head to head · open source
Inbox Zero vs Plunk
Inbox Zero has 12,238 GitHub stars, 1,536 forks, 209 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Plunk has 5,474 stars, 401 forks, 61 open issues and last shipped 4 days ago. Inbox Zero leads on adoption by 124% (12,238 vs 5,474 stars). Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Plunk is written in TypeScript under AGPL-3.0. Inbox Zero has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Plunk 7%. 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 | Plunk | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 5.5K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 401 |
| 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 Plunk if
- You want the Plunk feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Plunk 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 Plunk
Plunk is an open source email platform written in TypeScript and released under the AGPL 3.0 license. It combines transactional email, marketing campaigns, and workflow automation in a single system, and it is positioned as a self hosted alternative to SendGrid, Resend, and Mailgun. The project lives in the TypeScript and Node.js ecosystem, ships as a Docker image, and is documented at docs.useplunk.com with a community Discord for support.
read the full Plunk overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Inbox Zero or Plunk more popular?
Inbox Zero has 12,238 GitHub stars and Plunk has 5,474. Inbox Zero has the larger community by that measure.
Are Inbox Zero and Plunk free?
Both are open source. Inbox Zero has no licence declared in this registry, and Plunk is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Inbox Zero and Plunk?
Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript and Plunk 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 Plunk?
Choose Inbox Zero if you want the larger community (12,238 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Plunk if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.