Inbox Zero
Rules, bulk unsubscribe, cold-email blocking and cleanup under your own roof; OAuth and Docker are the cover charge.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-10
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Free tier / Free tool)
- Hosting Model
- Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud)
- Platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- Installation
- Use the hosted service or run the official CLI-assisted Docker deployment with Node.js, PostgreSQL, Redis, OAuth, and environment variables
- Operational Setup
- The free self-hosted path needs Docker, Node.js 24+, Google or Microsoft OAuth application setup, mail webhooks or Pub/Sub, a domain with TLS, and an AI API key
- Where Your Data Lives
- Account, rule, and encrypted OAuth-token metadata live in PostgreSQL and Redis on the selected host; email content used for classification can be sent to the configured model provider
- The Catch / Trade-off
- Inbox Zero’s free route demands Docker, OAuth infrastructure, and an AI key and supports a narrower mailbox set than Clean Email’s zero-admin multi-provider service.
Replaces 1 paid app
Inbox Zero FAQ
Common questions
Is Inbox Zero free and open source?+
Inbox Zero is a free tool that runs on local or hosted. Rules, bulk unsubscribe, cold-email blocking and cleanup under your own roof; OAuth and Docker are the cover charge.
What paid software does Inbox Zero replace?+
Inbox Zero serves as a free replacement for 1 paid SaaS application: Clean Email.
How do you install and set up Inbox Zero?+
Installation: Use the hosted service or run the official CLI-assisted Docker deployment with Node.js, PostgreSQL, Redis, OAuth, and environment variables. Setup notes: The free self-hosted path needs Docker, Node.js 24+, Google or Microsoft OAuth application setup, mail webhooks or Pub/Sub, a domain with TLS, and an AI API key
What is the catch or trade-off with Inbox Zero?+
Inbox Zero’s free route demands Docker, OAuth infrastructure, and an AI key and supports a narrower mailbox set than Clean Email’s zero-admin multi-provider service.