SaneBox is the best lightweight filter in email, but it never drafts, ranks, or chases. Pidgy is an agent that acts: it ranks your inbox, drafts in your voice, and chases stalled follow-ups, across Outlook and Gmail.
SaneBox and Pidgy both cut inbox noise, but in different ways. SaneBox filters low-priority mail into smart folders on any IMAP inbox, cheaply and invisibly, and it does not draft anything. Pidgy ranks the few emails that need you, drafts in your voice, chases stalled follow-ups, and groups email into projects. Pick SaneBox for cheap noise filtering. Pick Pidgy if you want the AI to actually handle the work, and note you can even run both.
How the two compare on the things professionals actually ask about.
| Capability | Pidgy | SaneBox |
|---|---|---|
| Works in Outlook & Gmail | Both, read as one inbox |
Both, via IMAP |
| Filters low-priority noise | Ranks rather than filters |
Signature feature |
| Drafts replies in your voice | Four named tones |
Does not draft |
| Ranks the whole inbox by what needs you | 147 down to the 5 that matter |
Sorts into smart folders |
| Chases stalled follow-ups automatically | Queues the chase, you pick the tone |
Tracks no-replies only |
| Projects view (email, docs, tasks) | Auto-grouped per project |
Not offered |
| Inbox Health score | One number, tracked daily |
Not offered |
| Built-in assistant (ask your inbox) | Ask Pidgy, voice coming soon |
Not offered |
| Works alongside your client (no switch) | Layers on your inbox |
Invisible IMAP layer |
| Never sends without your click | You always hit send |
Does not send mail |
| EU data residency | EU-hosted, never trains |
US-hosted |
| Pricing | Early access |
From ~$7/mo per inbox |
The table shows what each does. Here is why the differences matter.
SaneBox learns what matters and moves the rest aside. That is genuinely useful, but you still write every reply, chase every thread and organise every task yourself.
Pidgy goes further: it ranks what needs you, drafts the reply in your voice, chases the follow-up, and groups the thread into a project. It acts, not just filters.
SaneBox's SaneNoReplies folder shows you messages you sent that got no answer. Useful, but it is a list you still have to action by hand.
Pidgy spots the stalled thread and queues the chase for you to send in a tone you choose, then tracks it in your Inbox Health score.
If your only problem is volume and you want a quiet inbox without changing anything, SaneBox is excellent and inexpensive, from about $7 a month.
Pidgy does more, but if you just want filtering, SaneBox is the lighter tool. You can even run SaneBox for filtering and Pidgy for the agent work together.
SaneBox is US-hosted and sits between your provider and your client.
Pidgy is EU-hosted, never trains on your mail, and never sends without your click.
Both are good tools. They solve different problems.
The one built to close the loop, across Outlook and Gmail.
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