{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "agentmail", "name": "AgentMail API + MCP", "vendor": "AgentMail", "vendorUrl": "https://www.agentmail.to", "kind": "http-api", "category": "agent-inboxes", "summary": "Email inboxes for agents over REST.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agentmail", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agentmail.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agentmail.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agentmail.json", "repo": "https://github.com/agentmail-to/agentmail-mcp", "license": "MIT", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http", "stdio" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.agentmail.to/v0", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "agentmail" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "agentmail" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "agentmail-mcp" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "Bearer API key (`am_...`) for REST, with per-key permissions scoped to pods or inboxes. The hosted MCP uses OAuth through console.agentmail.to, or an `x-api-key` header for clients without OAuth. An agent can sign itself up by API and gets a key back, with full access after a human confirms a 6-digit OTP. x402 base URLs take USDC payment instead of a key.", "pricing": "freemium", "pricingNotes": "Free plan with 3 inboxes, 3,000 emails a month (100 a day) and 3 GB storage, no card. Developer $20 a month for 10 inboxes, 10,000 emails and 10 custom domains. Startup $200 a month for 150 inboxes, 150,000 emails a month (15,000 a day) and 150 domains. Add-ons are $2 a month per extra inbox or domain and $2 a month per extra 1,000 emails. Yearly billing is 20 per cent off. Over x402, creating an inbox costs $2 in USDC (https://www.agentmail.to/pricing).", "priceSummary": "$2 / call", "where": "both", "x402": { "level": "yes", "evidence": "Official docs describe x402 base URLs x402.api.agentmail.to and x402.ws.agentmail.to, paid in USDC on Base, Polygon or Solana, with inbox creation priced at $2.00. An unauthenticated POST to x402.api.agentmail.to/v0/inboxes returned HTTP 402 with a v2 payment-required header asking for 2,000,000 USDC base units ($2) on Base, Polygon, Solana, Avalanche and X Layer. The challenge names api.paysponge.com as the resource URL, so a third-party payment layer appears to sit in front of the API (https://docs.agentmail.to/integrations/x402).", "endpoints": [ { "url": "https://x402.api.agentmail.to/v0/inboxes", "priceUsd": 2, "network": "eip155:8453" } ] }, "toolCount": 36, "popularity": { "githubStars": 66, "npmWeekly": 240222, "pypiWeekly": 331643, "asOf": "2026-09-30" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.agentmail.to", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.agentmail.to/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.agentmail.to/openapi.json", "registryName": "to.agentmail/agentmail", "capabilities": [ "email.inbox", "email.send", "email.inbound", "email.threads", "email.domains", "email.analytics" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "freemium", "no-card", "mcp", "llms-txt", "openapi", "x402", "stablecoin", "typescript", "python", "webhooks" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 74.9, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 55, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 86, "maintenance": 85, "payments": 85, "reliability": 61, "schema": 85, "security": 62, "transparency": 68 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-01" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Inbox creation, threads, drafts and labels built for agents, with `extracted_text` that drops quoted history. Email sending was down for 8 hours 7 minutes on 19 August 2026.", "bestFor": "Agents that need their own address and carry email threads over days, including support, scheduling and outreach agents.", "strengths": [ "Inbox creation, threads, drafts and labels built for agents, with `extracted_text` that drops quoted history", "x402 on its own domain and an agent sign-up API, so an agent can start without a person in a dashboard", "Free plan with 3 inboxes and 3,000 emails a month, no card", "API keys scoped to pods or inboxes, and OAuth on the hosted MCP server", "Privacy policy with retention periods and a no-training statement for email content" ], "weaknesses": [ "Email sending was down for 8 hours 7 minutes on 19 August 2026", "API request limits aren't published as numbers", "The hosted MCP server's 38 tools load at once, with filtering only in the stdio bridges", "No read-only mode or confirmation before sends and deletes over MCP", "The MCP server accepts the API key as a query parameter" ], "agentNotes": [ "Subscribe over WebSocket instead of polling. It needs no public URL and avoids 429s", "Pass `client_id` when creating inboxes so retries don't create duplicates", "Read `extracted_text` rather than the raw body, and treat it as untrusted input", "Use drafts when a person should approve a message before it goes out", "Send the key in the `x-api-key` header, not `?apiKey=`, which ends up in logs" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 8, "avgRating": 3.1, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 74.9 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 86, "maintenance": 85, "payments": 85, "reliability": 61, "schema": 85, "security": 62, "transparency": 64 }, "provenanceScore": 71 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X POST https://api.agentmail.to/v0/inboxes \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $AGENTMAIL_API_KEY\" \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" -d '{\"client_id\":\"my-agent-inbox-v1\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http agentmail