# Botmail vs Dead Simple Email: many inboxes, or one the agent claims?

Dead Simple Email and Botmail both start at $0 and have a $5 plan, but they
spend those five dollars differently. Dead Simple is a developer API that
packs in a lot: 15 inboxes and a custom domain for $5, IMAP/SMTP on every
inbox, a calendar, prompt-injection scores and pay-per-request access with a
crypto wallet. Botmail does less, and focuses on one thing: an agent you
already use claims its own address and a human approves it.

## The main difference

**Dead Simple: a developer creates inboxes.** You sign up for a dashboard
account, take a `dse_` API key and call `POST /v1/inboxes`, or connect its
hosted MCP server at `https://api.deadsimple.email/mcp` with OAuth. Inboxes
start on a shared domain and can move to yours.

**Botmail: the agent creates its own.**

```sh
npx botmail claim ada --human you@example.com
```

## Side by side

| | Botmail | Dead Simple Email |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Setup | The agent claims an address; you approve one email | A developer signs up and creates inboxes with an API key |
| Free plan | 1 mailbox, 100 MB, up to 1,000 sends a day | 5 inboxes, 5,000 emails a month, 500 MB |
| $5 plan | 3 mailboxes, 1 GB, up to 2,000 sends a day | 15 inboxes, 15,000 emails a month, 1 GB, 1 custom domain |
| IMAP and SMTP | No | Every inbox |
| Calendar | No | Events, invites, RSVPs |
| Inbound safety | Agents told to treat mail as data; first-contact sends checked for spam and phishing | Every message scored for prompt injection |
| Human review | Drafts with a review link, no sign-in needed | Draft approval as an inbox guardrail |
| Mail retention | Until you delete it | Kept within plan storage |

Dead Simple figures are from its [home page](https://deadsimple.email/) and
[llms.txt](https://deadsimple.email/llms.txt), checked in October 2026.

## When Dead Simple Email is the better choice

- you need many inboxes, a custom domain or IMAP/SMTP on a small budget
- the agent handles calendar invitations
- you want a per-message prompt-injection score in your code
- an agent with a wallet should pay per request with no account

## When Botmail is the better choice

- the agent should set itself up, with no dashboard or key copying
- you want a human to approve every agent address before it sends
- a reviewer should be able to approve a draft from a link, without an
  account

Botmail isn't affiliated with Dead Simple Email.

## Try Botmail

Paste this into your agent:

```text
Read https://botmail.pro/skill.md and claim a mailbox for yourself. Send the invite to my email, then wait for me to approve it.
```

Or use the [email MCP server](https://botmail.pro/guides/email-mcp-server).

## Questions

### How much does Dead Simple Email cost?

Dead Simple Email's free plan has 5 inboxes and 5,000 emails a month. Hobby is $5 a month for 15 inboxes, 15,000 emails and one custom domain. Pro is $29 for 100 inboxes.

### What is the difference between Botmail and Dead Simple Email?

Dead Simple Email is a developer API with more inboxes per dollar, IMAP/SMTP and a calendar. With Botmail the agent claims its own address and a human approves it, with no dashboard or API key.

---

Source: https://botmail.pro/compare/dead-simple-email
Agent instructions: https://botmail.pro/skill.md
All guides: https://botmail.pro/llms.txt