head to head · open source
Inbox Zero vs Plunk
Inbox Zero has 12,895 GitHub stars, 1,653 forks, 209 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Plunk has 5,573 stars, 429 forks, 61 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. Inbox Zero leads on adoption by 131% (12,895 vs 5,573 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 8%. 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 | ★ 13K | ★ 5.6K |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-01 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.7K | ⑂ 429 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Inbox Zero if
- You weight community size — 13K 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 your 24/7 AI email assistant Organizes your inbox, pre drafts replies, manages your calendar, and organizes attachments. Chat with it from Slack or Telegram to manage your inbox on the go. Open source alternative to Fyxer, but more customizable and secure. Website · Discord · Issues Mission To help you spend less time in your inbox, so you can focus on what matters most. Features AI Personal Assistant: Organizes your inbox and pre drafts replies in your tone and style. AI Rules for email: Explain in plain English how your AI should handle your inbox. Reply Zero: Track emails to reply to and those…
read the full Inbox Zero overview →
About Plunk
Plunk The Open Source Email Platform Introduction Transactional emails, marketing campaigns, and workflow automation — in one platform. Self hostable, $0.001 per email, no contact limits. An open source, self hosted alternative to tools SendGrid, Resend or Mailgun. Features Transactional Emails : Send emails straight from your API with template support and variable substitution SMTP : Use Plunk as an SMTP relay to send emails from any existing tool or framework Campaigns : Send newsletters and product updates to large audiences Workflows : Create advanced automations with triggers, delays, and conditional logic…
read the full Plunk overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Inbox Zero or Plunk more popular?
Inbox Zero has 12,895 GitHub stars and Plunk has 5,573. 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 (12,895 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.