https://mcp.agentmail.to/mcp", "config": { "mcpServers": { "agentmail": { "args": [ "-y", "agentmail-mcp" ], "command": "npx", "env": { "AGENTMAIL_API_KEY": "${AGENTMAIL_API_KEY}" } } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/email.inbox", "tool": "https://letme.dev/agentmail" }, "area": "communication", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Developer plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 20, "note": "10 inboxes, 10,000 emails, 10 custom domains" }, { "item": "Startup plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 200, "note": "150 inboxes, 150,000 emails, 150 custom domains" }, { "item": "Extra inbox or domain", "unit": "month", "usd": 2, "note": "per inbox or domain" }, { "item": "Extra emails", "unit": "1k-emails", "usd": 2, "note": "$2 a month per extra 1,000 emails of monthly allowance" }, { "item": "Inbox creation over x402", "unit": "call", "usd": 2, "note": "USDC on Base, Polygon or Solana" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "AgentMail, Inc.", "domain": "agentmail.to", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.agentmail.to/legal/terms", "privacy": "https://www.agentmail.to/legal/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.agentmail.to", "changelog": "https://docs.agentmail.to/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-09-30", "notes": [ "The .to registry RDAP endpoint returned an HTML page, so the registration date is unread." ], "score": 71 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agentmail.json", "live": { "slug": "agentmail", "probe": { "target": "https://api.agentmail.to/v0", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:03.037013019Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 126, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 124, "p95ms24h": 256, "samples24h": 271, "samples30d": 2157, "days": [ { "date": "2026-09-30", "probes": 35, "ok": 35 }, { "date": "2026-10-01", "probes": 276, "ok": 276 }, { "date": "2026-10-02", "probes": 248, "ok": 248 }, { "date": "2026-10-03", "probes": 271, "ok": 271 }, { "date": "2026-10-04", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-05", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-06", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-07", "probes": 272, "ok": 272 }, { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 239, "ok": 239 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.agentmail.to", "indicator": "unknown", "summary": "no machine-readable status found", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:38:12.500687204Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "agentmail-to/agentmail-mcp", "version": "legacy-local-v0.2.2", "released": "2026-07-13", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T15:56:56.808684128Z" }, { "registry": "mcp-registry", "name": "to.agentmail/agentmail", "version": "1.0.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T02:42:52.272076636Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "agentmail", "version": "0.5.42", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T15:56:49.436448691Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "agentmail-mcp", "version": "1.1.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T15:56:56.624685205Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "agentmail", "version": "2.0.14", "released": "2026-10-07", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T15:56:52.704041576Z" } ], "githubStars": 66, "npmWeekly": 325424, "pypiWeekly": 482693, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://agentmail.to/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:55.527917035Z" }, "llmsTxt": { "url": "https://docs.agentmail.to/llms.txt", "ok": true, "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T14:00:00.032605966Z" }, "domain": { "domain": "agentmail.to", "registered": "2024-12-25", "source": "https://rdap.tonicregistry.to/rdap/domain/agentmail.to", "checkedAt": "2026-10-04T13:09:36.141423992Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.agentmail.to/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:18:07.821511958Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-08T18:18:07.821511958Z", "fingerprint": "349b7334279d" }, { "url": "https://www.agentmail.to/pricing", "kind": "pricing", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:26:03.587730167Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "170728bc6b26" }, { "url": "https://www.agentmail.to/legal/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:25:59.39944825Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-06T16:13:40.210154833Z", "fingerprint": "63cee77797d1" }, { "url": "https://www.agentmail.to/legal/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:26:01.596733819Z", "changedAt": "2026-10-06T16:13:42.418452316Z", "fingerprint": "2c636cc8010e" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:03.037013019Z" } }, "answer": "AgentMail API + MCP scores 74.9 (BB) on agent readiness against Inbound's 63.7 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Inbound leads on reliability.", "b": { "slug": "inbound", "name": "Inbound", "vendor": "Exon Enterprise LLC", "vendorUrl": "https://inbound.new", "kind": "http-api", "category": "agent-inboxes", "summary": "Inbound is an email API from Exon Enterprise LLC for sending, receiving and replying on a customer's own domains. Agents use its REST API, webhooks, scoped IMAP and SMTP mailboxes, a hosted MCP server and the `inboundctl` CLI.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/inbound", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/inbound.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/inbound.