Best SaneBox alternative: AgainstData

Introduction

Good email management applications are few and far between so we will look at the main look and feel, main features, limitations and pricing of several applications comparing SaneBox with:

1. AgainstData
2. CleanEmail
3. Mailstrom
4. Trimbox
5. LeaveMeAlone
6. CleanFox
7. UnrollMe

Sanebox and alternatives

SaneBox is an email management platform that aims to help users be more productive and focus better by filtering or deleting unwanted emails.

SaneBox’s user interface is clean but seems a bit dated compared to other alternatives. Onboarding time is quite long and the user needs to make a lot of selections and adjustments before you actually get to see the tool.

This may prove challenging for users without a good technical understanding of how advanced email features work. SaneBox covers most of the main features with the notable exception of data deletion requests.

But is this the right application for you?

We looked at several key aspects to identify the best email management application for your use case

Look & Feel: how an application looks matters, so we tried to look at how the applications look on different screen sizes and how fast it takes them to load

Onboarding experience: how complicated is it to set up the application and correctly adjust the different features

Features: we started to by listing and analysing the main features, such as email folder sorting, bulk delete options, unsubscribe and data deletion

Security and privacy: are the applications protecting user data or does their business model require the monetisation of user data

Trial options and Pricing: we included details about whether they include trial versions and how much do the different subscription plans cost.

1. AgainstData

AgainstData is a lightweight privacy tool that promises users to free up inbox space, increase productivity and be less distracted by unwanted emails.

This is achieved by a one-click unsubscribe feature as well as a data deletion feature that asks companies to delete your personal data.

AgainstData requires a Gmail address for login and takes just a couple of clicks to be onboarded.

Why AgainstData is a better alternative to SaneBox

Learn more about why AgainstData outperforms SaneBox with its advanced features and intuitive interface.

Look & Feel

• SaneBox has a more old-school look and feel and seems quite dated compared to AgainstData.

• AgainstData looks fresher and reacts better on different screen sizes and you can also use it as a containerised application on your phone.

Onboarding experience

• AgainstData does not require much setup to work. You just login, the mailing lists and company list is loaded and you can start cleaning.

• SaneBox has a longer onboarding time and learning curve to be able to utilise some of the more advanced email folder and filtering options.

Features

• SaneBox offers some more complex features like more elaborate folders and different means to organise your emails, but they take a significantly longer time to set-up and use.

• While both applications offer unsubscribe and bulk delete features, one key differentiator for AgainstData is the ability to send Deletion requests to selected companies, ensuring that your data is deleted from their systems.

Security and privacy

• Both SaneBox and AgainstData are charging fees for user subscription and are not monetising user data

• Both SaneBox and AgainstData are using OAuth 2.0 for secure login

AgainstData pricing compared to SaneBox

Pricing for both platforms is quite affordable given the benefit. However the price structure for AgainstData is very straightforward and you can get crazy discounts for the yearly plan, so it’s really good value for money.

The Yearly plan form AgainstData seems to be the cheapest option by far, and it makes sense to buy this yearly option if you are serious about cleaning your digital footprint.

Deletion requests take time to process and companies may take as long as 30 days to reply to such a request.

AgainstData vs SaneBox summary

1. Overall, AgainstData is very fast to set-up, looks fresh and clean and solves the burning problems of email storage, unwanted emails and digital footprint cleanup.

2. The major differentiator is the quick setup time and the ability to send deletion requests.

3. SaneBox takes a longer time to set-up and looks a bit more dated, but offers great customisation options on how and when to go through your emails, if you are into that sort of thing.

2. CleanEmail

CleanEmail is an email management service designed to declutter and organise your inbox offering some options to also structure your emails in folders.

Clean Email also offers advanced filtering and search capabilities, enabling users to set custom rules for organising incoming emails, ensuring that important messages are easily accessible while reducing inbox clutter.

