For Mac · Gmail

Brev

Your Gmail, one key at a time.

Brev is a small mail client for the Mac. One calm column, the keys you already know from Gmail, and mail that is there the moment you want it. Your mail goes between your Mac and Google, and nowhere else.

Coming soon for Mac

For a Gmail or Google Workspace account · macOS 12 or later

Brev's inbox in the Paper theme: one column of mail grouped by day

Keyboard first

Gmail's keys, in a window of its own.

If you know Gmail's shortcuts, you already know Brev. Move with J and K, open with Return, archive with E, and Z takes back whatever you just did. Press ? for the rest.

  • JKNext, previous
  • ↵Open
  • EArchive
  • #Delete
  • BSnooze
  • SStar
  • RReply
  • ZUndo
The keys sheet: every shortcut, grouped

Fast

It's already there.

Brev starts with the inbox you left, asks Google what changed while the window is still opening, and fetches the mail under your cursor before you press Return.

  • ½ sfrom launch to a fresh inbox
  • 0 sto open the mail you were about to open
  • 1column, and nothing else on screen

Reading

Mail as it was sent, minus the spying.

Newsletters keep their design, plain notes stay plain, and long threads fold their middle so the start and the latest stay in view.

  • Tracking pixels are taken out before a mail is shown, and Brev tells you whose they were
  • Pictures load without telling the sender where, or wait until you ask
  • Mail HTML is cleaned before it's shown, and no script in a mail can run
  • Files that came with a mail open from a chip, or show in the Finder when they could run
A designed newsletter open in Brev, with a line saying a Mailchimp tracker was blocked

⌘K

One box to filter, jump and ask.

⌘K filters the list you're looking at, finds any command, and hands plain questions to a search of all your mail. “Invoices from October with a PDF” becomes a Gmail search. “When does my flight leave?” gets an answer, with the mails it came from underneath.

Answers come from Claude, through Claude Code on your Mac or your own API key. Only the mails Claude reads are sent to Anthropic, and only when you ask. Without either, the box is a plain Gmail search.

The ⌘K box filtering the list and offering commands
Brev answering “when does my flight leave?” from two mails, listed underneath

And the rest

Small things that add up.

Snoozing a mail until tomorrow morning or next week

Snooze, for real

B puts a mail away until tomorrow morning, the weekend or next week, and Brev brings it back unread, with a notification.

Inbox zero: “Nothing left to read”

In the menu bar

Close the window and Brev stays in the menu bar with your unread count, telling you when mail arrives.

  • Undo for archive, delete, spam and snooze, 30 steps back
  • A sent mail waits five seconds, so Z can take it back
  • Drafts are saved to Gmail as you type, so they're on your phone too
  • Paper and Night themes, or follow the Mac
  • A compact window with \ for a corner of the screen

Privacy

Between your Mac and Google. That's all.

Brev has no server. It signs in with Google in your browser and talks to Gmail directly from your Mac. There's no Brev account and nothing for anyone else to read.

Read the privacy policy →
  • No Brev server, no account, no analytics
  • Your Google sign-in is kept in the Mac's Keychain
  • Trackers are removed from every mail before it's shown
  • Brev can't delete mail permanently, only move it to the Trash

Better mail, without a monthly bill.

Brev costs $4.99, once. No subscription, no ads, no tracking.

That's all it ever costs. Every feature and every future update is included, nothing is locked away for later, and if something is wrong you write straight to Peter, who made it.

Questions and answers

What does Brev cost?

$4.99, once. Every feature and every update is included, with no subscription, in-app purchases or ads.

Does my mail pass through a Brev server?

No. There is no Brev server. Brev talks to Gmail directly from your Mac, with the access you gave it when you signed in.

Does it work with Google Workspace?

Yes. Any account with Gmail works, a personal one or one from work or school, as long as the organisation lets apps use Gmail.

Can I use it without Claude?

Yes. Everything but the plain-language answers works without it, and ⌘K is then a normal Gmail search.

Does Brev work with iCloud, Outlook or other mail?

No. Brev is made for Gmail and uses Gmail's own labels, search and drafts.

Is there an iPhone version?

No, Brev is for the Mac. What you write is saved to Gmail's Drafts, so you can finish it on your phone in Gmail.

When can I get it?

Soon. Brev is being finished now; write to brev@theill.com and you'll hear when it's out.

Something else? See Support or write to brev@theill.com.

Mail, without the noise.

One-time purchase · No subscription · Nothing in between.

Coming soon for Mac

For a Gmail or Google Workspace account · macOS 12 or later