Fast, native email
for your Mac
bMail brings Gmail and your own domain into one app. Archive, reply and search without waiting, even when you're offline.
v0.1.0 · macOS 27 · Free and open source
Every action is instant, even offline
bMail saves your changes on your Mac first and syncs them with Gmail or your server in the background. If you lose your connection, they go out as soon as you're back.
Slowed down to show what happens. The round trip is typical.
Do everything from the keyboard
Every action has a shortcut. Press ⌘K to search for any command. The palette shows each command's shortcut, so you learn them as you go.
Press a key. Or click one.
Know when your email is actually read
Turn on tracking for a single message with ⌘⇧T. bMail leaves out automatic opens from Apple's privacy proxy and link scanners, so the count only includes real people. Your own opens never count.
- A person. Counted, with device and city.
- A machine. Apple's privacy proxy and link scanners. Shown, never counted.
- Delivered. The moment the receiving server accepts it.
Use Gmail and your own domain side by side
Add your domain and bMail shows the DNS records to set up. Then you can send and receive from any address on it, right next to your Gmail. Switch accounts with ⌘1 to ⌘9.
Everything else you'd expect
Undo send, one-click unsubscribe, labels, bulk actions and search that works offline.
Z takes it back.
Every change shows a toast with Undo. Sent mail waits ten seconds first, so Z unsends too.
Unsubscribe without a browser.
When a newsletter supports one-click unsubscribe, bMail sends the request itself.
Search on your Mac.
The index sits next to your mail, so results come in as you type, offline too.
Know when mail bounces.
Sent mail shows Delivered or Bounced, with the receiving server's own words when it fails.
Triage in bulk.
X picks a conversation, ⇧J adds the next and ⌘A takes the list. Then one key handles all of them.
One set of labels.
Labels belong to bMail, so the same label works across Gmail and your domains. Each one gets a tab.
Host it yourself for free
There's no bMail server. Gmail connects straight from the app, and your own domain runs on a small api you deploy to Vercel. The free plans from Neon, Resend and Cloudflare R2 are enough.
$ git clone https://github.com/SiebeBaree/bMail.git$ cd bMail && pnpm install$ pnpm db:migrate$ pnpm --filter api password you@example.com# then deploy apps/api to Vercel and sign in
How bMail compares
| Feature | bMail | Apple Mail | Superhuman | Gmail on the web |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native Mac app | ||||
| Command palette for every action | ||||
| Open tracking | Opens and clicks | Opens | ||
| Gmail and your own domain together | ||||
| Open source | ||||
| Price | Free | Free | Paid | Free |
Frequently asked questions
What is bMail?
bMail is a free, open source email app for macOS. It works with Gmail and with addresses on your own domain, saves every change on your Mac first so nothing waits on a server and has a keyboard shortcut for every action.
Is bMail free?
Yes. The app is free and open source under the MIT license. It signs in to a small api that you host yourself, and the free plans of Vercel, Neon, Resend and Cloudflare R2 are enough to run it.
Which Macs does bMail run on?
bMail runs on macOS 27 and later. It's a native app written in Swift and SwiftUI, and the download is 6.1 MB.
Does bMail work with Gmail?
Yes. Sign in with Google and bMail syncs your Gmail straight from your Mac to Google. You can add more than one account and read them together or one at a time.
Can I use bMail with my own domain?
Yes. Add your domain in Settings and bMail shows the DNS records to create. Every address on it can then send and receive through Resend, right next to your Gmail. A catch-all address can collect mail sent to addresses that don't exist.
Does bMail work offline?
Yes. Your mail is cached on your Mac and every change is saved there first. You can archive, label, star and write while offline, and bMail sends everything once you're back online.
Where is my email stored?
On your Mac, in a local database. Gmail stays in your Google account. Mail for your own domain is stored in your own Postgres database on Neon and attachments in your own Cloudflare R2 bucket. There is no shared bMail server.
Do I need to host a server?
Yes, a small api. bMail signs in to it, and it handles your own domains, labels and open tracking. The setup guide on GitHub walks you through deploying it to Vercel with Neon, Resend and Cloudflare R2.
Can bMail tell me when an email is opened?
Yes, for the messages you choose. Turn on tracking with ⌘⇧T while writing. bMail counts opens and clicks from people and leaves out automatic opens from Apple's privacy proxy and link scanners. Your own opens never count, and tracking is off by default.
What keyboard shortcuts does bMail have?
J and K move between conversations, E marks one as done, S stars, R replies, C writes a new message and Z undoes. ⌘K opens a command palette that lists every command with its shortcut, and ? shows all of them.
Is bMail a good Superhuman alternative?
If you use a Mac and want keyboard-first email without a subscription, yes. bMail is free, open source and native to macOS, and it also handles your own domain without a Google Workspace account.
Is there a Windows, iPhone or web version?
No. bMail is a Mac app.
Download bMail for free
Works with Gmail and your own domain. Open source under the MIT license.