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Tempo — The email client that helps you focus
Tempo is the minimalist email client that helps you build healthier habits. Take control of your time and do your best work – inside and outside your inbox.
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@mickc79 Thanks Mick! Would love to hear your feedback once you've given it a go!
@0nn0 I've downloaded the beta and I love it. Probably the first genuine new take on email I've seen in 20+ years. That said - I still feel like $15 a month is just too much for an email client. Spark for example - what I'm using now and I think it's just great - was $10 one off payment and I can use it forever.
I think you'll struggle with the monthly payment model for an email client. I would pay $50 for this as a one off... but email is something people use forever... no-one wants to sign up to pay $15 a month, forever.
@0nn0 @mickc79 I agree. Perhaps a one-time purchase to unlock more features would work better. And then, once new features are released, the user could pay once more to unlock the new features forever—but that would be optional! So they'd be able to keep using the initial features they used forever :D
Okay, WOW! This is the first truly refreshing email client I've ever used, and I've tried a lot.
It's true that I—as most people, I bet—think of emails as tasks to either complete or snooze or archive. So once I've deleted the clutter, I'm left with a nice and tidy "to-do list". The problem arises when I get a bunch of new email, so my neat list is a cluttered mess once more.
It's possible to take care of that using Gmail labels, but in practice, labeling every email by yourself becomes tedious, you fall behind and fail. Tempo makes that super easy and enjoyable. It took a few minutes for me to reach inbox zero, and I had 300+ emails sitting there before, even though I do my best to act upon emails as soon as possible.
I am very impressed but 15$/mo is too high of a price to pay for email forever. Please consider the following pricing model:
A one time purchase unlocks the current set of features. The user can keep using those specific features for as long as the service exists.
Once a new set of features is released (say once a year), the user has the choice of purchasing the new set of features to use forever, along with the previous set. If the user does not want the new features, they can keep using those they paid for, forever.
A price for a set could be around 50—80$. @mickc79 suggested something similar.
A dark mode would be great, as would be support for Gmail's "Send Mail as..." feature. Don't know if Google allows that though? It's a bummer it's not supported because now I can sort, archive, delete and mark emails as tasks in Tempo, but I have to reply through Gmail's web app because I "send mail as..." a different address :) Thankfully, the Gmail labels that Tempo creates make it easy to see me tasks (aka email I need to reply to) in the web app, but still.
UPDATE: "Send Mail as..." is perfectly supported! For some reason, I didn't notice it at first, even though I specifically looked for it. I think it was not there a few hours ago but anyway. There is no way to set your default "Send as" address though. E.g. my gmail is "example@gmail.com" but I want my default email address to be "hi@example.com". I can't do that in Tempo, which could result in me sending emails from my Gmail address by mistake. Note that's only an issue when you compose a new email, and not a reply.
Update: I’ve been using Tempo since the day I wrote the original comment and I have to say OH MY GOD, I almost forgot how I used to work without it! 😲 it’s heaven-sent, it makes my work day so much easier and more relaxed. I used to miss so many emails, even though I was using Gmail’s tabs, which put all the newsletters in a separate tab. I used to not open some emails until I felt like I had more time to deal with them, but I’d eventually forget or get used to the email’s presence in my inbox and ignore it for months along with many others.
All in all, Tempo has tremendously improved my workday. Is it worth $15 per month? That depends. Is email a big (or the biggest) part of your workday? Then it probably is. I tried using it with my personal email and didn’t really like it. But it’s perfect to avoid email and information overload at work. Honestly, once it gets out of beta I will do my best to get my company to pay for a subscription or start paying for it myself.
Please keep up the great work guys. I’m rooting for a dark mode 🤞🏻
@anna_0x Anna – thanks for your thoughts! So motivating hearing about your experience.
- We're upgrading labels right as I type. Will be out within the next couple of weeks.
- Good thoughts around pricing. The discussion continues around the dinner table at the office.
- "Send as..." This would be a major fix for non-gmail users or people with other accounts. Looking into fully supporting this now.
Lastly, this: "All in all, Tempo has tremendously improved my workday." makes us SO happy to hear. Please do let me know if you stumble across more things and again, thanks for your comments!
