head to head · open source
Inbox Zero vs AgentMail
Inbox Zero has 12,238 GitHub stars, 1,536 forks, 209 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AgentMail has 38 stars, 17 forks, 3 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Inbox Zero leads on adoption by 32,105% (12,238 vs 38 stars). Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; AgentMail is written in TypeScript under MIT. Inbox Zero has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, AgentMail 45%. Inbox Zero was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Inbox Zero | AgentMail | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 38 |
| License | Custom / other | MIT |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-16 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 17 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Inbox Zero if
- You weight community size — 12K stars and counting
- You want the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick AgentMail if
- You want the AgentMail feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and AgentMail fits your workflow better
About Inbox Zero
Inbox Zero is an open source AI email assistant written in TypeScript and placed in the email productivity ecosystem. It is a web application built with Next.js, shadcn/ui, Prisma, and related tools. The project describes itself as a 24/7 assistant that organizes email, drafts replies, manages calendar context, and handles attachments.
read the full Inbox Zero overview →
About AgentMail
AgentMail is a TypeScript client library and inbox API for AI agents and workflows, aimed at developers who need to give agents their own email inboxes rather than route everything through a human mailbox.
read the full AgentMail overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Inbox Zero or AgentMail more popular?
Inbox Zero has 12,238 GitHub stars and AgentMail has 38. Inbox Zero has the larger community by that measure.
Are Inbox Zero and AgentMail free?
Both are open source. Inbox Zero has no licence declared in this registry, and AgentMail is licensed under MIT. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Inbox Zero and AgentMail?
Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript and AgentMail in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Inbox Zero or AgentMail?
Choose Inbox Zero if you want the larger community (12,238 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose AgentMail if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.