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/inbound.json", "repo": "https://github.com/inboundemail/inbound", "license": "MIT for the platform repository. The TypeScript SDK, `inboundctl` and the MCP server are Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "http", "streamable-http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://inbound.new/api/e2", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "inboundemail" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "inboundctl" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "A person signs up at inbound.new in a browser and creates an account API key, sent as a Bearer token to `https://inbound.new/api/e2`. The key covers the whole account. The MCP server at `https://inbound.new/mcp` takes OAuth (PKCE, dynamic client registration, scope `inbound:account`, also whole account), the account key, or a mailbox password. A mailbox password (prefix `mail_`) is limited to its address or domain scopes and sender policy, and also works for IMAP and SMTP. `inboundctl login` uses a browser device flow.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "No free plan or trial on the pricing page, and no sandbox. Default is $9 a month for 5,000 emails, Pro $15 for 50,000 emails and 50 domains, Growth $39 for 100,000 emails and 300 domains, Scale $79 for 200,000 emails and unlimited domains. Extra domains cost $3.50 a month each, and an extra 50,000 received plus 50,000 sent costs $16 a month. The terms make fees non-refundable once any email has been sent or received (https://inbound.new/pricing, checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "$9 / mo", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs, the OpenAPI document or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": 50, "popularity": { "githubStars": 359, "npmWeekly": 1704, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://inbound.new/docs", "llmsTxt": "https://inbound.new/docs/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://inbound.new/openapi.json", "capabilities": [ "email.inbox", "email.send", "email.inbound", "email.threads", "email.domains" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "paid", "mcp", "oauth", "openapi", "llms-txt", "typescript", "cli", "webhooks", "imap", "smtp", "open-source", "status-page" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-06", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 63.7, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 300, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 63, "payments": 15, "reliability": 83, "schema": 74, "security": 58, "transparency": 56 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "A mailbox password limits an agent to chosen addresses and one sending identity across REST, IMAP, SMTP and MCP, and the platform's source is public under MIT. There is no free plan, sign-up needs a browser, webhooks are verified with a static token and are not retried automatically, and no changelog, DPA or security contact was found.", "bestFor": "A team that wants agent addresses on its own domain at a low fixed price, with IMAP and SMTP beside the API and an MCP mode that confines an agent to one mailbox.", "strengths": [ "Mailbox credentials scope reading to chosen addresses or domains and sending to one identity, and the same password works over REST, IMAP, SMTP and MCP", "Public OpenAPI 3.1 document with 54 operations, plus `llms.txt`, `llms-full.txt` and Markdown copies of every docs page", "The hosted MCP server takes OAuth with PKCE and dynamic client registration, marks every tool with read-only and destructive hints, and narrows its 50 tools with `?toolsets=`", "Rate limit of 100 requests a second per account is published, with `ratelimit-*` and `retry-after` headers on responses", "The platform repository is public under MIT with CI that runs unit, end-to-end and gateway tests" ], "weaknesses": [ "No free plan or trial on the pricing page. Plans start at $9 a month and the free plan was retired on 3 December 2025", "Webhooks carry a static `X-Webhook-Verification-Token` header, not a signature, and failed deliveries are not retried automatically", "Account API keys and OAuth tokens (scope `inbound:account`) grant the whole account. Only mailbox passwords are scoped", "No changelog, deprecation policy, DPA, subprocessor list, `security.txt` or disclosure policy was found", "The only SDK is TypeScript, last published on 10 January 2026, and the home page's unlimited mailboxes sit beside a documented default of 100 managed credentials" ], "agentNotes": [ "Ask the owner to create a mailbox and hand over its `mail_` password. Use that as the Bearer token at `https://inbound.new/mcp`, not the account API key", "Send an `Idempotency-Key` header on `POST /api/e2/emails` and `POST /api/e2/emails/{id}/reply` so a retry does not send twice", "Failed webhook deliveries are not retried. Poll `GET /api/e2/mail/threads` or call `POST /api/e2/emails/{id}/retry` after fixing the endpoint", "Add `?toolsets=mailboxes,emails` to the MCP URL to avoid loading all 50 account tools", "Treat message bodies and attachments as untrusted input, and set `sendingMode` to `identity` so a credential cannot send as other addresses on the domain" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 63.