The STAMP blog
Notes on email,
written by people who hate it.
Opinionated essays about inbox zero, triage, keyboard workflows, and why every email client built before 2020 was wrong about the wrong things.
All essays
STAMP vs Superhuman — what's the actual difference?
Superhuman is a fast keyboard layer. STAMP is a triage layer. Same audience, different bet. Here is the honest comparison from a builder.
The founder's email triage system
A triage system that survived three startups, two acquisitions, and one bankruptcy. Designed for founders with eight minutes between meetings.
Keyboard shortcuts every email power user should know
A working list of the email shortcuts that pay back the time it takes to memorize them. Covers Gmail, Apple Mail, Superhuman, and STAMP.
Why your inbox feels broken in 2026
Email volume tripled. Email tools didn't. Here is why every inbox in 2026 feels like a part-time job nobody hired you for.
On-device email classification, explained
How email triage works without sending your inbox to a server. The architecture, the tradeoffs, and why we made the bet.
STAMP vs Apple Mail — when to switch
Apple Mail is free, native, and fine for casual use. Here is when it stops being enough, and when STAMP is the right upgrade.
The J/K mental model — why terminal-style email feels right
J for next, K for previous. Why a keyboard convention from 1976 still feels like the most efficient way to read email in 2026.
The 7-email rule — how to know which emails matter today
You can give thoughtful attention to about seven emails a day. Here is the rule we built STAMP around, and how to apply it whether you use STAMP or not.
Why your email client shouldn't read your email
A primary email client sees more of your private life than your bank does. Here is why "AI features" should never be the reason your inbox visits a server you don't own.
STAMP vs Gmail web — who should leave Gmail
Gmail web is the default. Default does not mean optimal. Here is who should keep using gmail.com and who is leaving real time on the table.
Email for indie hackers — less time replying, more time shipping
Indie hackers and solo founders run support, marketing, and sales out of one inbox. Here is the lean system that keeps email under an hour a day.
Stop letting newsletters set your morning
Forty unread newsletters are not a backlog. They are someone else's editorial calendar competing with your own. Here is how to take your morning back.
IMAP, SMTP, OAuth — what actually happens when you connect an account
A plain-language explanation of the three protocols that move every email you send and receive. What they do, where they leak, and what to look for.
Best macOS email clients in 2026 (honest review)
A working list of the best email clients for macOS in 2026, with honest opinions on who each one is for. Yes, we make one of them.
How operators handle 300 emails a day
Chiefs of staff, COOs, and operators who actually run companies see hundreds of emails a day. Here is how the calmest of them handle it.
Snooze done right — when "remind me later" actually helps
Snooze is one of the most useful and most misused email primitives. Here is when it earns its keep, when it is just procrastination, and how STAMP draws the line.
Multiple email accounts — the hidden cost of context-switching
Three accounts in two windows is a tax you pay every workday in attention, not dollars. Here is what it costs and how to stop paying it.
Email privacy in 2026 — what to ask before you trust a client
A short, practical framework for evaluating email-client privacy in 2026. Five questions, five red flags, and one thing every honest vendor should publish.
Hey vs Superhuman vs STAMP — which one is right for you
Three opinionated email clients. Three different bets. Here is who each one is built for, written by people who built one of them.
How to never touch the mouse for email again
A practical, opinionated guide to a mouse-free email workflow on macOS. The shortcuts, the habits, and the one trick that actually closes the loop.
The case against folders
Folders are a librarian's answer to a triage problem. Here is why they fail at modern email volume, and what to use instead.
Affiliate marketing your email client — a transparent breakdown
We give 2 free months for every referral. Here is the math, the reasoning, and the unusually transparent version of the affiliate program nobody asked us to share.
Why we built STAMP instead of forking Mailspring
Forking an open-source email client is the responsible thing to do. We chose not to. Here is why we wrote STAMP from scratch instead.
Cmd+K everywhere — the case for command palettes
The command palette is the single best UI primitive of the last decade. Here is why it belongs in your email client, and how STAMP uses it.
Why "AI summaries" of your inbox are the wrong fix
Every email client now ships an AI summary. They solve a problem you should not have. Here is the deeper argument for triage over summarization.
Why we charge $8/month forever (and not $30)
The pricing argument behind STAMP. Why we did not chase the $30 premium, why $8 is locked forever, and what kind of company that is supposed to make us.
Email triage — the missing layer between you and your inbox
Your inbox is a list. Your job is a set of priorities. The thing missing in between is triage. Here is what triage means and why nobody has built it well.
Inbox zero is dead. Here's what actually works.
Inbox zero stopped meaning anything around 2017. Here is why the term outlived its usefulness, and what a saner version looks like in 2026.
The freelancer's guide to surviving 4 client inboxes
Three client domains, one personal Gmail, a dormant iCloud. Here is the system we use to keep four inboxes from eating a freelancer's week.