Marco vs Hey: Two Different Answers to Email Frustration

Hey and Marco both exist because their founders were frustrated with email. The responses could not be more different. Hey rebuilt email from scratch with an opinionated workflow system. Marco rebuilt the client layer while leaving the protocol and your existing address alone.

The decision between them is not about features. It is about how much you want to change. Hey asks you to adopt a new email address, a new workflow philosophy, and a new mental model. Marco asks you to install an app and connect your existing accounts.

The address question

This is the single biggest difference and it should be your starting point.

Hey is a provider. To use Hey, you get an @hey.com email address. Your existing @gmail.com or @work.com address does not move to Hey. You can forward mail from your existing address to Hey, but your primary identity on the platform is a Hey address. If you leave Hey later, that address stops working.

Marco is a client. It connects to your existing accounts over IMAP. Your @gmail.com, @icloud.com, @fastmail.com, @company.com addresses all work in Marco. If you leave Marco, your addresses and your mail are exactly where they were before. There is no lock-in at the address level.

If you have used the same email address for years and it is tied to hundreds of services, contacts, and accounts, switching to an @hey.com address is a significant commitment. Marco avoids that entirely.

Workflow philosophy

Hey has strong opinions about how you should process email. The Imbox (not inbox) screens out first-time senders until you approve them. The Feed collects newsletters. The Paper Trail stores receipts and transactional email. Reply Later is a holding pen for messages that need a response but not right now.

If this mental model resonates with you, Hey is well-executed. The workflow is coherent and the product enforces it consistently. But it is a workflow you adopt wholesale. You cannot partially use Hey's system, because the product is designed around the full model.

Marco takes a different approach. The workflow is yours to define. You get a fast, clean interface with unified multi-account triage. How you organise, label, and process email is up to you. Marco provides the tools. It does not prescribe the system.

Neither approach is objectively better. It depends on whether you want software that tells you how to work or software that stays out of your way while you work.

Pricing

Hey costs $99/year. Marco costs $40/year ($4/month). Over three years, that is $297 versus $120.

Hey's pricing includes the email hosting, so you are paying for both the provider and the client. Marco's pricing covers only the client. Your email hosting is wherever it already is (Gmail, iCloud, Fastmail, etc.), and many of those are free or already included in a subscription you pay for.

If you are comparing pure out-of-pocket cost, Marco is cheaper. If you are comparing the full stack (hosting + client), the comparison depends on what you currently pay for email hosting.

Provider flexibility

Hey supports one provider: Hey. Your @hey.com inbox is the product. There is no connecting external accounts, no unified view of your Gmail alongside your Hey mail, no IMAP access to bring your Hey mail into another client.

Marco supports any IMAP provider. Connect Gmail, iCloud, Outlook, Fastmail, Protonmail Bridge, self-hosted servers, or any combination. All accounts live in one unified interface.

For users who want to consolidate multiple existing accounts, Marco is the practical choice. Hey works best as a fresh start with a single new address.

Offline capability

Hey is a web-first application with native apps. Offline support exists but is limited to recently cached content. The product is designed around connectivity.

Marco is offline-first. Full mailbox sync, local indexing, offline search, compose, and organise. The online and offline experience is identical.

Comparison snapshot

Where Hey wins

Hey wins if you want a clean break from your current email setup and are ready to commit to a new address and a new system. The screening, the Feed, the Paper Trail: these are genuine innovations that solve real problems for people who adopt them fully. If email decision fatigue is your main pain point, Hey's opinionated workflow removes decisions.

Where Marco wins

Marco wins if you want better email software without changing your email address, your provider, or your workflow habits. If you manage multiple accounts, work offline, or simply want a faster client for your existing setup, Marco does that without asking you to upend anything.

If you are deciding this week

1. Ask yourself: am I willing to adopt a new email address? If no, the decision is made.
2. If yes, try Hey's workflow for the trial period. Commit to the full Imbox/Feed/Paper Trail model.
3. Test Marco with your existing accounts. Connect everything in one session.
4. Compare after one week of real use with real mail volume.
5. Use this 5-step triage method to evaluate workflow quality in either client.

For the broader landscape, see 7 Best Gmail Alternatives. For cost-focused comparison, see Marco vs Superhuman.