Glassmail vs Canary Mail: private email apps for Mac compared
Canary offers encryption, cross-platform apps and cloud AI. Glassmail is a Mac app with AI that runs on your Mac and no read receipts.
Short answer: pick Canary if you need PGP encryption, apps on iPhone, Android and Windows, or a free plan. Pick Glassmail if you’re on a Mac and want an AI assistant that runs entirely on your Mac, no read receipts or tracking, and a simple one-time price.
Both market themselves on privacy and both have AI. They mean different things by each.
At a glance
| Glassmail | Canary Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49 once (lower launch prices for early buyers) | Free; $36 a year or $100 once; Pro+ $100 a year or $300 once |
| Accounts | Gmail, iCloud, Outlook, Microsoft 365, Yahoo, Fastmail, any IMAP | Gmail, iCloud, Outlook, Exchange, Yahoo, IMAP |
| Platforms | Mac (macOS 14+) | Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows |
| AI | Entirely on your Mac | Sorting on-device; writing and chat via cloud models |
| Encryption | Standard TLS to your provider | PGP and SecureSend on Pro+ |
| Read receipts | No; tracking pixels removed | Yes |
| Built with | Swift, native to macOS | Cross-platform |
Canary prices are from reviews published in 2026; check canarymail.io for current plans. Disclosure: Glassmail is our app. Tell us at hi@glassmail.app if anything here is wrong.
Two kinds of privacy
Canary’s privacy story is about security: PGP encryption, encrypted links for people without PGP, and phishing and impersonation warnings. That matters if you send sensitive mail.
Glassmail’s is about where your mail goes. There’s no Glassmail mail server, the AI never sends your mail anywhere, invisible tracking images are stripped from incoming mail, and Glassmail won’t add read receipts to what you send.
AI
Canary’s Copilot can draft, summarise and answer questions with large cloud models, which handle long, complex requests well. Glassmail’s assistant answers “what needs me today?”, summarises threads and writes replies in your voice using Apple Intelligence or a small downloaded model, on your Mac, offline, at no extra cost. More on how private email AI works.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Canary if you need encrypted email, cross-platform apps, or a free plan.
- Choose Glassmail if you use a Mac, want AI that stays on your Mac, don’t want tracking in either direction, and want to pay once.
Glassmail is free for 14 days. Compare more options in the best Apple Mail alternatives.
Quick answers
How much does Canary Mail cost?
Canary has a free plan. Its Growth plan is $36 a year or $100 once, and Pro+ is $100 a year or $300 once, according to reviews published in 2026. Check canarymail.io for current prices.
Is Canary Mail's AI on-device?
Partly. Reviews describe Canary's sorting and prioritisation as on-device, while its Copilot for writing, summaries and chat can use cloud models from providers such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Glassmail's assistant, summaries and writer run entirely on your Mac.
Which is more private, Canary or Glassmail?
They focus on different things. Canary adds PGP encryption and phishing detection. Glassmail keeps AI on your Mac, has no mail server, removes tracking pixels and doesn't offer read receipts. If you need encrypted email, choose Canary; if you want your mail and AI requests to stay on your Mac, choose Glassmail.