[ In short ]
- Superhuman Mail is the better pick if you want to keep Gmail or Outlook and get a faster, polished client with AI on top: it does not host your email.
- Superhuman Mail costs US$25 (Starter) or US$33 (Business) per member per month billed annually, on top of what you pay Google or Microsoft for the mailbox.
- Skein is the mailbox and the agent in one: EU-hosted email on your domain, follow-ups drafted for quiet threads, and by default your approval before anything is sent.
- Skein is pre-launch: founders can reserve a spot now and try the demo today.
01Superhuman or Skein: the short answer
Superhuman Mail is an email client. Your mail still lives in Gmail or Outlook, and Superhuman gives you a faster way to work through it, with keyboard shortcuts, a split inbox and AI that writes, labels and reminds. Skein is an email provider: it hosts the mail for your domain, in the EU, and adds an agent that follows up on every conversation.
So the question is not quite which is better. It is whether you want to keep your current provider and add a premium client, or move your company email to a provider built around follow-ups.
02Superhuman vs Skein, side by side
| Skein | Superhuman Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Available | Pre-launch: founders reserve a spot now, teams get access in waves | Available today |
| Price basis | Per person with the agent, plus mailbox-only seats for the rest of the team | Per member per month: Starter US$25 billed annually (US$30 monthly), Business US$33 annually (US$40 monthly), Enterprise on request; plus your Gmail or Outlook subscription |
| Hosting region | EU: mail and agent run in Frankfurt | Your mail stays with Google or Microsoft; Superhuman is the client on top |
| Email on your own domain | Yes, with unlimited aliases and shared inboxes | Through your Gmail or Outlook account, not by itself |
| AI follow-up agent | Yes: spots quiet threads and drafts the follow-up in your tone | Auto Reminders and, on Business, Auto Drafts that write follow-ups for emails awaiting a reply |
| Approval before sending | Every send by default, with a few seconds to undo; auto-send only for contacts you choose | Drafts wait for you to send them |
| Approvals in Slack or WhatsApp | Both, at launch | No |
| Calendar and meetings | Proposes times and sends the invite from your Google, Microsoft or iCloud calendar | Calendar and scheduling from your Google or Microsoft calendar |
| Migration in | Gmail history import; DNS records written for you on supported providers | None needed: connect your Gmail or Outlook account |
| Apps | Its own web and phone apps, or Apple Mail, Outlook and the Gmail app | Mac, Windows, web, iOS and Android |
| Standards and leaving | IMAP and autoconfig; export every mailbox over IMAP at any time | Works with Gmail and Outlook accounts only |
Starter and Business are sold for teams of up to 25 seats; Enterprise removes that limit and adds single sign-on. Business adds Auto Drafts, Ask AI, custom auto labels and HubSpot and Salesforce integrations.
03Where Superhuman is the better choice
- You keep your provider. No DNS changes, no migration. If your company is happy on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, Superhuman adds speed and AI without moving anything.
- A polished, fast client. Superhuman built its name on speed and keyboard-first design, and has native apps on every major platform.
- Follow-up drafts already exist there. On the Business plan, Auto Drafts writes follow-ups for emails still waiting on a reply and replies to messages that need one. If that is all you want, and you are staying on Gmail or Outlook, Superhuman covers it.
- CRM integrations. HubSpot and Salesforce on Business, today. Skein is not open yet.
04Where Skein is different
One product instead of two subscriptions
With Superhuman you pay for the mailbox at Google or Microsoft and for the client on top. Skein is the mailbox and the agent in one, priced per person with the agent, with mailbox-only seats for teammates who only need an address. Aliases are unlimited and shared inboxes like sales@ do not count as a mailbox. The plan is on the pricing section.
Approvals where you already are
By default, Skein asks before sending in the app or, at launch, in Slack with a button or a reaction, or in WhatsApp, so you can clear three follow-ups between meetings without opening an email client. Every draft says what it read and who is waiting, and every send has a few seconds to undo. For contacts you choose, it can send on its own.
