The Stupid Mail
You’ve got more less mail.
A calm, free mail app. It sorts your inbox into three small piles, remembers who owes you a reply, and comes with a little robot that writes drafts but never presses send.
For Mac and Windows.
This is the Quiet Inbox. Simple rules on your computer suggest a pile for each message (no AI involved), then it serves them five at a time. You can always move things yourself.
A peek inside
Cream paper. Terracotta ink.
It’s the same warm look as The Stupid Browser, folded into a mail app: a serif heading, soft rounded panels, and plenty of room to breathe.
Follow-up Radar
It remembers who owes you a reply.
Give a sent email a date. When the day comes, it lights up as due. If a reply seems to have arrived, Radar points it out so you can check before nudging anyone. It matches by thread, or by sender, subject and date, so treat it as a hint.
Radar and snooze update while the app is open. There are no notifications after you quit it.
Special delivery! I drafted a reply. You press send.
Buddy
A robot that drafts. You do the sending.
Buddy is the little 3D robot from The Stupid Browser, now working in the mail room. Ask it to sum up a long email or help you write back. It never sends anything on its own, and it only reads an email when you switch on Include this email.
Give it a hat, glasses, a scarf or a backpack. Pick it up and toss it. It bounces.
- Ollama
- OpenAI
- Claude
OpenAI and Claude use your own API key and may charge you for use. Ollama runs a model on your own computer, so the question stays there.
Also in the envelope
A whole sheet of small, useful stamps.
Your address, as it is
iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, Fastmail, Zoho and GMX connect with an app password, Proton Mail through its Bridge, and Outlook signs in on Microsoft’s own page. Anything else works too: just type in its servers. Wherever your provider offers app passwords, your normal password never goes in.
Keyboard first
Write, search (or just press /) and refresh without touching the mouse. Drafts save themselves while you type.
Spot the meetings
Buddy finds dates in your mail, right on your computer, and suggests events. You check everything and confirm before it’s added.
Email to task
Turn a message into a task with a due date and a link back to it. It stays even after the email scrolls away.
Make it yours
Theme, accent, density, corners, a checklist, a clock, and soft background music made in the app. Nothing autoplays.
Chats next door
Open your chats in their own window, or share a short excerpt to a channel you set up. You see what goes and confirm it.
Sealed, not shared.
- Passwords, AI keys and your Outlook sign-in live in the macOS Keychain, encrypted for your Windows account, or locked by your Android phone’s secure hardware, never in the app’s web view.
- Your mail, drafts and sorting are cached in private files on your computer, separately for each address.
- Emails show as text without outside images or tracking scripts, so nobody learns when you opened them.
- Every email asks for one last confirmation before it goes out.
- New versions are posted on GitHub and here. Automatic updates are built in and switch on in a later version.
Honest limits
Things it sends back, for now.
- Big inboxes. It reads your latest 40 inbox messages, not other server folders.
- Attachments. None yet, for reading or sending. Very large emails may need your provider’s app.
- A second account. One at a time. Connecting another replaces the saved sign-in, while drafts and sorting are kept per address.
- Outlook out of the box. For now you need your own free Microsoft app registration. The guide walks you through it.
- Official seals. It isn’t notarized by Apple, code-signed for Windows or in the Play Store, so your computer or phone asks once the first time you open it.
Mail one to yourself.
It’s free. No sign-up, no newsletter, which would be a bit rich for a mail app.
Mac
macOS 13 or newer · Apple chip and Intel
Download for Mac .zipUnzip it and drag The Stupid Mail into Applications. Updating? Quit the old one and replace it; your accounts and drafts stay.
Windows
Windows 10 or 11
Not posted yet See releasesThe Windows version is still in the mail. When it arrives, the download appears right here.
Android
Android 8 or newer
Not posted yet See releasesThe Android version is on its way. When it arrives, the download appears right here.
All versions and what’s new are on GitHub.
Letters to the editor
The first-time questions, answered.
Dear Stupid Mail,macOS won’t open you. Rude?
It’s because the app isn’t from the App Store or notarized by Apple. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. Only once, promise.
Dear Stupid Mail,Which password do I give you?
Never your normal one. iCloud uses an app-specific password from account.apple.com. Gmail needs 2-Step Verification and an app password. Outlook signs in on Microsoft’s page. The setup guide has every step.
Dear Stupid Mail,How do I wake Buddy up?
Click the gear in Buddy’s panel, pick Ollama, OpenAI or Claude and type a model name. Ollama needs a model installed and running on your computer (at 127.0.0.1:11434). OpenAI and Claude need your own API key.
Dear Stupid Mail,I have an older version.
Install the newest one once, replacing the old app in Applications. From 2.5 on it checks for updates itself and installs them when you quit. Your accounts, drafts and cached mail live outside the app, so they stay.
Dear Stupid Mail,Did my email actually send?
You confirm every send. If the confirmation fails, look in your provider’s Sent folder before trying again, so it doesn’t go twice. “Sent here” in the app is a local list, not your server’s Sent folder.
Dear Stupid Mail,Can I bring two addresses?
Not at the same time yet. Connecting another replaces the saved sign-in. Drafts, reminders and sorting are kept per address for when you switch back.