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: chrome.declarativeNetRequest rules intercept requests to known tracker-pixel domains before they reach the network, so those requests send no open signal. That block works across Gmail, Outlook, Office 365, Superhuman, Yahoo Mail, and ProtonMail — Ugly Email covers only Gmail. Mailshade also records detected tracker occurrences 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 requests to known tracker-pixel domains before they fire. It also detects known click-tracking redirect patterns locally and lets you choose the direct destination or the original tracked URL. A Recharts dashboard shows each sender's tracker-detection history. Source is published under AGPL-3.0 at mailshade.org/source/ — 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. Mailshade cancels requests to known tracker-pixel domains via declarativeNetRequest before they fire, so those requests send no open signal.
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 mailshade.org/source/. 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?
Core inbox history is not sent to Mailshade servers. Tracker history stays in local IndexedDB with sender and opaque message context, while settings can use Chrome Sync. Paid actions contact Mailshade's auth service and Polar; optional privacy-filtered Hawk crash reports are off by default.
How much does Mailshade cost?
Core protection remains free after a 14-day Pro trial. Paid Pro 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 rather than disabling every image. Images served from other domains can load normally.