Softwr

Productivity · head to head

HEY vs WPS Office

HEY logo

HEY

Productivity

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

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WPS Office logo

WPS Office

Productivity

Office suite from Kingsoft with Microsoft file compatibility, including maintained Linux builds

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only WPS Office 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.; WPS Office the free tier is funded by advertising, and the adverts and upgrade prompts appear inside the editing window rather than on a website, so the cost of not paying is charged in interruptions while you work.
  • They diverge on capability: HEY covers The Screener, WPS Office covers One application.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which HEY and WPS Office actually diverge.

Attributes where HEY and WPS Office differ
AttributeHEYWPS Office
Starting price$99/yearFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsMac, Windows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb

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 WPS Office

  • One application
  • Microsoft format handling
  • PDF tools
  • Linux builds
  • WPS AI
  • Cloud storage
  • Mobile apps
  • Templates

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

WPS Office

  • A Linux desktop where the free alternatives keep breaking the layout of colleagues' DOCX and PPTX files.not HEY
  • A small business that edits and converts PDFs regularly and does not want an Acrobat subscription for each person.not HEY
  • Students and home users who need Microsoft-compatible documents without a Microsoft 365 subscription.not HEY
  • Older or low-specification Windows machines where the full Microsoft suite is slow to install and slow to run.not 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.

WPS Office

  • The free tier is funded by advertising, and the adverts and upgrade prompts appear inside the editing window rather than on a website, so the cost of not paying is charged in interruptions while you work.
  • Kingsoft is a Chinese company and cloud sync stores documents on its infrastructure by default, which is a procurement blocker for government, defence and many regulated buyers no matter how well the software performs.
  • Complex Microsoft files still drift, so heavily formatted documents with tracked changes, PowerPoint animations and workbooks using recent functions or VBA macros can open with differences that only become visible when the file goes back to a Microsoft user.
  • There is no tenant administration, so an organisation has no central console for licences, policy, retention or offboarding, and every installation has to be managed on the individual machine.
  • Cloud storage stops at 1 GB free and 20 GB per user when paid, so it works as sync for documents and stops being viable for anyone handling media, scans or large PDF archives.

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

WPS Office

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the WPS Office 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 WPS Office if

  • You need one application.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want microsoft format handling.
WPS Office review

Questions people ask

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

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.

WPS Office: Will it open and save Microsoft Office files properly?

It reads and writes DOCX, XLSX and PPTX natively and ordinary documents round-trip cleanly. Files with macros, tracked changes or complex animation can differ, so check anything going back to a Microsoft user.

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.

WPS Office: Is the free version genuinely free?

Yes, and it is not time-limited. It shows adverts, caps cloud storage at 1 GB, and holds back PDF editing and conversion, text recognition and electronic signature for the paid plan.

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.

WPS Office: Does it run on Linux?

Yes, with maintained desktop builds, which is unusual for a commercial office suite. The Linux version can trail Windows on newer features.

WPS Office: Is it suitable for a regulated organisation?

Usually not without a review. The vendor is Chinese, cloud sync is on by default, and there is no administrative or compliance tooling of the kind a regulated buyer will be asked to evidence.

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