Chail vs Spike: two ways to turn email into chat

Spike and Chail start from the same idea: email is mostly people talking to people, so it should look like a conversation, not a filing cabinet. They take that idea in different directions, and depending on how you work, one of them will suit you better. Here is the honest version.

Side by side

Spike’s plans, limits and platforms: spikenow.com/pricing (as shown on 20 October 2026). Chail: chail.app.

Where Spike is stronger

• Every platform. If you switch between a Mac, an iPhone and a work PC, Spike is there on all of them. Chail is a Windows app for now.
• AI and teams. Spike writes drafts, summarises long threads and adds team chat and shared spaces. Chail does none of that on purpose.

Where Chail is different

• Your emails stay on your device. Chail connects your PC directly to your email provider. Our server only knows your Chail account address, your plan and your devices, never your emails, contacts or attachments.
• One chat per person, not per thread. If Anna writes from her work address and her private one, it is still one chat with Anna.
• People and the rest, separated. Newsletters, shops and receipts go to Updates, so Chats only holds people. You can unsubscribe in one click.
• Privacy details. Images load when an email arrives, not when you open it, and tracking pixels are blocked, so senders can’t see when you read.
• The price. Plus is €3.99 a month when you pay for a year, and it covers three email addresses.

Which one should you pick?

Pick Spike if you need your email on a Mac or a phone today, if you want AI help with writing, or if your team wants to chat in the same app.

Pick Chail if you are on a Windows PC, your inbox is mostly people, and you would rather your emails never pass through anybody else’s servers.

Both have free plans, so the honest advice is: try both with your real inbox for a day. You will know quickly which one feels right.