head to head · open source
Inbox Zero vs Twake Mail
Inbox Zero has 12,238 GitHub stars, 1,536 forks, 209 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Twake Mail has 653 stars, 127 forks, 388 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Inbox Zero leads on adoption by 1,774% (12,238 vs 653 stars). Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence; Twake Mail is written in Dart under AGPL-3.0. Inbox Zero has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, Twake Mail 19%. Inbox Zero was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (email), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
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 | Twake Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 12K | ★ 653 |
| License | Custom / other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Dart |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 127 |
| 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 Twake Mail if
- You want the Twake Mail feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dart
- You evaluated both and Twake Mail 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 Twake Mail
Twake Mail is a multi platform, open source email client written in Dart with Flutter that reads and manages mail over the JMAP protocol, built for people and organisations that want a modern client on Android, iOS, tablets, and the web without depending on a proprietary mail API.
read the full Twake Mail overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Inbox Zero or Twake Mail more popular?
Inbox Zero has 12,238 GitHub stars and Twake Mail has 653. Inbox Zero has the larger community by that measure.
Are Inbox Zero and Twake Mail free?
Both are open source. Inbox Zero has no licence declared in this registry, and Twake Mail is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Inbox Zero and Twake Mail?
Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript and Twake Mail in Dart. 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 Twake Mail?
Choose Inbox Zero if you want the larger community (12,238 stars) or its Custom / other licence terms. Choose Twake Mail if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.