CleanEmail as SaneBox alternative

In terms of functionalities both CleanEmail and SaneBox are centred around cleaning your Inbox and unsubscribing from mailing lists.

Look & Feel

• CleanEmail interface seems a bit loaded, with loads of buttons, and it is kind of difficult to understand what all of them do at the beginning. The documentation is quite good, but it takes some time to go through it.

Onboarding experience

• It does not take long to the into the application, but figuring out what all of the different functionalities do is a bit overwhelming.

Features

• CleanEmail offers elaborate folder options and different means to organise your existing and incoming emails, but they take a significantly longer time to set-up and use.

• Only a few features are available in the trial version.

Security and privacy

• Clean.Email is charging fees for user subscription and is not monetising user data

• Clean.Email uses OAuth 2.0 for secure login

CleanEmail pricing compared to SaneBox

The price variances come from the number of email addresses you want to include, with the bottom range accounting for 1 email address and the top tier for multiple.

So if you have a lot of email addresses that have a clutter problem this could work for you. If you are just trying to declutter a single email address you might want to consider different alternatives.

Pro Tip: Clean Email will try to give you a discount if you are already signed up to a competitor.

CleanEmail vs SaneBox summary

1. CleanEmail and SaneBox are quite similar in their offering, and have the same core functionalities and options, although slightly structured in the user interface. It comes down to preference of the UI and the pricing model to decide between the two.

2. Notably neither of them provide the option to send deletion requests to companies that hold user personal data.

3. Mailstrom

Mailstrom is an email management application that helps users clean up and organise their inboxes. It groups similar emails together, making it easy to delete, archive, or move large batches of messages at once.

It also has filters for sorting emails, quick unsubscribe options, and tools to prioritise important emails.

The first impression of the UI is that the application has fallen behind on what modern interfaces have to offer and feels indeed quite dated, similarly to CleanEmail.

Mailstrom as SaneBox alternative

Look & Feel

• Mailstrom has the look and feel of a utility rather than a user focused application, and looks a bit dated, but in the end if your goal is to take bulk actions on a slice and dice type of criteria it does the job. In this respect, by comparison, SaneBox has a better user experience overall.

Onboarding experience

• It does not take long to get into the application, at the dashboard seems to remind me of Windows Explorer. Once you are onboarded Mailstrom will present you with the different filtering options for your emails.

Features

• Mailstrom concentrates on bulk email management by grouping similar emails together and then allowing the user to take bulk actions.

• It does however not have the same focus that SaneBox has on creating and maintaining a certain folder structure that the user then leverages to sort incoming new emails.

Security & Privacy

• Both Mailstrom and SaneBox are charging fees for user subscription and are not monetising user data

• Mailstrom uses OAuth 2.0 for secure login, same as SaneBox

Mailstrom pricing compared to SaneBox

Both services offer subscription models for multiple email addresses with the same starting price point, although for multiple email addresses, SaneBox has a significantly higher pricing.

Mailstrom vs SaneBox summary

1. As a wrap up Mailstrom looks and feel more like a utility that would rather be used in a professional environment where you need to handle and take bulk actions on a wide variety and large volume of emails.

2. For the regular individual I would believe another alternative would be best fitting. On the other hand if you need to move or remove large sets of emails this is the tool for you.

4. Trimbox

Trimbox is a minimalistic email clean-up tool that focuses on sorting through emails and allowing the user to make bulk actions.

Compared to SaneBox it does not have the complex folder structure features, but makes up in the speed of the actions that the user can perform.

Trimbox as SaneBox alternative

Look & Feel

• Trimbox feels minimalistic with very few options to choose from.
• Compared to Sanebox it looks like it is easier to use, but appears to lack some of the more elaborate functionalities.

Onboarding experience

• Trimbox offers a very fast onboarding process, and you only need to connect your email account and can already use most of the functionalities.

