Talanoa

What is Talanoa?

Talanoa is a desktop email client for macOS, Windows, and Linux that treats email as conversation rather than a stack of quoted messages. It combines a people-first inbox with a Kanban board for follow-up work and a calendar beside the inbox, helping users manage correspondence and the actions or scheduling that come from it in one workspace. Messages can be turned into tasks that remain linked to their original threads, while calendar tools support invitations and sharing available times. Talanoa also offers local AI features for searching, summarizing, and drafting, with processing described by the product as taking place on the user’s computer.

What can Talanoa do?

Conversation-style email

Displays thread messages as chat-like bubbles, removing quoted text, signatures, and disclaimers from the reading flow.

Email-linked Kanban tasks

Convert a message into a task and organize it across To do, In progress, and Done. Tasks can retain the original email thread, with due dates, labels, and notes.

Calendar beside the inbox

View the day’s schedule alongside email, handle invitations, and insert conflict-free available time slots or a booking link into a message.

Local AI assistance

On-device tools can search email and attachments, summarize threads, draft replies in a style learned from sent emails, and translate text. Drafts are reviewed before sending.

Inbox organization and cleanup

People-first inbox views, sections, labels, rules, and sender blocking or unsubscribe tools help users sort and manage incoming mail.

Use Cases

“Track work hidden in email”

Turn requests such as reviewing a document or sending a quote into board tasks with due dates, while keeping the source conversation attached for context.

“Arrange a meeting from a message”

Check availability beside the inbox, respond to an invitation, or share open time slots in an email instead of switching to a separate scheduling workflow.

“Catch up on long threads”

Use thread summaries to identify decisions and next steps without reading every message in a lengthy conversation.

“Find information across correspondence”

Ask the local inbox assistant to search messages or attachments in plain language and inspect the sources behind its answer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which desktop platforms does Talanoa support?

Talanoa is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Which email providers can I connect?

Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and iCloud are supported, as are IMAP-compatible providers. Help materials also cover Proton Mail and other providers.

Does Talanoa upload email for its AI features?

Talanoa says its AI model runs on the user’s computer and that emails are not uploaded to a cloud AI service. The product also describes its desktop app as local-only.

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The free plan includes one email account, two blocks or unsubscribes per month, and up to five Kanban tasks. Pro is also available; its published annual-billing equivalent is $7.50 per month, billed as $90 annually.

Can I use Talanoa on a phone?

The iOS and Android apps are in beta. The pricing information says access is arranged through the desktop app’s beta-tester option or by contacting Talanoa.