@stockmarr Hi Sebastian, I’ve stumbled upon what I assume is a bug quite a few times now:
I use Gmail‘s send as feature and it works just fine. But if I try to reply to an email that I sent myself from one of my aliases, Tempo does not let me send the email as any alias, instead it forces me to use my actual Gmail address. The only “solution” at the moment is to switch to Gmail and reply that way, but then I cannot take advantage of Tempo’s fantastic reminder feature :) Can you please look into that?
And while we’re on the subject, it’s kind of annoying that if somebody emails one of my alliances, I cannot reply from another one. The send from section is grayed out.
I've been a happy user of Tempo since one of the first beta releases. It's a unique take on email, decoupling triage, quick replies and longer more thoughtful answers in an elegant way.
Tempo helped stay on top of email with less stress. Can't wait for the mobile and iPad versions as well.
On top of that Tempo is built by a very privacy focused group, with a business model that makes the project sustainable in the long run.
@tomazstolfa @stefanozorzi can elborate on the statement "a very privacy focused group". What exactly do you mean by that?
@tomazstolfa @stefanozorzi You're (admitted: very good) service is a nice interface for #gmail. Working with Google is not what I consider "privacy focused"...
@luikohl Hey Lui, yeah right now only Gmail and Google Apps accounts. We display it next to the sign up button, though we might have to emphasize it a bit clearly...
We want to provide alternatives and just plain IMAP support down the road, so stay tuned if that's a deal breaker for you for now.
@stockmarr I see it now. Personally I think it could be a bit more explicit. Also since the FAQ really sells your privacy bonafides which made me sure it would work with Protonmail. I'll definitely be up to give Tempo another go when you have IMAP support. Also "Exclusively support for Gmail & Google Apps." Should either be "Exclusive support for Gmail & Google Apps." or "Exclusively supporting Gmail & Google Apps." As a fellow Berliner wishing your project viel Glück! :)
@luikohl @stockmarr plain IMAP support would be amazing. Or at least support for Gmail's built-in "Send as" feature, where you connect your POP3 email to Gmail and you can receive and sent email using that address. I am heavy user of that feature so I'd really appreciate it so much!
Best email client I've ever used. Like really. And I tried many. Love how it keeps you focused on the things that matter, helps you prioritise and gets out of the way. Inbox anxiety? Gone!
And the upcoming mobile version is going to take the awesomeness to a whole other level! Hope its going to be available on both android and ios. Would be a shame if this becomes another "sorry ios only" product.
@jonashaefele So happy to hear Jonas! And don't worry, we're working on both platforms right now 🙂
@0nn0 @stockmarr A curious "lightbulb moment" idea - what if you partnered with something like ProductHunt or Indiehackers, to make a "free" option available? 1 honest, weekly/daily rotating sponsor placement could easily cover the expense. As long as the user chooses the partner, they might even find it a useful service. Then $15/month for die hard minimalists doesn't seem so unreasonable.
@0nn0 @stockmarr Loving it! Also, perhaps you should post Tempo up here: https://getpocket.com/explore/it...
@ki_ss Thanks a ton for the article Ki – super interesting! And yeah, I'm personally not a big fan of ads but perhaps we could find an alternative model like Offscreen mags sponsors etc.
Trying out Tempo now and it's beautiful! I love the focus mode and Im really digging the concept here. One thing I wish I could do quickly is Trash emails instead of just archiving them. What's the reason behind this or how can I do that?
I realize you need to hold Option to change the Archive icon or flip the stack button. Not sure why this is though because there is definitely space for the trash button so why not just add it instead of having to hold Option?
This looks reeeaaally beautiful, but 15$/month is nowhere in the ballpark what I'd be willing to pay for a more beautiful email experience. This is not meant as an offense, just honest feedback of somebody who actually likes to pay a premium for things to look nice and works smoothly.
Are images (and attachments in general) omitted on purpose or just not implemented at this point?
Anyway, best of luck.
@klickreflex Though I do personally value aesthetics, the true value of Tempo comes from the methodology and the habits it helps form. If you haven't already, try it for a month and let me know what you think it's worth, for real, would love to hear!
We support attachments and images etc.
@stockmarr After giving attachments a second try I saw the (very low contrast) info box telling me "Drop here to attach". Unfortunately this doesn't allow to put images inline with the message, which is something I do rather often to explain things going on in screenshots.
Hi everyone – and thanks Tomaž!
We started Tempo because we found ourselves spending more and more time in our inboxes while being the proudest of the work we did outside of them. So we decided to build a different email client from the idea that email in itself is not a goal.
