In short
Pick Spark Mail if you want a free email app for iCloud, Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or IMAP on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Android, with AI help writing when you ask. Pick Synced, the AI inbox assistant, if you want each new message read and a draft prepared without prompting, including messages from Slack, Teams chats, and WhatsApp Business. Spark lists Auto-Drafts as coming soon. Synced is in private beta.
Synced and Spark side by side
Spark details come from Spark's pricing page, Spark +AI and AI Assistant feature pages, integrations page, and app privacy policy, checked on September 13, 2026. Spark is published by Spark Mail Limited.
| Spark Mail | Synced | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free $0. Plus $10/user/month, or $99/year. Pro $20/user/month, or $199/year. Enterprise: contact sales. Separate team pricing | Listed on the pricing page: Free $0. Pro $29.99/user/month, or $24.99/user/month billed annually. Enterprise: contact sales |
| Free plan | Yes. Smart Inbox, unlimited email accounts, smart notifications, calendar | Yes. 20 Action Plans a week with Gmail, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Google Calendar |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch | Web app for desktop browsers, and iPhone (iOS 16.4+). No iPad app. Android is planned, no date |
| Email providers | Gmail, Outlook, Exchange, iCloud, Yahoo, IMAP | Gmail (Free and up), Outlook (Pro) |
| Other channels | Not as inboxes. Send emails to Asana, Evernote, Notion, Todoist, and others; Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams links in calendar | Slack, Microsoft Teams chats, WhatsApp Business, Instagram Business DMs, Messenger (Facebook Pages), SMS via your own Twilio number, GroupMe (Pro) |
| AI drafting | Yes. +AI writes drafts from a prompt and quick replies you review. Auto-Drafts listed as coming soon on Pro | Yes. Replies and documents, with context from connected Drive, OneDrive, and Calendar |
| Sends without approval | No. Spark says +AI drafts are for you to review, edit, and send | No. Every AI-drafted message waits for your approval |
| Model training policy | Spark's privacy policy says it does not use your data to train any AI model. AI providers may keep inputs up to 30 days for abuse monitoring | Google Workspace data isn't used to train generalized AI/ML models. LLM providers are bound not to train on the data |
| Status | Generally available | Private beta (waitlist) |
Checked September 13, 2026. Prices in USD. Annual prices shown at the discounted rate on Spark's pricing page.
Where Spark is the better pick
- You want a free email app. Spark's Free plan covers unlimited email accounts with Smart Inbox and a calendar. Synced isn't an email client, so you'd still need one.
- Your mail is on iCloud, Yahoo, or a custom IMAP server. Spark supports those. Synced connects Gmail and Outlook only.
- You use an iPad, a Windows PC, or an Android phone. Spark has native apps for all of them. Synced is a desktop web app and an iPhone app, with no iPad app.
- You want cheaper AI writing help. Spark Plus, at $99 a year, includes +AI writing tools and the AI Assistant. Synced Pro is listed at $29.99 per user per month.
- Your team shares an inbox. Spark lists shared inboxes, shared threads, private comments, and assignments.
Where Synced is the better pick
- You want drafts waiting before you open the message. Synced writes an Action Plan for each new message automatically. Spark's +AI starts from a prompt or a quick-reply button, and its Auto-Drafts feature is marked coming soon.
- The reply depends on a file or a calendar. Synced can pull the right attachment from Google Drive or OneDrive and propose open slots from Google Calendar in the same draft.
- Work arrives outside email. Synced reads Slack, Microsoft Teams chats, WhatsApp Business, Instagram Business DMs, Messenger, SMS via your own Twilio number, and GroupMe as Inboxes.
- You want one approval queue across all of it. Every AI-drafted message waits in Decide, whichever channel it came from.
Using Spark and Synced together
Spark is a reasonable email app to keep while using Synced. Spark reads and sends mail through your Gmail or Outlook account, and Synced connects to that same account separately through Google's or Microsoft's permission screen. Approved Synced replies go out from your own address, so they appear in Spark's Sent folder like anything else you send.
- Spark pricing and plan comparison (checked 2026-09-13)
- Spark +AI feature page and FAQ (checked 2026-09-13)
- Spark AI Assistant feature page and FAQ (checked 2026-09-13)
- Spark integrations (checked 2026-09-13)
- Spark homepage (supported providers) (checked 2026-09-13)
- Spark privacy policy for the app (checked 2026-09-13)
More comparisons
Synced vs SuperhumanA fast, mature email client for Gmail and Outlook, compared with an assistant that also watches Slack, Teams, and WhatsApp.Synced vs ShortwaveA Gmail-only AI email client with an AI search assistant, compared with a multi-channel assistant that asks before it sends.Synced vs FyxerTwo assistants that draft and never send on their own. Fyxer adds a meeting notetaker; Synced adds Slack, Teams, and WhatsApp.Synced vs Gemini in GmailGoogle's built-in writing and summary tools, compared with an assistant that prepares the reply and the work around it.Synced vs Copilot in OutlookMicrosoft's AI built into Outlook and Microsoft 365, compared with an assistant that also covers Gmail, Slack, and WhatsApp.Synced vs SaneBoxA long-running email filter that works with any provider, compared with an assistant that drafts replies for approval.Synced vs ChatGPTA general-purpose AI you connect to Gmail or Outlook, compared with an assistant built only for incoming messages.