Is HEY or tldraw better?

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

Which is cheaper, HEY or tldraw?

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

Does HEY or tldraw run on more platforms?

HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android. tldraw runs on Web, Browser, React.

Can I use tldraw for free?

Yes. tldraw 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 tldraw is typically brought in for.

What can HEY do that tldraw cannot?

HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode.

Productivity · head to head

HEY vs tldraw

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

tldraw

Productivity

Open-source infinite canvas whiteboard and React SDK for drawing applications

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only tldraw 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.; tldraw production SDK use requires a license key; the dual licensing model means open-source development is free but commercial deployments are not
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HEY and tldraw actually diverge.

Attributes where HEY and tldraw differ
Attribute	HEY	tldraw
Starting price	$99/year	Free
Pricing model	Per user per month	freemium
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android	Web, Browser, React

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 tldraw

Nothing recorded that HEY does not also cover.

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

tldraw

Collaborative whiteboarding for distributed teams (internal tool alternative to Miro)not HEY
Developer SDK for building custom design tools and diagramming platformsnot HEY
Wireframing and UX prototyping applicationsnot HEY
Integrating drawing capabilities into larger applications (CMS, collaboration tools, learning platforms)not HEY
AI-powered drawing assistants and generative design toolsnot HEY
Educational applications and interactive learning environmentsnot 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.

tldraw

Production SDK use requires a license key; the dual licensing model means open-source development is free but commercial deployments are not
Limited ecosystem of community plugins; third-party extensibility less mature than some competitors
Multiplayer functionality requires custom backend implementation; real-time sync is not fully managed by tldraw
Mobile touch experience is functional but less optimised than desktop; precision drawing on tablets is challenging

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

tldraw

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the tldraw 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 tldraw if

You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, Browser, React.

tldraw review

Questions people ask

Is HEY or tldraw better?: Neither clearly leads. HEY starts at $99/year and tldraw at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, HEY or tldraw?: tldraw has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $99/year for HEY and Free for tldraw.
Does HEY or tldraw run on more platforms?: HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android. tldraw runs on Web, Browser, React.
Can I use tldraw for free?: Yes. tldraw 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 tldraw is typically brought in for.
What can HEY do that tldraw cannot?: HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode.

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.

tldraw: Is tldraw free to use?

The tldraw web application is free and open-source. SDK development (creating applications using tldraw) is free in development; production deployments require a license key purchased from tldraw Labs.

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.

tldraw: Can I host tldraw on my own servers?

Yes. tldraw can be self-hosted. The web application is open-source; multiplayer functionality requires you to implement or host your own backend (e.g., WebSocket server for real-time sync).

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.

tldraw: Can I embed tldraw into my application?

Yes. The tldraw SDK is a React library providing drawing capabilities for custom applications. Development is free; production use requires a license key from tldraw Labs.

Source

HEY vs tldraw

HEY

tldraw

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in HEY

Only in tldraw

What people use each for

HEY

tldraw

Where each one falls short

HEY

tldraw

Pricing, plan by plan

HEY

tldraw

Which should you pick?

Choose HEY if

Choose tldraw if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on HEY

More on tldraw

Keep looking

Other head to heads