We’ve designed Tempo to help us build better habits around how we work with email.
- We’re optimising for a better work life – not more emails sent per minute.
- Give us the tools to take control of our time
- Enable us to focus to do our best work, whether that’s design, code, slides or an actual email.
It won’t be for everyone, but we’re confident it will be extraordinary for some.
Let us know how it works for you and, as always, pet peeves and ideas are more than welcome!
Best,
Sebastian
Whoa, just downloaded. Super impressed. Had high hopes for Superhuman, but ditched it after a few months. Looking forward to giving Tempo a long spin.
@dannygreer Happy to hear that! If you ever have a question or comment while giving Tempo a spin, be sure to reach out. We value every piece of feedback.
Tempo saved my sanity after Google discontinued Inbox. I'm not sure about spending less time checking emails, because I can't live for too long without a dose of Tempo's gorgeous UI. Be sure to check out their Twitter, they post amazing images there they probably use as inspiration for Tempo's look and feel. Oh, and the sound and illustration and copy when you finish going through your inbox — feels amazing every time. Top notch.
I guess I don't really need to rant on pricing. There is a limit to what people would feel comfortable paying, and I think a combination of 7-10 with premium features could be one option. That said the UI/UX is phenomenal and highly recommend! Happy customer for 3+ months. You actually do focus on the writing and less on anything else.
@artivilla Thanks Arti. Yes, hearing loud and clear on the pricing. We ll surely have another thought about that. In the meantime, please keep sending your feedback!
Feedback for @stockmarr and team:
Nice work. Barriers for me are
- make the keyboard shortcuts more obvious
- allow people to know what's happening to those emails, eg if I mark as todo, is that the same as starring in gmail, so I can use both side by side?
- it's still not clear how I do a normal reply or send an attachment
- allow sending attachments in quickreply
@stockmarr @eddowding Thanks Ed, great comments. Right now we apply labels to Gmail, so when you mark something as To do it gets a Tempo/To-do label on gmail. It works pretty well for compatibility with gmail's mobile app while we are busy launching our own mobile version. You can only reply and send an attachment from the workspace, I know it is annoying at first but the point is: unless it is a (real) quick thing, you shouldn't do it on the fly. Attachments on quick reply are a hot discussion topic in the team. We'll surely consider your input.
@stockmarr @stefanozorzi it'd be great if it used the gmail star or a label which allowed it to interoperate with Spark / Superhuman / etc. It would help adoption since I don't want to lose the work I've already put into triaging.
@stefanozorzi @eddowding We experimented with it but the risk is that some people would get 10 years of starred messages in their to do list when signing up. Might be worth a second shot with a "since you started using Tempo"-filter or similar. Will give it a second thought!
I just signed up for the beta the other day and I'm loving the minimalism of the app. One thing I'm missing though is the delete/trash button. I only archive mail I want to keep, the rest I delete.
Any plans of adding a trash button? @stockmarr
@danaudne Hold the Option ⌥ key and the archive buttons switch to delete. We've been talking about making a general setting for the default.
@stockmarr @danaudne I’d love to just have both buttons. I use both the delete and the archive functions all the time. I don’t want to have a single button that does both when there is so much space where a second button could be ;)
Granted it's been less than a day but I really enjoy the workflow that Tempo has placed around email. Constraints are very important to me. Tempo + smart Gmail Filters is a massive shift in the right direction.
Once the mobile app is released, I'll be more than happy to switch from Spark to Tempo fully.
ps. when you do release a mobile app for iOS, please include Siri Shortcuts integrations 👨🚀
@stockmarr
Good Job!
I have a few questions:
1) How you validate your email base and customer email base? Could you please test a proofy.io (https://www.producthunt.com/post...) for these tasks?
2) what you're different between your competitors?
As soon as I got beta access to tempo I ditched every other client (including superhuman) and haven't regretted it for a second!
I use the beta for some weeks now, and I like the design and funktionality. But please consider a settings option to ditch workspace and only use inbox – or at least a way to make inbox Tempo's starting page. I don't get that much mail, and inbox view is totally enough for me.
Also choosing whether to have "collapse mail" on top and/or bottom would be nice.
Best email client ever! ❤️Happy to pay for it, because I wanna be productive and also have my data safe. It will definitely worth it.🚀
@evapavlikova Thanks a lot for supporting us along the way Eva, much appreciated!
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