8 Best Apps to Email Yourself
on iPhone (2026)
We installed and tested every major "email yourself" and "note to self" app on the App Store. Here are the results: launch speed, send time, offline support, encryption, pricing, and who each app is best for.
The best app to email yourself on iPhone in 2026 depends on your priority. Email Me has the fastest send (0.4s, auto-closes after sending). SimpleMemo ties for fastest launch (1.0s) and is the only app with offline AES-GCM encryption. Pigeon has the fastest cold launch at 0.8s. Boomerang (4.9/5, 206 ratings) is completely free. Note To Self Mail (4.8/5, 360 ratings) offers SMTP support for maximum privacy. For power users who need text processing before sending, Drafts is unmatched but slowest to launch (1.5s). Free built-in alternatives include iOS Shortcuts (1-tap custom workflow) and Apple Notes + Share Sheet (no extra app needed, 4+ taps).
- Device: iPhone 15 Pro, iOS 17.x
- Network: Wi-Fi (same network for all tests)
- Cold start: App fully terminated before each launch test
- Launch speed: Time from icon tap to keyboard-ready state, measured from screen recording timestamps (up to 3 runs, median reported)
- Send speed: Time from send button tap to completion UI (toast notification, screen clear, or app exit), measured from screen recording timestamps
- Taps: Minimum taps from icon tap to send complete, excluding keyboard input
- Pricing: Verified on App Store as of March 2026
All times are video timestamp estimates, not 240fps frame-counted. Network latency can cause variation in send speed (e.g., Boomerang ranged from 1.0s to 2.2s across runs). All accounts and subscriptions were pre-configured before testing. Pigeon, Drafts, Apple Notes, and iOS Shortcuts send speeds were not captured in test videos.
Quick Comparison Table
| App | Launch | Send | Taps | Offline | Encryption | Apple Watch | Price | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SimpleMemo | 1.0s | 1.0s | 2 | Yes (encrypted) | AES-GCM | No | Free / $2.99/mo | 5.0 |
| Boomerang | 1.0s | 1.6s | 2 | No | No | No | Free | 4.9 (206) |
| Note To Self Mail | 1.0s | 1.1s | 2 | Queue | Via SMTP/TLS | Yes | Free / $4.99 Pro | 4.8 (360) |
| Email Me (Memos) | 1.0s | 0.4s | 2 | No | No | Yes | Free / $9.99/yr | 4.7 (est.) |
| Pigeon | 0.8s | -- | 2 | No | No | Yes | Free / $1.99/mo | 4.5 (13) |
| Drafts | 1.5s | -- | 3+ | Yes | No | Yes | Free / $4.99/mo | 4.8 (est.) |
| Apple Notes + Mail | 1.2s | -- | 4+ | Yes (Notes) | iCloud | N/A | Free | N/A |
| iOS Shortcuts | -- | -- | 1 | No | No | No | Free | N/A |
Launch = median of up to 3 cold-start runs. Send = median of up to 2 runs. "--" = not yet captured in test videos. See methodology.
Send UX: "Stay" vs "Leave" Design
Our testing revealed two distinct design philosophies for what happens after you hit send:
SimpleMemo and Boomerang keep you on the input screen after sending. A toast notification ("Sent to [address]!" / "Boomerang sent!") confirms delivery, and the text field clears. This is ideal for firing off multiple memos in a row.
Email Me takes the most aggressive approach: it auto-closes the app entirely after sending, returning you to the home screen. Combined with its 0.4s send speed, this makes it the fastest "fire and forget" option -- you tap send and you are instantly back to whatever you were doing.
Note To Self Mail clears the text and transitions to an outbox view, confirming the message is queued for delivery via your SMTP server.
Detailed Reviews
SimpleMemo is a purpose-built "email yourself" app inspired by the discontinued Captio. In our testing it launched in a median of 1.0 seconds (range: 0.8-1.0s across 3 runs) with no splash screen, thanks to raw UIKit construction (no Storyboards, no SwiftUI). Send speed measured at 1.0s, with a "Sent to [address]!" toast confirmation. Notes are sent via Cloudflare Workers + Resend API. The standout feature is its offline architecture: notes are encrypted with AES-GCM on-device and stored in a local outbox. When connectivity returns, they send automatically. Your memos are never stored on any server.
The free plan allows 3 sends per day indefinitely. Premium ($2.99/month or $29.99/year) unlocks unlimited sends. A 7-day free trial with unlimited sends is included.
Boomerang is a straightforward, fully free app with an outstanding 4.9/5 rating from 206 reviews. Set your email address once, then send notes with a single tap. The interface is minimal and distraction-free. It supports multiple destination email addresses, which is useful if you separate personal and work notes.
No premium tier exists -- the entire app is free. It lacks offline support and encryption. In our testing, launch speed was 1.0s and send speed ranged from 1.0s to 2.2s depending on network conditions (median 1.6s). After sending, a "Boomerang sent!" toast appears and the text clears, keeping you in the app for follow-up notes.
Note To Self Mail (4.8/5, 360 ratings) is the most established app in this category. Its unique selling point is SMTP support -- you can use your own email server to send, meaning your notes never pass through a third-party service. This makes it the most privacy-conscious option for users who control their own email infrastructure.
The free version covers basic note-to-email. The Pro upgrade adds OmniFocus/Things integration, file and photo attachments via Share Sheet, and rapid-fire sending. Apple Watch support is included. Originally a German app, it has strong recognition in Europe.
