InboxSweeper vs Smart Delete for Gmail
InboxSweeper
github.comSmart Delete for Gmail
alwaysonplanb.comSide by side
| Figure | InboxSweeper | Smart Delete for Gmail |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Spec score · Email Cleanup Software | 8.7 (#5) | 8.4 (#10) |
| API and SDKs | The project documents IMAP connectivity and a local browser UI but does not publish a separate web API or SDK. | No public Smart Delete API, SDK, webhook interface, or self-hosting package is described on the product, Marketplace, FAQ, or compliance pages. |
| Licence | The repository is licensed under the MIT License. | The terms reserve copyright in the service and prohibit reverse engineering or source-code extraction, with no open-source licence stated. |
| Purpose | InboxSweeper bulk deletes old promotions and newsletters and unsubscribes from mailing lists. | Smart Delete helps Gmail users clean up email in bulk using pattern-based recommendations. |
| Support | The project directs users who encounter an unlisted issue to open a GitHub issue with their OS, browser, and the exact wording of the problem. | Support is provided by email at [email protected], with a stated response target of 24–48 hours. |
| What it does | InboxSweeper bulk-cleans promotional and newsletter email, unsubscribes from mailing lists, moves selected mail to Trash, and reports selected senders as spam. | Smart Delete is a Gmail add-on that uses pattern-based recommendations and rules to remove unwanted email in bulk. |
Plans
Smart Delete for Gmail
- FreeFree
- Light User$1, paid once
- Regular User$2, paid once
- Power User$10, paid once
In their own words
InboxSweeper
InboxSweeper is a free, open-source tool for clearing old promotional mail and newsletters and unsubscribing from mailing lists. It supports Gmail fully; Yahoo and other IMAP inboxes are experimental. Choose among three sweep modes: Sloth targets mail older than two years, Normal mail older than one year, and MadMax includes recent promotional mail. Their respective run caps are 25, 50, and 100 senders. Before moving messages, sweeps show counts; financial, security, payment, receipt, and government mail is protected. You can unsubscribe, move selected messages to Trash, or report senders as spam. Trash messages are described as recoverable for about 30 days. One-click and mailto unsubscribe options are supported; web-link-only options are flagged for manual handling. The tool runs on your computer and says it does not upload mail, credentials, or tokens. It offers a local browser interface, Windows executable, terminal CLI, and AI-agent instructions. It uses a scoped app password rather than Google OAuth, with credentials stored in macOS Keychain or a locked file.
Smart Delete for Gmail
Smart Delete for Gmail is an extension and web add-on that helps Gmail users remove messages in bulk through pattern-based recommendations and rules. It detects recurring email patterns, uses behavior to create deletion rules, and suggests cleanup opportunities among frequent senders. Users can target senders or subject keywords, queue multiple deletions, and preview matches before acting. Starred and important emails are excluded automatically; deleted messages move to Gmail Trash and remain recoverable for 30 days. The add-on appears in Gmail’s sidebar and is available through Google Workspace Marketplace. Its stated permissions cover the open email’s sender and subject, mailbox searches for defined rules, and moving matching threads to Trash; it says email bodies and attachments are not accessed. Plans include Free at free, Light User at $1, paid once, Regular User at $2, paid once, and Power User at $10, paid once.