Mimestream

Neil Jhaveri launched Mimestream in San Francisco in 2020 after years as an iOS/macOS engineer at Apple. Mimestream was a native macOS email client built specifically for Gmail — using Gmail's API rather than IMAP, enabling features that no other email client could offer: native Gmail labels, snooze, send & archive, and keyboard shortcuts that matched Gmail exactly. The app looked and felt like Apple Mail but worked like Gmail's web app with extra polish. Mac power users who loved Gmail but hated the web interface adopted it immediately. Mimestream launched on Product Hunt to strong reception and spread through developer and tech-savvy Mac user communities. Neil charged $49.99/year after a free trial, positioning it as a premium Gmail experience worth paying for. The app consistently received rave reviews on the Mac App Store. Revenue grew to $20k+/month from paying subscribers. Mimestream was later acquired by Google in 2024 — a remarkable outcome for a solo developer's native Mac email client.