For years, Mailplane was how many Mac users ran Gmail and Google Calendar outside the browser. In June 2021, after Google began blocking embedded browsers from its sign-in page, its developers stopped selling licenses, and the app hasn't been updated since.
Singlebox keeps Gmail, Calendar, and every Google account together in a dedicated window, on Mac and Windows, and it's actively developed.
At a glance
| Singlebox | Mailplane | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A dedicated desktop app for your messaging, email, and work apps | A Mac app for Gmail and Google apps, no longer sold |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows | macOS |
| Multiple accounts | Every app or account is its own profile with an isolated session | Several Google accounts |
| Adding apps | Pick from 65,000+ apps in the catalog or add any website | Gmail, Google Calendar, and Contacts |
| Updates | Updated regularly, with automatic updates | No longer sold since June 2021; last updated in 2021 |
What is Singlebox?
Singlebox is a dedicated desktop app for your messaging, email, and work apps. Every app or account is its own profile with an isolated session, so your work and personal Gmail stay signed in side by side. It updates itself automatically.
What was Mailplane?
Mailplane was a Mac app that wrapped Gmail, Google Calendar, and Contacts in a native window, with support for several accounts. Its developers stopped selling licenses in June 2021, and it hasn't been updated since. This comparison is based on Mailplane as it was when it stopped being sold, in June 2021.
1. Built to keep up with Google
Singlebox is actively developed and updates itself automatically. When Google changes Gmail or Calendar, you get the new version without doing anything.
2. Gmail and Calendar, in their own window
Mailplane gave Gmail and Google Calendar a native window on the Mac. Singlebox does the same, on Mac and Windows: your apps sit in the profile bar, each a click or a keyboard shortcut away, with unread badges on each app and on the Dock or taskbar.
3. Every Google account, signed in
Mailplane users often ran several accounts, and that carries straight over. In Singlebox, every Google account is its own profile, side by side in the profile bar, each with its own unread badge.
4. More than Google's apps
Add any of the 65,000+ apps in the catalog, or any website, so Slack, Notion, and the rest of your work apps sit next to Gmail.
Moving from Mailplane
- Download Singlebox and sign in.
- Add Gmail and Google Calendar from the catalog.
- Add a profile for each of your Google accounts. Your mail, labels, and filters live in Gmail itself, so there's nothing to export.
Which one should you choose?
Since Mailplane is no longer sold or updated, the real question is what to use instead. If you still run it, it may keep working for a while, but it won't receive updates. Singlebox is a good replacement if you:
- Want Gmail and Google Calendar in their own window
- Run several Google accounts and want them all signed in
- Want an app that keeps getting updates
- Use other web apps, or a Windows PC, too
Keep Gmail and Google Calendar out of the browser with an app that's still moving forward: try Singlebox for free.