The whole team, hosted in the EU
Skein looks across the team, not only your inbox: one list of who is waiting on whom, with the threads that cost the most if they slip at the top. Mail and agent run in Frankfurt, in the EU, for every customer, and your mail is never used to train AI models. See our guide to GDPR and EU email hosting for why that matters for European teams.
05Who should pick which
- Pick Superhuman if you are staying on Gmail or Outlook, live in your inbox all day and want the fastest client with AI drafts, and the extra subscription per person is fine.
- Pick Skein if you are setting up company email or ready to move it, want it hosted in the EU, and want follow-ups handled across the team with approvals in Slack or WhatsApp.
Other options in the same space are in Superhuman alternatives and AI email assistants. If you only need an assistant on top of the inbox you have, also read Skein vs Fyxer.
06How to move from Superhuman to Skein
Since Superhuman is a client, moving means moving your email provider, usually Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Skein imports your Gmail history so the agent knows every open thread, and on supported DNS providers it writes the records for you.
D − 2
Lower the TTL of your MX records
5 min, then wait one old TTL
Set MX (and the records you will change) to 300 seconds. Resolvers keep the old value until the old TTL runs out, often 1 to 24 hours.
D − 2
Verify the domain and add DKIM, SPF, DMARC
15 min, checks in minutes to hours
Add the new provider’s ownership TXT, its DKIM records and its include in your one SPF record. Outgoing mail can work before incoming moves.
D − 1
Create every mailbox and alias
10–60 min
Include shared addresses (hello@, invoices@) and forwarding rules. A catch-all for the first days catches the ones you forgot.
D − 1
Copy existing mail over IMAP
Hours to days per mailbox
Newest first. Gmail allows about 2.5 GB of IMAP download per user per day, so a 10 GB mailbox needs about four days. Start early.
D
Switch MX to the new provider
5 min, propagation up to 300 s
Replace the old MX records; do not leave them at a higher number. Send a test from an outside account.
D + 1 and D + 3
Run a second sync
10–30 min each
Some senders cached the old MX and delivered there. A delta copy picks up what landed late. Keep the old accounts until it finds nothing.
D + 7
Raise the TTL and close the old accounts
5 min
Set the TTL back to 3,600 seconds or more. Cancel the old provider only after the last sync came back empty.
- Create the mailboxes and shared addresses in Skein.
- Import your Gmail history (or bring your Outlook history up on the founder setup call).
- Point your MX records at the new provider and update SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
- Cancel Superhuman and reduce the old provider’s licences after a short overlap.
The detailed path from Google is in how to migrate from Google Workspace.
Skein is not open yet. It opens to its first teams soon, in waves, and founders can reserve a spot now on the founder price. Until then you can try the demo with sample mail, nothing to install.
Questions
- Does Superhuman replace Gmail?
- No. Superhuman Mail is a client that works with Gmail and Outlook accounts. Your mail stays with Google or Microsoft, and you keep paying for that account.
- Does Superhuman write follow-ups automatically?
- Superhuman Mail reminds you about emails without a reply, and on the Business plan its Auto Drafts feature writes follow-ups for emails still awaiting a response. You review and send them.
- How much does Superhuman cost?
- Starter is US$25 per member per month billed annually (US$30 monthly) and Business US$33 billed annually (US$40 monthly). Enterprise is priced on request.
- Can I use Superhuman with Skein?
- No. Superhuman works with Gmail and Outlook accounts only. Skein supports IMAP, so standard apps like Apple Mail or Outlook connect to it, and it has its own web and phone apps.
See Skein follow up for you
Business email on your own domain with an agent that follows up on every conversation. Hosted in the EU. Try the demo with sample mail, nothing to install.
[ Sources ]
- 01Superhuman Mail plans
- 02Superhuman Help: pricing plans
- 03Superhuman Help: Auto Reminders and Auto Drafts
- 04Superhuman: AI email assistant
- 05Superhuman Help: download Superhuman Mail
Facts about other products were checked on 5 Oct 2026; prices and plans change.