iCloud Mail vs HEY
They tie on privacy, iCloud Mail wins on price and iCloud Mail wins on features. Every fact below was checked on or before 25 October 2026.
Should you pick iCloud Mail or HEY?
- iCloud Mail is the better pick if you want the lower price (£0.99 a month); a free plan to start on; and to read your mail in any app, such as Apple Mail, Outlook or Thunderbird.
- HEY is the better pick if you want more space for your mail: 100 GB.
| Feature | iCloud Mail | HEY |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Privacy | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Price | 5.0 | 2.0 |
| Features | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Cheapest plan | iCloud+ 50 GB £0.99 a month | HEY for You $99 a year (own domain: $12 per user a month) |
| Free plan | Yes, 5 GB, no own domain | No (30-day trial) |
| Storage | 50 GB | 100 GB |
| Your own domain | ✓ Up to 5 | ✓ On HEY for Domains |
| End-to-end encryption | No | No |
| Company based in | United States | United States |
| Your data is kept in | United States and worldwide | United States |
| Founded | 2011 | 2020 |
| Free trial | Free (5 GB) | 30 days free on HEY for You; no trial on HEY for Domains |
| Funded by advertising | No | No |
| Works in any mail app | ✓ IMAP and SMTP | No, its own apps only |
| Calendar and contacts | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Aliases | Hide My Email | Yes |
| Open-source apps | No | No |
| Sign up without ID | No | No |
| White label | No | No |
| Reader offer | None | None |
| Last checked | 22 October 2026 | 25 October 2026 |
Want to add another? Open this in the compare tool.
Where they differ
- Cheapest plans: iCloud Mail iCloud+ 50 GB, £0.99 a month. HEY HEY for You, $99 a year (own domain: $12 per user a month).
- For free, iCloud Mail gives you a free plan (5 GB, no own domain), and HEY no free plan.
- iCloud Mail comes with 50 GB of storage and HEY with 100 GB of storage.
- Data location: United States and worldwide for iCloud Mail, United States for HEY.
- iCloud Mail works in any mail app over IMAP, and HEY only works in its own apps.
- For extra addresses, iCloud Mail has hide my email and HEY has yes.
iCloud Mail and HEY: your questions
Which is more private, iCloud Mail or HEY?
They score the same for privacy: 0.5 out of 5 each. The differences are in the details, such as where your mail is kept (the United States and worldwide for iCloud Mail, the United States for HEY).
Which is cheaper, iCloud Mail or HEY?
iCloud Mail is cheaper. Its iCloud+ 50 GB plan is £0.99 a month, against $99 a year (own domain: $12 per user a month) for HEY's HEY for You. iCloud Mail also has a free plan. Check the renewal price before you pay, as some first-year prices go up.
Do iCloud Mail and HEY work with my own domain?
Yes, both do. iCloud Mail: Up to 5. HEY: On HEY for Domains.
Where do iCloud Mail and HEY keep my email?
iCloud Mail keeps it in the United States and worldwide. HEY keeps it in the United States.
Do iCloud Mail and HEY work in other mail apps?
iCloud Mail works in any mail app over IMAP. HEY only works in its own apps.
Prices and the latest news
- 1 July 2023 iCloud Mail: £0.99 (UK price rise, 2023)
- 1 June 2023 iCloud Mail: £0.79
The latest headlines: iCloud Mail news · HEY news.
Also worth a look
iCloud Mail vs mailbox.org · HEY vs mailbox.org · iCloud Mail vs Posteo · HEY vs Posteo · iCloud Mail vs Proton Mail · HEY vs Proton Mail
How to switch
Moving to iCloud Mail · Moving from iCloud Mail. Or see all my switching guides.