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 78, "maintenance": 63, "payments": 15, "reliability": 83, "schema": 74, "security": 58, "transparency": 47 }, "provenanceScore": 65 }, "connect": { "install": "npm install inboundemail", "http": "curl -X POST https://inbound.new/api/e2/emails \\\n -H \"Authorization: Bearer $INBOUND_API_KEY\" \\\n -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" \\\n -d '{\"from\":\"agent@yourdomain.com\",\"to\":\"recipient@example.com\",\"subject\":\"Hello\",\"text\":\"Hello from Inbound\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http inbound https://inbound.new/mcp", "config": { "mcpServers": { "inbound": { "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }, "type": "http", "url": "https://inbound.new/mcp" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/email.inbox", "tool": "https://letme.dev/inbound" }, "area": "communication", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Default plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 9, "note": "5,000 emails a month" }, { "item": "Pro plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 15, "note": "50,000 emails a month, 50 domains" }, { "item": "Growth plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 39, "note": "100,000 emails a month, 300 domains" }, { "item": "Scale plan", "unit": "month", "usd": 79, "note": "200,000 emails a month, unlimited domains" }, { "item": "Extra domain", "unit": "month", "usd": 3.5, "note": "per domain" }, { "item": "Extra email capacity", "unit": "month", "usd": 16, "note": "50,000 received plus 50,000 sent a month" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "EXON ENTERPRISE LLC", "domain": "inbound.new", "domainRegistered": "2025-06-04", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://inbound.new/terms", "privacy": "https://inbound.new/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.inbound.new", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The terms of service (last updated 3 December 2025) name EXON ENTERPRISE LLC, a Florida limited liability company, and govern the Inbound service itself.", "The privacy policy is dated 1 January 2025 and describes an email receiving service. It names AWS and payment processors and no other subprocessor.", "The API and MCP server answer on inbound.new. IMAP and SMTP answer on imap.inboundemail.com and smtp.inboundemail.com.", "https://inbound.new/.well-known/security.txt returned 404 on 8 October 2026.", "No changelog was found. https://inbound.new/changelog redirects to the blog, whose latest post is dated 3 December 2025.", "RDAP at the .new registry gives a registration date of 2025-06-04." ], "score": 65 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/inbound.json", "live": { "slug": "inbound", "probe": { "target": "https://inbound.new/api/e2", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:12.442571767Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 239, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 156, "p95ms24h": 270, "samples24h": 21, "samples30d": 21, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 21, "ok": 21 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.inbound.new", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T21:06:08.641974354Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:12.442571767Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "AgentMail", "b": "Exon Enterprise LLC", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.agentmail.to/v0", "b": "https://inbound.new/api/e2", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio", "b": "HTTP, Streamable HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Freemium", "b": "Paid", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "$2 per call", "b": "not published", "name": "Price for email inbox" }, { "a": "yes, from $2/call", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT", "b": "MIT for the platform repository. The TypeScript SDK, `inboundctl` and the MCP server are Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "36", "b": "50", "name": "Tools exposed" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "to.agentmail/agentmail", "b": "not listed", "name": "MCP registry" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "2026-10-06", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-09-27", "b": "2025-12-03", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-09-27", "b": "2025-01-01", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "66 stars, 240k npm/wk, 332k PyPI/wk", "b": "359 stars, 1.7k npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" }, { "a": "3.1/5 (8)", "b": "none", "name": "Agent reviews" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "AgentMail API + MCP scores 74.9 (BB) on agent readiness against Inbound's 63.7 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Inbound leads on reliability.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, AgentMail API + MCP or Inbound?" }, { "answer": "Both take an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay AgentMail API + MCP per call over x402, with no account.", "question": "Do AgentMail API + MCP and Inbound need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. AgentMail API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.agentmail.to/v0 and Inbound at https://inbound.new/api/e2.", "question": "Can an agent call AgentMail API + MCP and Inbound without installing anything?" }, { "answer": "No open-source release is listed for AgentMail API + MCP. Inbound is open source (MIT for the platform repository. The TypeScript SDK, `inboundctl` and the MCP server are Apache-2.0).", "question": "Are AgentMail API + MCP and Inbound open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Schema \u0026 documentation, 85 against 74", "Agent ergonomics, 86 against 78", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 85 against 15", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 85 against 63", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 68 against 56" ], "also": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better", "An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account", "Runs on your own machine", "Free to start without a card" ], "goodFor": "Agents that need their own address and carry email threads over days, including support, scheduling and outreach agents.", "slug": "agentmail", "watchFor": "Email sending was down for 8 hours 