# Spark Mail vs black.com

The clearest difference is rating: Spark Mail at 4.6 against black.com's 3.6. Spark Mail also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (82K vs 9). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Spark Mail sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and black.com sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Spark Mail holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spark Mail has 82K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Spark Mail's written reviews are positive against 67% of black.com's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Spark Mail ships an update weekly, black.com every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spark Mail | black.com |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (82K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spark-mail-ai-email-assistant/id997102246/reviews)** | [3.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackcom-encrypted-email/id1576695864/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **82K** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 61.4% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#143** | — |
| Size | 382 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Readdle Technologies Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/285035419) | [black.com GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1576695866) |

## What reviewers say

### Spark Mail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spark-mail-ai-email-assistant/id997102246)

**Currently charting:** #143 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

Streamline your email and calendar management with an AI-powered assistant. Organize multiple accounts, declutter your inbox with smart sorting, and use AI to draft replies, summarize threads, and manage your schedule efficiently.

**Highlights:** Unified inbox for multiple email accounts, AI-powered email summarization and drafting, Smart Inbox for prioritizing emails, Calendar management and meeting scheduling, Gatekeeper for sender screening, Team collaboration on emails, Integrations with productivity apps

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Wallet, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spark Premium | $7.99 | per month |
| Spark Plus Monthly | $10.00 | per month |
| Spark Premium | $11.99 | per month |
| Spark Pro Monthly | $20.00 | per month |
| Get Spark Premium | $41.99 | per year |
| Spark Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Get Spark Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Spark Plus Annual | $99.00 | per year |
| Get Spark Premium | $119.99 | per year |
| Spark Pro Annual | $199.00 | per year |
| Regular Powerbank | $4.99 | one-time |
| Big Powerbank | $9.99 | one-time |
| Huge Powerbank | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent email management features
- 👍 Clean and intuitive user interface
- 📂 Effective email organization and categorization
- ⏱️ Efficient workflow with snooze, scheduling, and templates
- 💻 Seamless cross-device experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional sync and stability issues
- 🔒 Concerns over privacy and data usage
- 💰 Aggressive push for paid subscription
- 📥 Unreliable notification delivery
- 🔍 Inconsistent search functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Emails disappearing from the inbox
- Delayed email delivery and sync
- Crashes and freezes when opening the app
- Issues with Exchange calendar and account sync
- Incorrect email grouping and threading

**Requested features**

- Improved spam filtering and email blocking
- Option to disable email threading
- Better calendar integration and management
- Customizable email signatures and layouts
- Expanded third-party app integrations


### black.com

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blackcom-encrypted-email/id1576695864)

Secure and encrypted email with a personalized @black.com address. Features AI writing tools for effortless composition, unlimited storage, and alias addresses to manage spam. Protects your data with zero-access encryption and app-based two-factor authentication.

**Highlights:** Personalized @black.com email address, Zero-access encryption, AI-powered email composition, Unlimited storage (25GB + annual increase), Spam-free alias addresses, App-based two-factor authentication

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Membership | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spark Mail free?

Spark Mail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is black.com free?

black.com is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Spark Mail or black.com?

Spark Mail is rated higher. Spark Mail averages 4.6 out of 5 from 82K ratings, while black.com averages 3.6 from 9 ratings.

### Do Spark Mail or black.com have ads?

Neither Spark Mail nor black.com shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spark Mail or black.com?

Spark Mail ships an update weekly, and black.com every 6 weeks. Most recently, Spark Mail was updated on September 25, 2026 and black.com on September 17, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*