secure is my data?

Reflect uses end-to-end encryption with XChaCha20-Poly1305. An independent audit by Doyensec found no vulnerabilities. However, audio for transcription and text sent to AI features are processed by OpenAI servers (retained 30 days per OpenAI policy).

Source

Reflect: Can I export my notes?

Yes. Reflect allows export of your notes, though the primary export method involves using their web and iOS apps with standard export capabilities.

Source

HEY vs Reflect

HEY

Reflect

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in HEY

Only in Reflect

What people use each for

HEY

Reflect

Where each one falls short

HEY

Reflect

Pricing, plan by plan

HEY

Reflect

Which should you pick?

Choose HEY if

Choose Reflect if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on HEY

More on Reflect

Keep looking

Other head to heads