Email Me covers the broadest set of platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch. It was featured on the Rich On Tech podcast in 2025 and appears in GitHub's awesome-mac list. The core workflow is similar -- open, type, send -- with the addition of voice memos and photo attachments.
The free tier is ad-supported. Premium ($9.99/year) removes ads and unlocks advanced features. Email Me had the fastest send speed in our testing at just 0.4s (median of 2 runs), and it auto-closes the app after sending -- returning you to the home screen instantly. This "fire and forget" design makes it the speed champion for single-note workflows.
Pigeon is a newer entrant focused on one-tap emailing with Apple Watch support. The tagline "Use your inbox as your second brain" targets productivity-focused users. It supports sending notes, links, reminders, and ideas. The Share Sheet integration lets you email yourself content from any app.
Still building its user base (13 ratings), but the 4.5/5 rating suggests solid quality. The free tier is available with a $1.99/month premium option.
Drafts is not a dedicated email-yourself app -- it is a text capture powerhouse with an extensive action system. You can configure a Mail Action to send notes to yourself, but the workflow requires more taps than purpose-built alternatives. Where Drafts shines is if you need to process text before sending: append to a note, format as Markdown, split into tasks, then email.
Drafts launched at a median of 1.5s in our testing -- the slowest in this comparison -- due to a dark-gray splash screen with logo that displays for roughly 0.5 seconds before the input view appears. Send speed was not measured because the email action requires navigating through the action menu (3+ taps total). The free version works for basic capture. Pro ($4.99/month or $29.99/year) unlocks actions, themes, and workspaces. Apple Watch and Mac support are included.
If you refuse to install another app, Apple Notes with the Share Sheet is the simplest alternative. Write a note in Apple Notes, tap Share, select Mail, and send to yourself. The workflow involves 5+ taps and is significantly slower than dedicated apps, but it requires zero downloads and zero accounts.
The main disadvantage is friction. Every send requires choosing the recipient, confirming the subject, and tapping send in the Mail compose screen. This adds enough steps that many users stop bothering after a few days.
iOS Shortcuts lets you build a custom "send to self" workflow for free. Create a shortcut that prompts for text input and sends it via the Mail action to your own address. Add it to your home screen for one-tap access. The result is a functional, zero-cost email-yourself solution.
The limitations: no dedicated UI (you get a system dialog), no offline queue, no send history, and the initial setup requires some technical comfort with the Shortcuts app. For developers and tinkerers, this is a perfectly valid approach.
Which App Should You Choose?
You want the fastest send speed: Email Me (0.4s send, auto-closes app after sending).
You want speed + offline + encryption: SimpleMemo (1.0s launch, 1.0s send, AES-GCM encrypted offline queue).
You want completely free with no catch: Boomerang (fully free, 4.9/5 rating, no ads).
You care most about privacy: Note To Self Mail (SMTP support -- your notes never touch a third-party server).
You need Apple Watch + Mac support: Email Me or Drafts (both support iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch).
You process text before sending: Drafts (actions, Markdown, append-to-note, then email).
You refuse to install any app: Apple Notes + Share Sheet or iOS Shortcuts (free, built-in).
You used Captio and want the closest replacement: SimpleMemo (same philosophy: launch, type, send, clear).
What Happened to Captio?
Captio was the original "email yourself" app, launched in 2012 and beloved by GTD practitioners. It was discontinued in late 2024 when its cloud service was shut down and the app was removed from the App Store. The likely cause was its dependency on Gmail API, which Google progressively restricted for third-party apps. All 8 apps in this comparison can serve as Captio replacements. For a detailed Captio migration guide, see our Captio Alternative page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest app to email yourself on iPhone?
In our testing, Pigeon had the fastest cold launch at 0.8s. SimpleMemo, Boomerang, Note To Self Mail, and Email Me all launched in about 1.0s. Apple Notes took 1.2s. Drafts was slowest at 1.5s due to its splash screen. For send speed, Email Me was fastest at 0.4s (auto-closes app), followed by SimpleMemo at 1.0s and Note To Self Mail at 1.1s.
Can I email myself notes for free?
Yes. Most email-yourself apps offer free tiers. SimpleMemo allows 3 free sends per day. Boomerang is fully free. Note To Self Mail is free with a pro upgrade for power features. You can also use the built-in iOS Shortcuts app to create a free send-to-self workflow with zero cost.
What happened to the Captio app?
Captio was discontinued in late 2024 and removed from the App Store. Its cloud service was shut down, likely due to its dependency on Gmail API. SimpleMemo, Note To Self Mail, and Email Me are popular replacements that offer the same core functionality.
Which email-yourself app works offline?
SimpleMemo and Drafts both support offline note capture. SimpleMemo stores offline memos in an encrypted outbox (AES-GCM) and auto-sends when connectivity returns. Most other apps require an internet connection to send.
Is emailing yourself notes better than using a note app?
It depends on your workflow. If you already check email daily and want zero extra apps to manage, emailing yourself is simpler and ensures notes get seen. Notes land in your inbox alongside to-dos and messages. If you need rich formatting, notebooks, or collaboration, a dedicated note app like Notion or Apple Notes is better.
Do these apps work with Gmail, Outlook, and other providers?
Yes. SimpleMemo, Boomerang, Email Me, and Pigeon all work with any email provider including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail, iCloud Mail, and corporate email. Note To Self Mail uses your own SMTP account for maximum privacy and works with any SMTP-compatible provider.
https://simplememofast.com/en/send-email-to-yourself/