MailManager vs Clean Email
We make MailManager, so weigh this page with that in mind. Short version: Clean Email is a strong bulk cleaner with rules that keep running, and MailManager uses AI to sort Gmail and Outlook into categories by what each email is about. Every Clean Email price and feature below links to its source and was checked on October 12, 2026.
TL;DR
- Clean Email groups your mail by sender, subject, date and size so you can delete, archive or move thousands of emails at once. Its Auto Clean rules keep acting on new mail, and it has an unsubscriber and a screener. It works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, iCloud and any IMAP account, for $9.99 to $29.99 a month or $29.99 to $99.99 a year.
- MailManager uses AI to read each email and sort it into a category, inside the Gmail or Outlook mailbox you already use. The free plan sorts into five ready-made categories. Categories you write yourself, in plain English, come with the paid plans: 1 on the $2 plan, 3 on the $4 plan and 10 on the $8 plan.
The real difference: rules on headers vs. AI on meaning
Clean Email says it “only analyzes email headers and metadata” and never accesses email or attachment content (features). It bundles your mail into Smart Folders such as “Old emails” or “Emails from social networks,” and you clear a whole group in one click. With Auto Clean, it can “apply selected rules and actions to emails arriving to your mailbox without any manual work,” like archiving social notifications or emails past a certain age (homepage). That's real ongoing help, as long as the mail matches a rule you set up.
MailManager's AI reads the sender, subject and a short excerpt, then files each email into one of your categories, like Receipts & Bills, Newsletters & Promotions or Important / Action Needed. On a paid plan you add your own, such as “Kids' school” or “Client invoices.” Mail from a sender you've never seen still gets sorted, because the AI reads what the email is about instead of matching a sender.
Feature comparison
Clean Email column checked 2026-10-12. Each cell links its source.
Pricing
Clean Email
Checked 2026-10-12 on Clean Email's plans page.
Every plan includes all features. Clean Email says the 5- and 10-account plans can be shared with friends and family, and that education and non-profit discounts are available (plans, checked 2026-10-12).
MailManager
One credit sorts one email with AI. Live credits cover new mail as it arrives, and bulk credits sort mail that's already in your mailbox. If you need more bulk credits, the web dashboard sells one-time packs: 500 for $3, 2,000 for $5 or 5,000 for $8.
Where MailManager wins
1. It sorts by what an email is about
Clean Email's rules match what's in the headers: a sender, a subject, a date. That works for senders you already know. MailManager's AI reads the email itself, so a new store, school portal or contractor still lands in the right category without a new rule. On a paid plan you describe each category in plain English, like “invoices from contractors that mention a job site.”
2. A free plan that keeps sorting
Clean Email's free trial cleans your first 1,000 emails and runs Auto Clean for 14 days (App Store listing, checked 2026-10-12). MailManager's free plan includes 25 live credits every month for new mail plus 50 bulk credits for older mail, with no card. That's small on purpose: it's enough to see whether it works on your inbox, but not enough to run a busy inbox for free.
3. Lower prices on monthly billing
MailManager's top plan is $8 a month, and Clean Email starts at $9.99 a month. Paid yearly, Clean Email is cheaper: $29.99 a year for one account works out to about $2.50 a month (plans, checked 2026-10-12). The two charge for different things: Clean Email by number of accounts, MailManager by each email its AI sorts.
Where Clean Email wins
1. Bulk cleanup
Grouping thousands of emails by sender, size or age and clearing them in one click is Clean Email's core job (homepage). MailManager sorts old mail into categories, one bulk credit per email, so it isn't built for deleting tens of thousands of messages at once.
2. Unsubscribing and screening
Clean Email's Unsubscriber, Screener and Block tools are first-class features (features). MailManager has an Unsubscribe tab, but stopping newsletters is Clean Email's specialty.
3. More providers, more accounts, more apps
Clean Email works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, iCloud and any IMAP account (features), covers up to 10 accounts on one plan that you can share with family (plans), and has iPhone, Android, Mac and web apps (homepage). MailManager supports Gmail and Microsoft accounts only, sorts one mailbox per MailManager account, and has no family plan.
4. No AI reading your mail
Clean Email says it never downloads full emails and only stores data for 45 days (homepage). MailManager's AI reads the sender, subject and a short excerpt to sort each email. If you'd rather no AI sees any message text, Clean Email is the more conservative choice.
Which should you pick?
- Pick Clean Email if you want to delete or archive a big backlog fast, if unsubscribing is your main pain, if you're on Yahoo, AOL, iCloud or another IMAP provider, if you want one plan for several accounts, or if you'd rather no AI read your mail.
- Pick MailManager if you're on Gmail or Outlook and want new mail sorted by what it's about, into folders or labels you can name, if you'd rather have a free plan than a trial, or if you want to pay $2 to $8 a month.
- Comparing more tools? See MailManager vs SaneBox, MailManager vs Mailstrom and MailManager vs Superhuman.
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FAQ
Does MailManager support both Gmail and Outlook?
Yes. MailManager works with Gmail and Microsoft accounts, including Outlook.com, Hotmail, Live and Microsoft 365. It sorts into Gmail labels or Outlook folders inside your existing mailbox. Each MailManager account sorts one mailbox, the one you sign in with.
Is MailManager free to try?
Yes. The free plan needs no card and includes 25 live credits every month for new mail, 50 bulk credits once for older mail, and five ready-made categories. Your own categories start on the $2 plan.
Is Clean Email free?
Clean Email has a free trial, not a free plan. Its App Store listing says it will clean your first 1,000 emails for free, unsubscribe you from 25 newsletters, and run Screener and Auto Clean rules for 14 days. Paid plans start at $9.99 a month, or $29.99 a year for one account (plans, checked 2026-10-12).
How is MailManager different from Clean Email?
Clean Email groups mail by its headers, such as sender, subject, date and size, so you can delete, archive or move it in bulk, and its Auto Clean rules keep acting on new mail. MailManager's AI reads the sender, subject and a short excerpt and sorts each email into a category, as Gmail labels or Outlook folders. The free plan uses five ready-made categories, and your own categories come with paid plans.
Can MailManager sort the mail already in my mailbox?
It can sort old mail into your categories, one bulk credit per email the AI sorts. The free plan includes 50 bulk credits once, paid plans add 150 to 2,000 a month, and one-time packs add up to 5,000 more. For deleting tens of thousands of old emails at once, a bulk cleaner like Clean Email is faster and cheaper.
Does Clean Email or MailManager read my emails?
Clean Email says it only analyzes email headers and metadata and never accesses email or attachment content (features, checked 2026-10-12). MailManager's AI reads the sender, subject and a short excerpt to sort each email. It doesn't open attachments, keep a copy of your inbox, sell your data, or use it for ads.
Sources
All Clean Email sources checked 2026-10-12: plans · homepage · features · App Store listing. Vendor pages change, so treat these numbers as a starting point, not a contract.