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The best AI email assistants for Gmail, compared
There is no single best one, because they solve different problems. Superhuman is a paid email client with AI built in, and Shortwave is one with a limited free plan. Fyxer and SaneBox work on the inbox you already use. Missive is built around shared inboxes. Spark is a client with a free plan. Gemini in Gmail is Google's own and comes with Gmail. Donezo Inbox, which publishes this page, is Gmail and Google Workspace, Outlook on the roadmap, free for one inbox and $29/year for Pro. Prices below were read from each vendor's own page on October 20, 2026.
How are they compared?
Nothing here was benchmarked or used for a trial period: this page compares what each vendor's own page says, against the same questions, and says "not stated" where a page was silent. The questions are the ones that decide most purchases:
- Does it work with your mail? Gmail, Outlook or IMAP, as the vendor states it.
- What does one person pay for a year? The cheapest paid plan, at the billing term its page names, plus any free plan or trial.
- What AI does its page name? Drafting, sorting, summaries, search, an agent connector: only what the vendor lists.
- Can the AI act on its own? Whether the page says it can send mail, or drafts and labels only.
- What is left out or unstated? The limits a buyer finds out later.
The rows are grouped by type (clients, then assistants, then Google's own), not ranked, and no product paid to appear.
Which AI email assistants are worth comparing?
| Product | What it is | Works with, as its page states | Price for one person | AI its page names | Not stated or not included |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donezo Inbox | An email client with an opt-in AI assistant and a Claude and Codex connector | Gmail and Google Workspace, Outlook on the roadmap | Free for one inbox. Pro $29/year. | Labels, spots what needs a reply, drafts in your tone and never sends. AI with your own key or a model on your computer is free. | No Outlook or IMAP. Shared inboxes are on the Team plan. Hosted AI and the always-on background assistant need Pro. |
| Superhuman Mail | A paid email client | Not stated on its plans page | Starter $25 per member per month billed annually ($300 a year). Business $33. | Superhuman AI on Starter; Business adds Auto Drafts, Ask AI, Custom Auto Labels and a Superhuman Mail MCP, per its plans page | No free plan or trial shown on the plans page. |
| Fyxer | An assistant that works in the inbox you already use | Gmail and Outlook (it offers both) | Free (400 credits a month, no inbox sorting or drafts). Pro $37 per month billed annually ($444 a year), $49 monthly. | Drafts in your tone, automatic labels, meeting notes, follow-up lists | AI work draws on credits. Its page gives a 14-day trial on one card and says there is no free trial in its FAQ. |
| Shortwave | An email client with AI | Gmail and Google Workspace natively; other providers only by connecting them to a Gmail account, per its FAQ | Free plan, and Pro at $18 per seat per month on its Individual tab (no billing term shown). Business $30 per seat per month ($360 a year at that price). Premier $45. Max $120. No annual price shown. | AI search, filters, summaries, autocomplete and attachment analysis on Business | 14-day trial on paid plans. A free plan with a limited AI quota is listed on the Individual tab. |
| Spark Mail | An email client | Not stated on its pricing page | Free. Plus €10 per month (€99 a year). Pro €22 per month (€229 a year). Prices are in euros. | Spark +AI in Plus and Pro, off by default with a monthly quota | Free plan has Smart Inbox, unlimited accounts and a calendar. 7-day trial on Plus and Pro. |
| Missive | A client built around shared inboxes | Gmail and Google Workspace, Outlook and IMAP | Starter $14 per user per month billed yearly ($168 a year), up to 5 users. | No AI listed on Starter. Its comparison grid shows the AI assistant, AI drafts and rules, summaries, bring-your-own-key and MCP on Productive and above | Built for teams. 30-day free trial. Productive, the cheapest plan with AI, is $24 per user per month billed yearly. |
| SaneBox | A filter that sorts the inbox you already use; not an email client | All email clients, per its pricing page | $4.54 a month on a two-year term (about $54 a year), read October 15, 2026 and again October 20, 2026 with the same figure. | No AI named on its pricing page | 7-day free trial. |
| Gemini in Gmail | Google's own AI inside Gmail | Gmail | Included for personal accounts in the US for some features; paid Google AI plans and Workspace editions add more | Help me write, summaries, suggested replies, search answers | Availability depends on country, language and plan, and Google's own pages differ on some plans. |
"Not stated" means the page I read did not say, not that the product lacks it. Fyxer's trial wording contradicts itself on its own page, so both statements are shown. Prices for Superhuman, Fyxer, Shortwave, Spark and Missive were re-read on October 20, 2026 and matched the value index.
