Comparison
Best Gmail cleaner extension: an honest comparison
These tools solve the same surface problem: too many newsletters, too much inbox noise. They differ on features, pricing, and — most importantly — on what they are allowed to do to your mailbox. Most of them ask for write access so they can bulk-delete. HealthInbox does not: it is read-only and focuses on showing you what your inbox contains, starting with paid subscriptions. We build HealthInbox, so judge for yourself; the facts below are verifiable on each vendor's site and privacy policy.
The comparison table
| HealthInbox | InboxPurge | Unroll.me | Clean Email | Leave Me Alone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail access level | Read-only | Read & modify | Read & modify | Read & modify | Read & modify |
| Can delete or change your mail | No, by design | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Where email is processed | In your browser (local AI) | In your browser | Their servers | Their servers | Their servers |
| Email body access | Never (headers only) | Full access | Full access | Full access | Full access |
| Business model | 10 EUR/year license | $7/month or $48/year | Free (ad-tech data company) | Subscription (from ~$10/month) | Pay per cleanup credits |
| Newsletter unsubscribe | Yes (official sender links) | Yes (bulk) | Yes (rollup-based) | Yes | Yes |
| Paid subscription tracker | Yes (from receipts, no bank link) | No | No | No | No |
| Bulk delete emails | No (read-only) | Yes | Limited | Yes | Limited |
| Works offline after setup | Classification: yes | No | No | No | No |
| Free tier | 200 emails, full features | 20 credits | Fully free | Trial | Limited credits |
The question that matters: what can it do to your mailbox?
Unroll.me is free because its parent company monetizes anonymized inbox data — that is stated in its own privacy disclosures and was widely reported. Clean Email and Leave Me Alone are honest paid products, but both process your mail on their servers. InboxPurge is a capable, popular cleaner that also runs in your browser — but like the others it asks for read-and-modify access so it can bulk-delete, which means it technically can alter or remove your mail.
HealthInbox takes the opposite stance: the Gmail API scope is read-only, requests fetch headers only, and the AI classification runs inside your browser. There is no server that could read your email, and the extension physically cannot delete or change anything — the permission does not allow it. The trade-off is honest: HealthInbox does not bulk-delete (that needs write access we deliberately do not request), and it focuses on analysis — especially finding the paid subscriptions hiding in your inbox.
Which one should you pick?
- You mainly want to bulk-delete thousands of emails fast — InboxPurge or Clean Email are built for that (and need write access to do it).
- You want a quick free rollup and do not mind the data trade — Unroll.me works.
- You want ethical pay-per-use cleaning — Leave Me Alone is well regarded.
- You want to see what your inbox costs you and keep read-only, on-device privacy — that is exactly what HealthInbox is for, at 10 EUR/year.
Try the read-only option. Free for your 200 most recent emails — see your subscriptions and inbox analyzed in two minutes.
Try HealthInbox free