Hey Email v Fastmail: Use Case —Answering to @tivadarorosz—
Comparing the benefits and differences between Fastmail and Hey Email — My personal recommendations
Hey @jeremymolina, I have read your blog post about the HEY email, and it's really good writing. I am currently using FastMail and I think you used that before, too. Do you think HEY is a better service overall than FastMail (for your use case)?
— Tivadar Orosz (@tivadarorosz) March 9, 2024
Hey Tivadar,
I appreciate you taking the time to check out my blog and for the kind words! I've got a soft spot for Hey – it's probably my top pick, though I wouldn't label it as the best service out there. In my view, there's no such thing as a perfect email service; each has its strengths and weaknesses.Hey suits me well for the most part, except when I need IMAP/SMTP access or third-party integration, which it doesn't support.Based on what you're seeking in an email service, Hey might not be the best match for you:
- Organization: It's present in Hey but in a unique, somewhat restrictive way. Considering your use of FastMail, you're likely used to the flexibility of Sieve Rules and Filters, which offer a more robust (but complex) organizational tool than Hey's. To give you an idea, my sieve_rules.json file from FastMail spans over 1400 lines of code...
- Sorting: This is a feature Hey lacks entirely.
- Sync across devices: Hey performs well here, offering seamless sync across all platforms. FastMail, on the other hand, gives you the freedom to use any email client, a flexibility Hey does not provide.
- Bugs: While I haven't encountered any deal-breakers, bugs are an inherent part of software. Both Hey and FastMail are quick to address and resolve issues.
- Ease of Use: Both services are user-friendly, with Hey offering a particularly enjoyable experience, though FastMail holds its own in this regard too.
My genuine advice? Test out both services for a couple of months and see which one you gravitate towards.If you're into tech and keen on exploring various email services, consider setting up email routing with a budget-friendly option like Zoho, which allows for such configurations at about $12 a year. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 offer similar features but are significantly pricier than Zoho.
