Less, on purpose.
Every feature has to earn its place. Most don't make it. What's left is the part of email you actually use.
zora
Email, without the noise.
Just your mail, in a calm and beautiful Mac app.
Nothing else asking for your attention.
App is not available yet. Coming soon.
What zora believes.
Beauty is a feature.
You look at your inbox every day. It should be a quiet, well-made place to be, not a noisy dashboard.
Your mail is yours.
No server in between, no tracking, and no AI unless you turn it on with your own key. zora talks to your mail provider and nobody else.
Here to stay.
zora is made by one person and paid for by the people who use it. No investors, no pivot, no shutdown email.
Small app. Everything you need.
Calm to read
Feels like a Mac app should: system font, native window and menus, light and dark.
- Conversations open beside the list, so you never lose your place.
- Mail is cached on your Mac. It opens instantly and works offline.
- New mail is a standard notification and a Dock badge. That's it.
Fast to use
Hands stay on the keyboard, and the mouse is always optional.
- A command palette on ⌘K.
- J K to move, E to archive, R to reply.
- Search with ⌘F, narrowed by sender, dates or attachments.
- The Rust programming language keeps it quick and light on memory.
Works with your mail
Gmail done properly, and any account that speaks IMAP.
- Threads, labels, drafts, spam and trash behave like Gmail.
- iCloud, Fastmail, Yahoo and others, with server settings filled in.
- Several accounts in one window, a click apart.
Make it yours.
Nine color themes, from bright to deep dark. Pick one in Settings or preview them live from the command palette.
Light, dark or automatic. Follow the system, pin one appearance, or switch from light to dark at sunset.
Preview as you browse. Open the command palette and arrow through themes. The window changes as you go.
Calm in every palette. Everforest, Flexoki, Gruvbox, Kanagawa, Nord, Rosé Pine, Solarized and Zenwritten.
AI, only if you want it.
zora works fine without AI, and it starts with it switched off. If you'd like help with long threads and replies, bring your own OpenAI or Anthropic key and turn it on in Settings.
Summaries
One click at the top of a thread explains what's going on.
- A few plain sentences, not a wall of bullet points.
- Who's asking you for what, and by when.
- Written in the thread's language: a Polish thread gets a Polish summary.
Suggested replies
Two or three short replies wait under the latest message.
- Click one and it becomes a draft, ready to edit or send.
- Nothing is ever sent without you.
- Newsletters and notifications get no suggestions.
Help with writing
A sparkle button sits next to the formatting tools.
- Polish Message fixes grammar and tone and keeps your meaning.
- Write from Notes turns a few words into a full message.
- The quoted message below your reply stays untouched.
Claude Code and other MCP clients
Turn on zora's MCP server in Settings → AI, copy the setup command into Terminal, and ask Claude Code about your mail.
- It can search and read conversations, mark, star, label, archive or trash them, and open one in zora.
- It can draft replies and new messages for you to review. It never sends mail.
- The server runs only on your Mac while zora is open, and only clients with your secret token can connect.
Off by default. Nothing about AI runs, and nothing is sent anywhere, until you turn it on in Settings. The same goes for the MCP server.
Your own key. Add an OpenAI or Anthropic API key and pick the provider and model. Keys live in the macOS Keychain. No AI subscription to zora.
Straight from your Mac. Only the conversation you have open and the text you ask for help with go to your provider, never through a zora server.
Your mail stays yours.
zora is a local app. There is no zora server between you and your mail provider.
On your Mac. Mail is cached locally. Passwords and tokens live in the macOS Keychain.
Straight to your provider. Nobody else receives your mail, including me. Optional AI features stay off unless you turn them on with your own key.
No tracking. Remote images stay blocked until you ask. No ads, no analytics, no telemetry.
Pay once. Keep it.
No subscription, no upsells. Your license pays for an app that's built to last.
zora lifetime license
€99paid once
taxes included where applicable
- Lifetime license, no subscription
- Free 14-day trial, every feature included
The pricing model and price may change for future updates.
Questions.
Which accounts does zora work with?
Gmail, signed in with Google, and any provider that offers IMAP and SMTP, such as iCloud Mail, Fastmail or Yahoo. You can add several accounts and switch between them.
Does it work with Outlook or Microsoft 365?
Not yet. Microsoft only lets apps sign in to its mail with a Microsoft sign-in, and zora doesn't have one yet. It's planned.
Do I need to import or move my mail?
No. zora connects to the account you already have, so your mail, labels and folders are there as soon as you sign in. Nothing moves, and your other mail apps keep working.
Does it work offline?
Yes, for reading. Mail is cached on your Mac, so you can read and search it without a connection. Sending needs a connection, and zora catches up by itself when you're back online.
Which languages does zora speak?
English and Polish. Pick one in Settings → General. The menus and notifications switch too.
Does zora read my mail or use AI?
No one else reads it. Your mail goes from your provider to your Mac, with no zora server and no analytics. AI features (thread summaries, suggested replies and help with writing) are optional and off by default. If you want them, turn them on in Settings and add your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key. zora then sends the conversation you have open, and any text you ask it to help with, straight from your Mac to that provider. You can also turn on a local MCP server so Claude Code can work with your mail. It's off by default too. The privacy policy has the details.
How do I get an OpenAI or Anthropic API key?
You only need one if you want the AI features. zora works fine without a key, and adding one is optional. To get one, make an account with the provider, add a payment method, and create a key: for OpenAI at platform.openai.com/api-keys, for Anthropic in the Anthropic Console under API keys. Copy the key and paste it into Settings → AI in zora. API use is billed by the provider, separately from a ChatGPT or Claude subscription, and you pay only for what you use. You need just one key, and you can remove it any time.
Is it a subscription?
No. You pay once and the license is yours. Try every feature free for 14 days first, no account needed.
What if you stop working on zora?
zora runs on your Mac and talks straight to your mail provider. It doesn't need a server of mine to read or send mail, so it keeps working.
Is there a version for Windows, Linux, iPhone or Android?
Not now. zora is made for the Mac and needs macOS 14 or later.
Calm your inbox.
Requires macOS 14 or later.
Download for Mac
App is not available yet. Coming soon.
Made by one person.
I wanted a mail app that felt calm and looked at home on the Mac, so I made one. zora has no investors and no growth targets, just people who like it and pay for it. Questions, feedback or a bug report? Email me and I'll get back to you.
