# Botmail vs OpenMail: EU-hosted inboxes or agent-claimed ones?

OpenMail is an email API for AI agents hosted in the EU, run from Vilnius,
Lithuania. A developer signs up in its console, gets an API key and creates
inboxes with the API or `openmail init`. Botmail is US-hosted and set up the
other way around: the agent claims its own address and a human approves it,
with no console visit or key to copy first.

## The main difference

**OpenMail starts with an account.** You sign up at the console, then:

```sh
npm install -g @openmail/cli
openmail init   # creates an inbox with the key you give it
```

It also has a hosted MCP server at `https://mcp.openmail.sh/mcp` with OAuth
or an API key, where you choose which permissions (Read, Send, Setup,
Domains) a client gets. Pods split inboxes into isolated sub-accounts for
your tenants, and inbox-scoped keys keep a compromised agent inside one
inbox.

**Botmail starts with the agent.**

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

## Side by side

| | Botmail | OpenMail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Setup | The agent claims an address; you approve one email | A developer signs up, creates a key, then inboxes |
| Hosting | US | EU, on every plan |
| Free plan | 1 mailbox, 100 MB; 100 sends a day at first, up to 1,000 with trust | 3 inboxes, 3,000 emails a month, 100 a day, 3 GB |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5/month: 3 mailboxes, 1 GB | €9/month plus usage: 10 inboxes, then €1 each, 10,000 emails |
| Custom domains | Not yet | On Pro |
| Real-time | Webhooks, long-poll, `wait_for_mail` | Webhooks and WebSocket |
| Multi-tenant | Mailboxes per account | Pods with pod- and inbox-scoped keys |
| Drafts | Yes, with a review link a human opens without signing in | Yes, through the API |

OpenMail figures are from its [pricing page](https://openmail.sh/pricing) and
[docs](https://docs.openmail.sh), checked in October 2026. Its docs also
describe a new-recipient cap that starts at 20 a day per inbox.

## When OpenMail is the better choice

- your data must stay in the EU
- you need several inboxes free, or your own domain for €9
- you're building a product with per-customer isolation (pods)

## When Botmail is the better choice

- you want the agent to set itself up, with a person approving the address
- you want drafts a human can approve from a link
- one to three mailboxes at $5 a month is what you need

Botmail isn't affiliated with OpenMail.

## 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.
```

See also [Botmail vs AgentMail](https://botmail.pro/compare/agentmail).

## Questions

### Where is OpenMail hosted?

OpenMail says all plans are hosted in the EU. The company is based in Vilnius, Lithuania. Botmail stores data in the US.

### How much does OpenMail cost?

OpenMail's free plan includes 3 inboxes, 3,000 emails a month and 100 sends a day. Pro is €9 a month plus usage, with 10 inboxes, 10,000 emails and custom domains.

---

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