Email sorting tools compared
There are several ways to sort email automatically: the built-in features of Gmail and Outlook, or a separate service. Here is an overview of the best-known options, how they differ and who each one suits.
Built-in sorting in Gmail and Outlook
Gmail splits mail into tabs such as Primary, Promotions and Social. Outlook has Focused Inbox, which separates important messages from the rest. Both are free and work without setup.
The limit: the sorting only applies to one provider and its apps. You won't see Gmail tabs in Outlook or Apple Mail, and a company mailbox on your own domain often has no such sorting at all.
Separate sorting and clean-up services
Separate services connect to your mailbox over IMAP and work with different providers. They differ in focus: some continuously sort every new message into folders, others are mainly for bulk clean-up and unsubscribing.
Well-known examples include SaneBox and Clean Email, both subscription services billed in US dollars.
Where InSortio fits
InSortio continuously sorts every new message into folders right inside your mailbox, so you see the sorting in every app and on your phone. It learns from where you move messages and sends a daily digest of what was set aside.
- Works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud and company mail on your own domain
- Priced per mailbox, with AI as a separate add-on
- Customers outside Czechia are billed in euros with a proper VAT invoice
- Data stored in the EU; nothing is deleted permanently
The options side by side
Comparison based on publicly available information as of November 2026.
| InSortio | Gmail (tabs) | Outlook (Focused Inbox) | SaneBox | Clean Email | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Continuous sorting into folders | Splitting into tabs | Focused and Other | Continuous sorting into folders | Bulk clean-up and unsubscribing |
| Works with any mailbox (IMAP) | Yes | Gmail only | Outlook and Microsoft 365 only | Yes | Yes |
| Sorting visible in every app | Yes, folders on the server | Only in Gmail apps | Only in Outlook apps | Yes, folders on the server | Depends on the rules you set |
| Billing currency | Euros (koruna in Czechia) | Included with the mailbox | Included with the mailbox | US dollars | US dollars |
| Price | Per mailbox, 30 days free | Included with the mailbox | Included with the mailbox | Subscription | Subscription |
Service names are trademarks of their owners; InSortio is not affiliated with them. Offers may change, so check the current terms on the providers' websites.
Try it and compare for yourself
Common questions
If you read mail only in Gmail and have one mailbox, they often are. But if you use Outlook, Apple Mail or a company mailbox, you won't see the tabs there. InSortio sorts into folders on the server that every app shows.
We don't recommend it. Two services would move the same messages and get in each other's way. Turn off any other sorting service for the mailbox before connecting it to InSortio.
Not automatically. But InSortio learns quickly, from your mail history and from every move, so within a few days it sorts the way you're used to.
Tomorrow morning your inbox could be half empty.
Connecting a mailbox takes two minutes. For the first 30 days you get everything, AI included.
- No credit card
- Nothing deleted permanently
- Cancel by disconnecting the mailbox