How to Cancel HEY Email in 2026 (Export Your Email First)

Updated February 2026 • 7 min read

HEY Email by Basecamp costs $99/year — making it one of the most expensive personal email services. The "Screener" and "Imbox" concepts are genuinely innovative, but $99/year for email is a tough sell when Gmail is free and Fastmail is $50/year. Here's how to leave without losing your emails.

⚠️ Critical: Your @hey.com Address

If you use an @hey.com address, it dies when you cancel
No IMAP/POP access — you can't use standard email migration tools
HEY for Domains (custom domain) lets you keep your address if you move the domain
Export is via HEY's own tool — limited compared to standard email providers

HEY Pricing

HEY (personal): $99/year — @hey.com address
HEY for Domains: $99/year — custom domain email
HEY for Work: $12/user/month — team email

$99/year = $8.25/month for email. Gmail: free. Proton Mail: free tier or $4/month. Fastmail: $4.17/month. HEY's premium is entirely for its unique workflow features.

Step 1: Export Everything

HEY doesn't support IMAP, so you must use their export tool:

Go to hey.com → Account & Billing
Click Export your data
HEY will generate a download with all your emails in MBOX format
Download contacts separately (if stored in HEY)
Keep the MBOX file — you can import it into Thunderbird, Gmail, or most email clients

Step 2: Update Your Email Everywhere

If you gave out your @hey.com address, update it before canceling:

Bank accounts, insurance, government services
Social media login/recovery emails
Shopping sites, newsletters worth keeping
Professional contacts — send a "new email" notification
Two-factor authentication recovery emails

Step 3: Cancel

Go to hey.com → Account & Billing
Click Cancel my account
Confirm cancellation
Access continues until your annual billing period ends

Best HEY Alternatives

Gmail + filters — Free. Set up filters for the "Screener" effect. Labels = HEY's "Feed" and "Paper Trail." Not as elegant, but functional and free.
Fastmail — $50/year. Standard email that's fast, private, and supports IMAP. Custom domains included.
Proton Mail — Free tier or $48/year. End-to-end encryption. Swiss privacy. Growing feature set.
Tuta — $36/year. Cheapest encrypted email. German privacy laws.
Apple Mail + iCloud — Free with iCloud. Hide My Email for disposable addresses. Custom domains with iCloud+.

💡 The No-IMAP Problem

HEY's biggest lock-in is the lack of IMAP/POP3. You can't use standard email clients or migration tools. This is by design — it forces you to use HEY's interface. When you leave, the only way to get your email out is their export tool. This is worth considering before you sign up for any email service that doesn't support standard protocols.

🔍 What Else Costs $99/Year?

$99/year for email is steep. What other premium subscriptions are stacking up? Upload your bank statement to JustCancel and see every recurring charge — you might be surprised what $99 charges look like across all your subscriptions.

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Quick Cancel Guide: Hey Email

Direct cancel link + step-by-step instructions