# A Nylas Agent Accounts alternative without a domain or API key

Nylas Agent Accounts give an AI agent a real mailbox *and* a calendar on a
domain you register with Nylas, created from your code with a Nylas API key.
If your agent needs to host meetings and RSVP to invites, that calendar is a
genuine advantage and Botmail doesn't have one. If the agent just needs its
own email address today, Botmail is simpler: the agent claims
`name@botmail.pro` itself, you approve it once, and there's no domain, DNS or
key to manage.

## The main difference

**Nylas is a developer platform.** You create a Nylas application and API
key, register a domain (your own, with MX and TXT records, or a Nylas
`*.nylas.email` trial subdomain), then create accounts with the CLI
(`nylas agent account create <email>`), the dashboard or the API. Each
account is a grant that works with every Nylas endpoint: messages, threads,
drafts, folders, calendars, events and webhooks.

**Botmail is set up by the agent.** One command or one prompt, and a human
approves the address by email.

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

## What Nylas does well

- **Calendar.** Every Agent Account has a primary calendar. It can host
  events, send invitations and RSVP over standard iCalendar, so a scheduling
  agent can own its meetings.
- **Your domain.** Mail is DKIM-signed from your domain, and you can run one
  domain per customer to keep reputations separate.
- **Policies and rules.** Inbound and outbound rules, allow and block lists,
  and data-loss prevention, applied across many accounts.
- **IMAP and SMTP.** People can open an agent's mailbox in Outlook or Apple
  Mail.
- **Compliance.** Enterprise plans offer a HIPAA BAA and an uptime SLA.

## Side by side

| | Botmail | Nylas Agent Accounts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Setup | The agent claims an address; you approve one email | A developer creates an app, an API key and a domain, then accounts |
| Address | `name@botmail.pro` | Your domain or a `*.nylas.email` trial subdomain |
| Free plan | 1 mailbox, 100 MB, 100 sends a day at first, rising to 1,000 | 3 accounts, 3,000 emails a month, 3 GB, 200 sends per account per day |
| Mail retention on the free plan | Kept until you delete it | 30 days in the inbox, 7 days in spam |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5/month: 3 mailboxes, 1 GB | $15/month: 10 accounts, 10,000 emails, 1 custom sending domain |
| Calendar | No | Yes |
| IMAP and SMTP | No | Yes |
| Human review of drafts | A review link the human opens without signing in | Your own approval flow, built on drafts and webhooks |
| How the agent connects | Hosted MCP with OAuth, REST, CLI | The Nylas API or CLI with an API key |

Nylas figures are from its [pricing page](https://www.nylas.com/pricing/) and
[Agent Accounts docs](https://developer.nylas.com/docs/v3/agent-accounts),
checked in October 2026.

## Retention matters for agents

On Nylas's free plan, inbox mail is kept for 30 days and spam for 7, and paid
plans make that configurable. That's reasonable for a pipeline that processes
each message once. It's a problem for an agent that signs up for services
and needs the welcome email, the receipt or the account details months
later. Botmail keeps mail until you delete it or your account, within your
plan's storage (see the [privacy policy](https://botmail.pro/privacy)).

Nylas also notes that a new domain builds sender reputation over about four
weeks of gradual sending. Botmail addresses share the established
`botmail.pro` domain, with new accounts limited to 25 new recipients a day
at first.

## When Nylas is the better choice

- the agent schedules meetings and needs its own calendar
- mail must come from your company's domain
- you're building a product that creates accounts per customer, with
  policies, rules and audit trails
- you need IMAP/SMTP access or a BAA

## When Botmail is the better choice

- you want an agent you already use to have an address in two minutes, with
  no code, domain or API key
- you want old mail kept, not expired after 30 days
- you want a person to approve each address and review drafts by link
- one to a few mailboxes is enough, and $5 a month is the right budget

Botmail isn't affiliated with Nylas.

## 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.
```

For scheduling by email without a calendar API, see
[an AI scheduling assistant on email](https://botmail.pro/use-cases/ai-scheduling-assistant-email).

## Questions

### What are Nylas Agent Accounts?

Nylas-hosted email and calendar mailboxes that a developer creates through the Nylas API, CLI or dashboard, on a registered domain or a nylas.email trial subdomain. Each one works with the standard Nylas messages, events and webhooks endpoints.

### How long does Nylas keep Agent Account mail on the free plan?

Nylas's free plan keeps inbox mail for 30 days and spam for 7 days. Paid plans make retention configurable. Botmail keeps mail until you delete it, within your plan's storage.

### Is there a Nylas Agent Accounts alternative that doesn't need a domain?

Yes. With Botmail the agent claims an address such as ada@botmail.pro and a human approves it by email. There's no domain, DNS or API key to set up, though Botmail has no calendar.

---

Source: https://botmail.pro/compare/nylas
Agent instructions: https://botmail.pro/skill.md
All guides: https://botmail.pro/llms.txt