HEY Email

What it does

HEY Email is not just another email client; it's a complete rethinking of how email should work. Built by the team behind Basecamp, it introduces an opinionated set of features designed to reduce clutter and restore a sense of control over your inbox. The app's core philosophy revolves around screening first-time senders, automatically sorting messages by type, and providing powerful, person-centric organizational tools.

Where it shines

HEY's strength lies in its confident, user-first design decisions. The 'Screener' (explained at 01:17) is a prime example. Instead of relying on a fallible spam filter, it puts you in charge of who gets into your inbox. Another highlight is the contact-centric view. Tapping a sender's avatar (01:21) opens a dedicated page that consolidates all your interactions with them, along with specific settings for that person. This shifts the focus from managing messages to managing relationships. The app’s main navigation menu (12:28) also reveals its core organizational power, providing one-tap access to its distinct sections.

UX highlights

The Big 3: HEY automatically categorizes emails into three buckets. The 'Imbox' for important mail, 'The Feed' (01:44) for newsletters, and 'The Paper Trail' (01:54) for receipts. This structure lets you engage with content in the right mindset.
Contact Pages: Each contact has a dedicated page (01:25) that acts like a mini-CRM, showing all past threads and allowing you to add private notes or set custom rules.
Screener: A gatekeeper for your inbox. You decide 'yes' or 'no' for every new sender, giving you ultimate control over who can email you.
Bubble Up: A smart reminder feature. You can 'Bubble Up' an email (08:15) to have it reappear at the top of your inbox at a later, more convenient time.
Reply Later: Easily triage emails that need a response by moving them to a 'Reply Later' stack (17:09). This helps you batch-process replies without cluttering your main inbox.
Clips: You can highlight and save snippets of text from any email (08:31) to a 'Clips' board (13:58), making it easy to find important info like confirmation numbers without digging through old threads.

Monetization & growth

The video focuses on the 'disposable' free account, which has no paywall. Onboarding (00:05) clearly states this is a temporary account that expires in 14 days, framing it as a way to try the service for temporary needs. This is a unique approach that sidesteps traditional free trials. There are no prompts to upgrade or subscribe visible in this user journey, suggesting that monetization is handled outside of this specific flow, likely through their website or when the disposable address expires.

Who it’s for

HEY is for people who feel overwhelmed by email and are looking for a structured, opinionated system to regain control. It's ideal for productivity enthusiasts, remote workers, and anyone who wants to treat their inbox like a sanctuary rather than a to-do list dictated by others. The emphasis on features like 'The Screener' and 'Reply Later' suggests it's for users who value deep focus and intentional communication.

Notes & opportunities

The app is packed with powerful concepts, but this can create a learning curve. The initial welcome emails (01:12) do a good job of explaining the core features, but users might still feel a bit lost without this guidance. For example, the difference between a 'Label' (02:16), a 'Collection' (09:36), and a 'Workflow' (09:52) isn't immediately obvious. The app could benefit from more contextual tooltips or a brief, interactive tutorial on first launch to help users grasp its unique organizational paradigms more quickly.