By Manish, who makes LocalInbox · Facts checked October 2026
bytemail is a native Mac mail app in Swift, with an iPhone app in beta. It costs $3.99 a month or $39.90 a year after a 7-day trial; its $99 lifetime licence ends on 1 November 2026. Its summaries and Rewrite use Apple's on-device model, and it can also use Claude, OpenAI or OpenRouter with your own key, or a local model. LocalInbox is Mac-only, costs a one-time $19 to $49, and writes summaries, replies and drafts only on your Mac.
At a glance
| Feature | LocalInbox | bytemail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One-time licence: $19 early access, then $49 | $3.99/month or $39.90/year after a 7-day trial; $99 lifetime until 1 Nov 2026 |
| Where AI runs | Apple's on-device model, or a model you run in Ollama or LM Studio, on your Mac | Apple's on-device model on macOS 26; or Claude, OpenAI or OpenRouter with your own key, or Ollama or LM Studio |
| Accounts | Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Fastmail, Zoho, GMX, Proton Bridge, any IMAP | Gmail, iCloud, Outlook, Microsoft 365, Yahoo, Fastmail, any IMAP |
| Requirements | macOS 15 or later, Apple silicon or Intel | macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon |
| Platforms | Mac | Mac; iPhone in public beta |
When LocalInbox is the better choice
- You'd rather pay $19 to $49 once than $39.90 a year.
- You want no cloud AI anywhere in the app, not even as an option.
- You have an Intel Mac.
- You want Ask your mailbox answers with numbered sources, and search that reads text inside PDFs and images.
When bytemail is the better choice
- You want the same app on your iPhone (it's in beta).
- You use an Outlook.com, Hotmail or Microsoft 365 account: LocalInbox's Microsoft sign-in isn't available yet.
- You want Claude, Codex or Cursor to read and file your mail through an MCP server.
- Your Mac runs macOS 14.
Sources
Facts about bytemail were checked in October 2026 and can change; check its website for current prices and features. Facts about LocalInbox come from its own documentation.
Questions
Does bytemail send my mail to an AI service?
Only if you connect one. bytemail's own summaries and Rewrite use Apple's on-device model; with your own key it can use Claude, OpenAI or OpenRouter, which then receive what they're asked about. LocalInbox only offers Apple's on-device model or a model server on your Mac, at an address on the Mac.
Is bytemail a one-time purchase?
Not after 1 November 2026, its site says: from then it's monthly or yearly only. LocalInbox is a one-time licence for up to three Macs, with every 1.x update.
Is LocalInbox on iPhone, Windows or Android?
Not yet: LocalInbox is a Mac app. The waitlist (https://localinbox.app/waitlist) asks which platform you'd use, and it gets built if enough people ask.