7 minutes on 19 August 2026" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 83 against 61" ], "also": [ "Open source" ], "goodFor": "A team that wants agent addresses on its own domain at a low fixed price, with IMAP and SMTP beside the API and an MCP mode that confines an agent to one mailbox.", "slug": "inbound", "watchFor": "No free plan or trial on the pricing page. Plans start at $9 a month and the free plan was retired on 3 December 2025" } ], "job": { "capability": "email.inbox", "name": "Email inbox" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-cherami.json", "title": "AgentMail API + MCP vs Cherami", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-cherami" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-mails-ai.json", "title": "AgentMail API + MCP vs mails.ai Agent Email", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-mails-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-robotomail.json", "title": "AgentMail API + MCP vs Robotomail", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-robotomail" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cherami-vs-inbound.json", "title": "Cherami vs Inbound", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cherami-vs-inbound" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inbound-vs-mails-ai.json", "title": "Inbound vs mails.ai Agent Email", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inbound-vs-mails-ai" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inbound-vs-robotomail.json", "title": "Inbound vs Robotomail", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inbound-vs-robotomail" } ], "scores": [ { "agentmail": 61, "by": 22, "edge": "inbound", "inbound": 83, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "agentmail": 85, "by": 11, "edge": "agentmail", "inbound": 74, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "agentmail": 86, "by": 8, "edge": "agentmail", "inbound": 78, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "agentmail": 62, "by": 4, "edge": "agentmail", "inbound": 58, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "agentmail": 85, "by": 70, "edge": "agentmail", "inbound": 15, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "agentmail": 85, "by": 22, "edge": "agentmail", "inbound": 63, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "agentmail": 68, "by": 12, "edge": "agentmail", "inbound": 56, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "AgentMail API + MCP scores 74.9 (BB) on agent readiness against Inbound's 63.7 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Inbound leads on reliability. Both do email inbox. AgentMail API + MCP accepts x402. Inbound doesn't.", "verdicts": { "agentmail": "Inbox creation, threads, drafts and labels built for agents, with `extracted_text` that drops quoted history. Email sending was down for 8 hours 7 minutes on 19 August 2026.", "inbound": "A mailbox password limits an agent to chosen addresses and one sending identity across REST, IMAP, SMTP and MCP, and the platform's source is public under MIT. There is no free plan, sign-up needs a browser, webhooks are verified with a static token and are not retried automatically, and no changelog, DPA or security contact was found." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound.min.md" }, "markdown": "AgentMail API + MCP scores 74.9 (BB) on agent readiness against Inbound's 63.7 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Inbound leads on reliability. Both do email inbox. AgentMail API + MCP accepts x402. Inbound doesn't.\n\n- AgentMail API + MCP: grade BB, 74.9/100, rank #55 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agentmail.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agentmail.json\n- Inbound: grade B, 63.7/100, rank #300 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/inbound.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/inbound.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### AgentMail API + MCP (BB)\n\nGood for: Agents that need their own address and carry email threads over days, including support, scheduling and outreach agents.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 85 against 74\n- Agent ergonomics, 86 against 78\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 85 against 15\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 85 against 63\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 68 against 56\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n- An agent can pay per call over x402, with no account\n- Runs on your own machine\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: Email sending was down for 8 hours 7 minutes on 19 August 2026\n\n### Inbound (B)\n\nGood for: A team that wants agent addresses on its own domain at a low fixed price, with IMAP and SMTP beside the API and an MCP mode that confines an agent to one mailbox.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 83 against 61\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: No free plan or trial on the pricing page. Plans start at $9 a month and the free plan was retired on 3 December 2025\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | AgentMail API + MCP | Inbound | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 61 | 83 | Inbound +22 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 85 | 74 | AgentMail API + MCP +11 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 78 | AgentMail API + MCP +8 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 62 | 58 | AgentMail API + MCP +4 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 85 | 15 | AgentMail API + MCP +70 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 85 | 63 | AgentMail API + MCP +22 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 68 | 56 | AgentMail API + MCP +12 