Mailshade vs Ugly Email
Ugly Email has 50K+ users and a 4.5-star rating — it is open source and reliably identifies tracking domains in Gmail. But identifying is not blocking: when Ugly Email marks a message, the 1×1 pixel request still fires. The sender still receives your IP, your device, and the timestamp of when you opened it. Mailshade takes the opposite approach: a chrome.declarativeNetRequest rule intercepts the pixel request before it reaches the network. Nothing is sent. That block works across Gmail, Outlook, Office 365, Superhuman, Yahoo Mail, and ProtonMail — Ugly Email covers only Gmail. Mailshade also records every blocked event in local IndexedDB and renders a per-sender dashboard via Recharts, so you can see which senders repeatedly attempt tracking. Ugly Email has no reporting layer beyond the eye icon.
What Ugly Email does well
Ugly Email is open-source, has a long track record, and delivers a clear signal in Gmail — the eye icon is unambiguous. For users who want a zero-config indicator and never leave Gmail, it has earned its install base.
Where Ugly Email falls short
The warning model is the core gap: Ugly Email marks the message but the pixel loads anyway. The open leaks to the sender. Maintenance has been sparse since 2022, and there is no support for Outlook, Superhuman, Yahoo, Office 365, or ProtonMail. There is also no reporting — no way to audit how many times a given sender has attempted tracking you across multiple messages.
What Mailshade adds
Mailshade uses declarativeNetRequest (DNR) rules to cancel tracker network requests before they fire. It also unwraps click-tracking redirect links so clicking a URL in an email does not phone home. A Recharts dashboard shows each sender's tracking attempt history. Source is published under AGPL-3.0 at github.com/mailshade/mailshade — auditable like Ugly Email, but active.
When Ugly Email is the right pick
If you use only Gmail, want a simple no-config indicator, and are comfortable with the warning-not-block trade-off, Ugly Email is a reasonable choice. It has a longer track record in Gmail and requires no account or payment.
FAQ
Does Ugly Email actually block tracking pixels or only show an icon?
Ugly Email shows an eye icon on messages that contain known trackers, but it does not prevent the pixel from loading. The open event is still logged by the sender. Mailshade cancels the request via declarativeNetRequest before it fires, so no open signal is sent.
Does Mailshade work in email clients other than Gmail?
Yes. Mailshade supports Gmail, Outlook (web), Office 365, Superhuman, Yahoo Mail, and ProtonMail — 6 clients in total. Ugly Email is Gmail-only.
Is Mailshade open source like Ugly Email?
Yes. Mailshade is published under AGPL-3.0 at github.com/mailshade/mailshade. Both tools are open source; the difference is Mailshade is actively maintained and covers more clients.
Does Mailshade send any inbox data to a server?
No. Blocked events and block-lists are stored locally in IndexedDB on your device. No analytics, no servers handling your inbox. The only network interaction is the Polar checkout for a paid license.
How much does Mailshade cost?
Paid plans start at $3.99/month or $19 one-time (Founders Lifetime, first 1000 seats). Pricing is at mailshade.org/#pricing.
Will blocking tracking pixels break emails I want to load normally?
Mailshade targets known tracking domains via a DNR blocklist. Images served from non-tracking domains — product photos, logos, inline newsletter images — load normally. Receipts and transactional emails are not affected.