Tomaž Štolfa

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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Rien Termeulen
Looks quite nice! But $15/m is a bit steep for just e-mailing, right?
Stefano Zorzi
@shrien Hi! yes, we are aware that 15 usd a month can be a lot for many people. Our goal is to build an independent company that can sustain itself by providing a great product and a great service to users. The reality of free products is simple: either they end up selling your data or selling the company to return investor money. And we don't really want to do either of that. On whether "just e-mailing" is worth 15 usd this is of course a fair comment. We have a lot of ideas of how to improve the product and maybe extend to other areas of the productivity stack. Stay tuned!
Rien Termeulen
@stefanozorzi Thanks for your reply! I really want to try out Tempo, but all the hassle of switching between E-mail clients is just not worth it if it means I have to pay a monthly fee after the beta. I'd rather go with a free account with the possibility of later on going for the payed account with more features than the free account. I'll stay tuned tho, keep up the good work!
Stefano Zorzi
@shrien that's great input, thanks! a freemium model is also something we are considering.
Adan Vielma
@shrien @stefanozorzi Take the comments here with a grain of salt, we're all product owners so not the best source of price validation... but for sure consider price testing. $15 is arbitrary value, you should feed in more user cases to determine each one's expected value then directly market to those that exceed your minimum return expectation.
Anna Filou
@shrien @stefanozorzi Well, if 100 people subscribe to the 15$/mo model, you get 1500$/mo. If the price was say half of that, at 7.5$/mo, more people would find the offering attractive and you'd get, say, 200 subscribers. You get 1500$/mo still but more people can enjoy the product you worked so hard to build => you help more people and lose nothing! I'm obviously not a pro at this, but sounds reasonable. Thoughts?
Sebastian Stockmarr
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
Primer
Really like the looks of this. I used Superhuman for about 7 months and eventually decided I was paying for hype. I’ll give this a try as it looks genuinely different.
Onno Schwanen
@mickc79 Thanks Mick! Would love to hear your feedback once you've given it a go!
Primer
@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 $15 a month, forever.
Onno Schwanen
@mickc79 Thanks for taking the time to try it out and sharing your feedback!
Anna Filou
@0nn0 @mickc79 I agree. Perhaps a one-time purchase to unlock more features would work better. And then, once new features are released, the user could pay once more to unlock the new features forever—but that would be optional! So they'd be able to keep using the initial features they used forever :D
Tomaž Štolfa
I've been a happy user of Tempo since one of the first beta releases. It's a unique take on email, decoupling triage, quick replies and longer more thoughtful answers in an elegant way. Tempo helped stay on top of email with less stress. Can't wait for the mobile and iPad versions as well. On top of that Tempo is built by a very privacy focused group, with a business model that makes the project sustainable in the long run.
Elijah D7r
@tomazstolfa @stefanozorzi can elborate on the statement "a very privacy focused group". What exactly do you mean by that?
-drik S.
@tomazstolfa @stefanozorzi You're (admitted: very good) service is a nice interface for #gmail. Working with Google is not what I consider "privacy focused"...
Daniel Wentsch
This looks reeeaaally beautiful, but 15$/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.
Sebastian Stockmarr
@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.
Daniel Wentsch
@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.
Roman Davydko
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.
Sebastian Stockmarr
@roman_davydko Thanks for the kind words – your comment made my day 🙏
Edward
How long till the android app launches in beta?
Onno Schwanen
@edward1 Hi Edward, we aim to launch the iOS version this fall, with Android following in the weeks after.
Sarp
I've been a user of Tempo since from the very early days, maybe the earliest beta release. I do love the simplicity and the focus it brings my day to day. One thing I should point out here is the visual design. All the details are well though through and feels very refreshing by style. Even the waiting, loading animations are beautiful and very different than the style you see in every software nowadays.
Lui Kohl
Does Tempo only work with Gmail? I could only find an option to login with Gmail. If so I feel this should be mentioned somewhere on the landing page.
Sebastian Stockmarr
@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.
Lui Kohl
@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! :)
Anna Filou
@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!
Anna Filou
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.
Anna Filou
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.
Anna Filou
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 🤞🏻
Sebastian Stockmarr
@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!
Anna Filou
@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.
Devesh Kumar
Very clean and minimal. Love using it. However I am really worried about the pricing.
Sebastian Stockmarr
@onosmosis Thanks Devesh. I think we need to be more worried about "free" in general haha. What part of the pricing is worrying to you?
Danny Greer
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.
Onno Schwanen
@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.
Edison Espinosa
this is what Superhuman should be, great work though price point is ehh as all of these productivity things all tie back to self control which everyone has to learn
Sebastian Stockmarr
@edisonjoao6871 Glad to hear! And yeah self-control is the key and exactly why we won't start charging until the mobile app is out which will keep away the all too easy mobile inbox peek. Hope you'll find it a bargain once we get there and let me know how it goes once you've had a chance to try it out for a bit.
Erc Vider
Tempo is a breath of fresh air in a cluttered email client product world. Been using it since the early days and you can quickly see that Sebastian and the team made this with a clear goal of freeing user from the daily email routines that were not perfect. Typography is simple and honest, layout is innovative and well thought and the whole experience of going through your emails is crisp and effortless. Also cant wait for the Mobile version to finally delete my other clients. Keep up the good work guys. Much love from Slovenia <3
Lasse Kristensen
It's such a new way of doing email. In the beginning you kind of have to get used to the fact that you're in control and not the other way around - but it really grows on you.
Jonas Haefele
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.
Sebastian Stockmarr
@jonashaefele So happy to hear Jonas! And don't worry, we're working on both platforms right now 🙂
Marwan
Does it open randomly while in the background like Mail.app does? Because that's a killer feature that I can't live without
Sebastian Stockmarr
@marawan_1997 We'll have to keep working on that sadly 😉
Stefan K
Looks elegant email client I've ever seen. Please don't sell the company I'll subscribe monthly!!🙏
Dan Audne
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
Sebastian 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.
Anna Filou
@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 ;)
Juan Germano
I've used Tempo a while, and I've deleted it and re-downloaded twice, since I always find myself curious to give another try. It's a different email experience, far from what we're used to, and I think that's what keeps me engaged with the idea. From a general standpoint, I really like it. I find it great for a product to encourage me to like email a bit more, and hate it a bit less. As a guy who gets anxious with email notifications, Tempo is definitely a useful tool. Still, I'm not entirely sure how profitable it will be for you guys to run a 100% independent premium email client. There are very little to non premium email clients charging for a subscription out there, since the mass market uses free stuff. Airmail tries to compete by selling a premium product with a non-subscription fixed price. But look at what happened with Newton. Incredible product, couldn't sustain, got sold. Anyway, I just love the idea. It's a weird product, takes a while to get used to, but I'm pretty confident that once you are all in into the Tempo workflow, there's no way back. Sign me up!
Stefano Zorzi
@juan_germano Hi Juan, thanks for being so persistent, much appreciated! Building such a product and making it sustainable is definitely a challenge. But one we are happy to tackle. If people spend so much time on their email, a better product is something a sufficient number of them should be able to pay for. As I mentioned in an earlier comment, we will also look at some freemium model, if that makes sense.