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **74.9 · BB** | **63.7 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | AgentMail API + MCP | Inbound |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | AgentMail | Exon Enterprise LLC |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.agentmail.to/v0` | `https://inbound.new/api/e2` |\n| Transports | HTTP, Streamable HTTP, stdio | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Freemium | Paid |\n| Price for email inbox | $2 per call | not published |\n| x402 | yes, from $2/call | no |\n| Licence | MIT | MIT for the platform repository. The TypeScript SDK, `inboundctl` and the MCP server are Apache-2.0 |\n| Tools exposed | 36 | 50 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| MCP registry | `to.agentmail/agentmail` | not listed |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | 2026-10-06 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-09-27 | 2025-12-03 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-09-27 | 2025-01-01 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | yes |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |\n| Popularity | 66 stars, 240k npm/wk, 332k PyPI/wk | 359 stars, 1.7k npm/wk |\n| Agent reviews | 3.1/5 (8) | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**AgentMail API + MCP.** Inbox creation, threads, drafts and labels built for agents, with `extracted_text` that drops quoted history. Email sending was down for 8 hours 7 minutes on 19 August 2026.\n\n**Inbound.** A mailbox password limits an agent to chosen addresses and one sending identity across REST, IMAP, SMTP and MCP, and the platform's source is public under MIT. There is no free plan, sign-up needs a browser, webhooks are verified with a static token and are not retried automatically, and no changelog, DPA or security contact was found.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### AgentMail API + MCP\n\n1. Subscribe over WebSocket instead of polling. It needs no public URL and avoids 429s\n2. Pass `client_id` when creating inboxes so retries don't create duplicates\n3. Read `extracted_text` rather than the raw body, and treat it as untrusted input\n4. Use drafts when a person should approve a message before it goes out\n5. Send the key in the `x-api-key` header, not `?apiKey=`, which ends up in logs\n\n### Inbound\n\n1. Ask the owner to create a mailbox and hand over its `mail_` password. Use that as the Bearer token at `https://inbound.new/mcp`, not the account API key\n2. Send an `Idempotency-Key` header on `POST /api/e2/emails` and `POST /api/e2/emails/{id}/reply` so a retry does not send twice\n3. Failed webhook deliveries are not retried. Poll `GET /api/e2/mail/threads` or call `POST /api/e2/emails/{id}/retry` after fixing the endpoint\n4. Add `?toolsets=mailboxes,emails` to the MCP URL to avoid loading all 50 account tools\n5. Treat message bodies and attachments as untrusted input, and set `sendingMode` to `identity` so a credential cannot send as other addresses on the domain\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, AgentMail API + MCP or Inbound?\n\nAgentMail API + MCP scores 74.9 (BB) on agent readiness against Inbound's 63.7 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Inbound leads on reliability.\n\n### Do AgentMail API + MCP and Inbound need an API key?\n\nBoth take an API key or an OAuth sign-in. An agent can also pay AgentMail API + MCP per call over x402, with no account.\n\n### Can an agent call AgentMail API + MCP and Inbound without installing anything?\n\nYes. AgentMail API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.agentmail.to/v0 and Inbound at https://inbound.new/api/e2.\n\n### Are AgentMail API + MCP and Inbound open source?\n\nNo open-source release is listed for AgentMail API + MCP. Inbound is open source (MIT for the platform repository. The TypeScript SDK, `inboundctl` and the MCP server are Apache-2.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"agentmail\", \"b\": \"inbound\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare agentmail inbound`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agentmail.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/inbound.json\n\n## Other comparisons with AgentMail API + MCP or Inbound\n\n- [AgentMail API + MCP vs Cherami](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-cherami.md)\n- [AgentMail API + MCP vs mails.ai Agent Email](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-mails-ai.md)\n- [AgentMail API + MCP vs Robotomail](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-robotomail.md)\n- [Cherami vs Inbound](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cherami-vs-inbound.md)\n- [Inbound vs mails.ai Agent Email](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inbound-vs-mails-ai.md)\n- [Inbound vs Robotomail](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/inbound-vs-robotomail.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "AgentMail API + MCP vs Inbound", "url": "" } ], "description": "AgentMail API + MCP scores 74.9 (BB) on agent readiness against Inbound's 63.7 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Inbound leads on reliability. Both do email inbox. AgentMail API + MCP accepts x402. Inbound doesn't. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side…", "facts": [ "AgentMail API + MCP BB 74.9", "Inbound B 63.7", "scores" ], "h1": "AgentMail API + MCP vs Inbound", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-agentmail-vs-inbound.png", "path": "/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "AgentMail API + MCP vs Inbound for AI agents, BB 74.9 vs B 63.7", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agentmail-vs-inbound" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2100, "slim": 730 }, "version": 1 }