Looking for the best alternative for Unibox?
"I loved Unibox's people-first idea, but it hasn't kept up. Talanoa gives me the same human-centric feel with a faster, modern app that's actively improving every week."
Unibox has been discontinued and is no longer available.
Unibox pioneered a people-centric inbox on macOS — a fresh take that grouped emails by sender instead of time, offering a chat-like interface that felt natural and human. It was ahead of its time.
Talanoa continues that spirit with a modern, actively developed app that’s fast, privacy-first, and built for today’s email workflows. If you loved Unibox, you’ll feel right at home with Talanoa.
Unibox introduced a revolutionary approach to email on Mac:
Talanoa builds on these foundations while adding modern productivity features.
| Feature | Unibox | Talanoa |
|---|---|---|
| 🧠 UX Philosophy | People-centric, grouped by sender | People-first with Teammates/People/Notifications sections |
| 📬 Inbox Organization | Contact list sidebar, chronological messages | Smart categorization + Kanban workflow for task management |
| 💬 Message View | Chat-like interface, SMS style | Conversation threads with context and clarity |
| 📎 Attachments | Icon grid + list view per contact | Searchable attachments grouped by sender |
| 🧵 Thread Handling | Drill-down thread view for conversations | Native conversation threading with participants |
| ✍️ Composer | Single-window inline compose | Focused, distraction-free compose with quick access |
| 🔄 Account Support | IMAP (Gmail, iCloud, Outlook.com, Yahoo!, Exchange) | Gmail (Google Workspace), Outlook, IMAP/SMTP |
| 💻 Platform | macOS only | macOS, Windows, Linux (multi-platform) |
| 🔧 Development Status | Discontinued (no longer available) | Actively developed with weekly updates |
| 🔒 Privacy | Local IMAP client | 100% local storage, no tracking, no cloud servers |
| ⚡ Performance | Good for its time | Modern, optimized for Apple Silicon & latest hardware |
| ✅ Productivity Features | Basic email management | Kanban boards, task management, snooze, smart organization |
| 💰 Availability | No longer sold or supported | Free plan + affordable Premium ($4/mo) |
Like Unibox, Talanoa organizes email around people, not timestamps. But we take it further with smart sections (Teammates, People, Notifications) that automatically prioritize what matters most.
Unibox showed you conversations beautifully. Talanoa helps you act on them. With built-in Kanban boards, turn emails into tasks, track progress, and move conversations through your workflow stages.
Loved Unibox on Mac? Now take that experience to Windows and Linux too. Same people-first approach, wherever you work.
Unlike Unibox which stopped development, Talanoa ships new features, performance improvements, and UX refinements every week — guided by real user feedback.
Built with today’s technology. Optimized for Apple Silicon. Lightning-fast search. Instant sync. The people-first experience you loved, now blazing fast.
Like Unibox, all data stays on your device. No cloud syncing. No analytics. No tracking. Your emails are yours alone.
Since Unibox is no longer available, transitioning to Talanoa is seamless:
Visit talanoa.email and download for macOS (or your preferred platform).
Talanoa works with the same email providers Unibox did:
Just sign in with OAuth (Gmail/Outlook) or enter your IMAP credentials — your existing emails sync instantly.
You’ll immediately recognize the people-centric layout. Then explore:
Unlike Unibox, Talanoa receives weekly updates with new features, performance improvements, and community-requested enhancements.
“After Unibox stopped working properly, I tried everything. Talanoa is the first app that captured what I loved about Unibox’s design while adding the productivity features I always wished it had.”
“The sender-based organization in Unibox was revolutionary. Talanoa takes that concept and makes it even better with automatic categorization and task management.”
Unibox (https://uniboxapp.com/) pioneered the people-centric email approach on Mac. As Lifehacker said, it made “email about people, not boring old mailboxes.”
While Unibox has been sunset, its vision lives on. Talanoa carries that torch forward with a modern, actively maintained client that respects the people-first philosophy while adding the productivity tools today’s users need.
Ready to rediscover people-first email?
Unbox your new inbox with Talanoa today. ✨