Features

• Trimbox is a very light tool with minimal functionalities centred around bulk email management, unsubscribe and email deletion.
• SaneBox offers more elaborate email folder options and notifications that enable the user to set up their different settings.

Security and privacy

• Both SaneBox and Trimbox use Login with Gmail through Oauth 2.0
• The user data is not monetised either by SaneBox or Trimbox.

Trimbox pricing compared to SaneBox

The Yearly plan for Trimbox offers a good discount, this is probably also considering the fewer functionalities compared to other similar applications.

Trimbox vs SaneBox summary

1. The minimalist Trimbox can be an option for users who seek to very quickly delete some of their old emails and prevent incoming emails from certain mailing lists.

2. Compared to Sanebox it has a much faster onboarding experience and the user interface is minimalistic. Onm the other hand compared to SaneBox, Trimbox lacks some of the key email folder options, and both applications lack the ability to send data deletion requests.

5. LeaveMeAlone

LeaveMeAlone is an email management application that focuses on managing the incoming email flow by sorting email types as well as senders into different categories.

This enables the user to filter who they want to receive emails from and what kind of emails can get trough the different filtering options.

LeaveMeAlone as SaneBox alternative

Look & Feel

• LeaveMeAlone has a happy vibe to it, although some might label it as being a bit childish for an email management tool, considering the colour scheme and icons.

• Compared to SaneBox it feels a bit more focused on non-technical users but with a high degree of flexibility in the filtering options.

Onboarding experience

• Sanebox uses the Gmail OAuth 2.0 protocol that makes the onboarding straightforward and easy.

• LeaveMeAlone on the other hand requires the user to manually create a password application within Gmail itself that is quite complex to achieve and requires some fiddling around the Gmail Account Settings. This can make a lot of people abandon the setup since it is very technical and requires several back-and-forward trips to the Google Account Settings.

Features

• Both LeaveMeAlone and SaneBox have the major functionalities covered, such as bulk email delete, unsubscribe and email folders.

• It is notable that LeaveMeAlone has some additional flexibility in selecting filtering options.

• Neither tool has the ability to send deletion requests to companies that hold user data.

Security and privacy

• SaneBox uses Login with Gmail through Oauth 2.0 while LeaveMeAlone requires the user to create an application password directly in the Google Gmail Account.

• The user data is not monetised either by SaneBox or LeaveMeAlone.

LeaveMeAlone pricing compared to SaneBox

The tools have similar entry level price points for the monthly subscription, but differ quite significantly for the yearly options.

LeaveMeAlone vs SaneBox summary

1. Choose LeaveMeAlone if your primary goal is to unsubscribe from unwanted emails without needing advanced inbox management or if privacy is a major concern and if you prefer more pink-ish and playfull interfaces.

2. Opt for SaneBox if you prefer a more sober UI and a solution to manage your entire inbo and prioritise important messages.

6. CleanFox

Cleanfox.com is an email management tool designed to help users clean up their inboxes by identifying and unsubscribing from unwanted newsletters, promotional emails, and spam.

It is particularly useful for users who receive a high volume of marketing emails and want to reduce clutter in their inboxes. The biggest downside to this free tool is that its business model relies on the company monetising user purchase data.

CleanFox as SaneBox alternative

Look & Feel

• The application looks clean and has a playful user interface.

• At first glance the application does not offer a lot of options directing the user to either unsubscribe or delete emails

Onboarding experience

• Sanebox uses the Gmail OAuth 2.0 protocol that makes the onboarding straightforward and easy.

• CleanFox on the other hand requires the user to manually create a password application within the user Gmail Account itself. That set of actions required for onboarding and subsequent login are quite laborious and take a significant number of extra steps.

Features

• CleanFox is a light application with a few functionalities centred around unsubscribing from emails and bulk email deletion.

• SaneBox offers more elaborate customisation in terms of email folder options and also notifications that help shape the overall experience.

Security and privacy

• The method by which CleanFox is offered for free and it creates a password for itself in the user’s Gmail account and also monetises user data poses a serious security concern.

