offduty

offduty vs Inbox When Ready

The Inbox When Ready alternative that works on every device.

Inbox When Ready hides your Gmail inbox until you click a button. offduty holds email from arriving at all. One is a client-side trick. The other is a server-side hold.

Try offduty free for 30 days

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Two different approaches

offduty

offduty connects to your Gmail via the official API and holds incoming email in a background label. Messages physically do not appear in your inbox until a scheduled delivery time. It works the same on your phone, tablet, and desktop, with no browser extension required.

Inbox When Ready

Inbox When Ready is a Chrome browser extension that hides your inbox UI from view until you choose to reveal it. Email still arrives in real time in the background; it is simply concealed. The extension only functions inside Chrome.

Feature comparison

Feature
offduty
Inbox When Ready
Holds email server-side (not just hidden)
Works on mobile automatically
Works without a browser extension
VIP senders bypass the hold
Do Not Disturb periods
Temporarily lift hold until a set time
Live count of held emails
Multiple Gmail inboxes
Scheduled delivery windows
Free plan available
Starting price (paid)
$4.99 / mo
$4 / mo (annual)

Server-side vs browser-side: a real difference

Inbox When Ready hides your inbox inside Chrome. Email is still arriving; it is just not visible. Offduty holds email at the Gmail API level before it ever touches your inbox. Nothing arrives until the scheduled time. That means the held-email count stays frozen, you cannot accidentally glimpse new messages, and the hold cannot be bypassed by opening Gmail in a different browser or on your phone.

Mobile works automatically

Inbox When Ready has no mobile component. If you have Gmail on your phone, it behaves exactly as normal regardless of the extension. Offduty's hold applies at the account level. The same delivery schedule that controls your desktop inbox controls your phone inbox, your tablet, and any other client connected to that Gmail account.

VIP bypass and scheduled delivery

Offduty lets you add senders, domains, or keywords to a VIP list that always bypasses the hold. You can configure specific delivery times, block delivery during evenings or weekends, and temporarily lift the hold until a time you set. Inbox When Ready does not offer equivalent controls; it shows or hides your inbox as a whole with no per-sender or per-time configuration.

Gmail inbox batching that works everywhere

offduty holds email server-side so your inbox stays quiet on every device, not just Chrome. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

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