• It is not clear the extent of data that the application access and in what form this is being monetised

CleanFox pricing compared to SaneBox

CleanFox is offered for free because the business model of the company is to monetise user data for statistical and marketing purposes. This poses serious questions about the privacy and security of user data.

CleanFox vs SaneBox summary

1. If you are serious about cleaning your Inbox from unwanted correspondence it would be advisable to choose from a paid application like SaneBox or others, and not to select an apparently free application that monetises user data.

2. Regardless of the features offered, generally all free applications have a cost, in this case, it is you own personal data that is the price to pay.

7. UnrollMe

Unroll me, like CleanFox is an email management tool designed to help users clean up their inboxes by identifying and unsubscribing from unwanted newsletters, promotional emails, and spam.

Both companies are owned by the same company specialising in accurate measurements of what people listen to and watch. The biggest downside to this free tool is that its business model relies on the company monetising user purchase data.

UnrollMe as SaneBox alternative

Look & Feel

• The application is straightforward and is focused on its main functionalities of unsubscribe and bulk email deletion.

Onboarding experience

• Sanebox uses the Gmail OAuth 2.0 protocol that makes the onboarding straightforward and easy.

• Unroll me also requires the user to manually create a password application within the user Gmail Account itself. That set of actions required for onboarding and subsequent login are quite laborious and take a significant number of extra steps.

Features

• Unrollme offers basic functionalities like unsubscribing from emails and bulk email deletion or archiving.

• SaneBox offers more elaborate customisation in terms of email folder options and also notifications that help shape the overall experience.

Security and privacy

• Unrollme is offered for free and it creates a password for itself in the user’s Gmail account while monetising user data to third parties.

• This way of monetising user data is why the application is not available in the European Union.

UnrollMe pricing compared to SaneBox

Unrollme is free mainly because the business model of the company is to monetise user data for statistical and marketing purposes.

UnrollMe vs SaneBox summary

It is always better to choose a paid application that does not sell your data, than a free one that uses your own personal data as a monetisation scheme. We strongly advise to choose a paid option.

Takeaway:

Depending on your specific needs you have a host of applications to choose from. From the people who want to be in control of all aspects of their email from the time they receive an email to what folders it goes into and how it’s labelled,and are not deterred by spending an important amount of time to set this up than probably SaneBox or CleanEmail are for you.

On the other hand if you want a balanced, all round functionality with a beautifully crafted and responsive front-end, with the added perk that you can also delete your data from companies, not just unsubscribe then AgainstData seems to be the logical choice, also from a pricing point of view.

For the heavy lifting of insane amounts of emails, typically in a more professional environment, than the utilitarian Mailstrom with its spartan and functional design are probably the best bet, coming in at a pricer point of up to 200$ per year.

FAQs

Which tools is best SaneBox alternative?

Comparing all options it appears that AgainstData has the best UI and quickest onboarding time, while offering a balanced mix of functionalities that cover the user’s requirements, with the notable differentiator of offering data deletion requests to companies that hold user data. Yearly pricing is the best value option for AgainstData compared to the rest of the options evaluated.

Which is easier to set up: SaneBox, Mailstrom, AgainstData or CleanEmail?

AgainstData is generally the easiest to set up, as it integrates directly into your existing email account with minimal configuration and begins sorting emails automatically.

CleanEmail, Sanebox and Mailstrom require more user interaction for initial setup, as they offer more manual controls and customization options for sorting and cleaning your inbox.

Which email cleaning service offers the best value for money?

The best value for money out of the services seems to be the Yearly package offered by AgainstData, offering most of the functionalities of the other applications with a more modern feel and the added benefit of data deletion requests compared to the other options for Sanebox, Trimbox, LeaveMeAlone.

For the email management application that are offered for free like UnrollMe and CleanFox the user actually pays with their own personal data that are monetised by the companies offering the service.