What does each cost for one person for a year?
| Product | Cheapest paid plan | Per year | Billing term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donezo Inbox | Pro | $29 | Yearly only |
| Missive | Starter (no AI listed) | $168 | Billed yearly. Productive, the cheapest plan with AI, is $24 per user per month |
| Superhuman Mail | Starter | $300 | Billed annually |
| Shortwave | Business | $360 | Billed monthly (no annual price shown). Its Individual tab also lists Free and Pro at $18 per seat per month |
| Fyxer | Pro | $444 | Billed annually ($588 billed monthly) |
| Spark Mail | Plus | €99 | Yearly toggle, in euros |
| SaneBox | Snack, 2-year term | about $54 | Billed every 2 years; read October 15, 2026 |
Free options: Donezo Inbox for one inbox, Fyxer's Free plan (400 credits a month, no inbox sorting or drafts), Shortwave's Free plan (limited AI quota), Spark's free plan, and the Gemini features Google includes with Gmail. For seat prices at 1, 5 and 10 people, see the email software value index.
How do these tools differ?
Clients replace the Gmail window: Superhuman Mail, Shortwave, Spark, Missive and Donezo Inbox. You use their screen, and their AI works on the mail it shows you. Assistants and filters sit on the inbox you already use: Fyxer and SaneBox. You keep Gmail as it is. Gemini in Gmail is built into Gmail itself, so there is nothing to install, but what you get depends on your country, language and plan.
Two questions decide most choices: whether you want to leave the Gmail window, and whether AI should only sort and draft or may also act. Donezo Inbox's assistant sorts and drafts and never sends; an agent connected through the connector can send only if you allow it, and by default each send waits for your approval.
Which should you choose?
- Gmail only, one person, low cost: Donezo Inbox (free for one inbox, Pro $29/year), or Spark's free plan if you want a client with no payment at all.
- Outlook or IMAP as well as Gmail: Fyxer (Gmail and Outlook) or Missive (Gmail, Outlook and IMAP). Donezo Inbox is Gmail and Google Workspace today; Outlook and other providers are on its roadmap.
- A shared inbox for a team: Missive is built around one. Donezo Inbox has shared inboxes on its Team plan, which is newer.
- Sorting without changing your email app: SaneBox or Fyxer.
- You already use Superhuman and like it: there is no reason to move for AI alone. The Superhuman alternatives page compares plan by plan.
- You want Claude to work in your mail: see how to connect Claude to Gmail, which compares Anthropic's own connector with Donezo Inbox's.
- You want no new tool: try what Google already gives Gmail. What Gemini in Gmail does, and who gets it.
Where does Donezo Inbox fall short?
- Donezo works with Gmail and Google Workspace today. Outlook and other mail providers are on the roadmap. On the roadmap: Android and Windows apps, single sign-on for teams, and a bot that joins calls. The Mac app is in closed beta (download it here), and the iPhone app is launching soon.
- The free plan covers one inbox; unlimited inboxes, hosted AI and the always-on background assistant need Pro, or a server-side AI key of your own.
- It has not been benchmarked against the other products here for speed or AI accuracy, and this page makes no such claim about any of them.
Pro is $29/year (about $2.42 a month), one yearly plan with no monthly option. The email client is free for one inbox.
How was this page made?
Prices and plan details were read from each vendor's own page on October 20, 2026 (SaneBox first on October 15, 2026 and again on October 20 with the same figure), and Gemini details from Google's own pages on October 21, 2026. Where a page was silent, this page says "not stated". Donezo Inbox publishes this page and competes with the products on it, so read it with that in mind. It has not tested other products' AI. Vendors change prices, so open the linked page before you buy.
Questions
What is the best AI email assistant for Gmail?
It depends on what you want it to do. For a paid client that replaces the Gmail window, compare Superhuman Mail, Shortwave and Donezo Inbox. For AI that works on the inbox you already use, compare Fyxer and SaneBox. For no new tool at all, use what Google includes in Gmail. The table above shows each one's price and what its page says it works with.
Which AI email assistants are free?
Donezo Inbox is free for one inbox, Spark has a free plan, Shortwave has a free plan with a limited AI quota, Fyxer has a free plan with 400 credits a month but no inbox sorting or drafts, and Google includes some Gemini features in Gmail for personal accounts in the US. Free plans differ a great deal in what they include.
Which AI email assistants work with both Gmail and Outlook?
Fyxer's page offers Gmail and Outlook, and Missive's lists Gmail, Outlook and IMAP. Donezo Inbox works with Gmail and Google Workspace today, and Outlook is on the roadmap.
Can an AI email assistant send email without me?
That is a setting to check in each product. Donezo Inbox's assistant never sends: it labels and drafts, and you press send. An AI agent connected through its connector can send only if you switch that on, and by default each send waits for your approval. For other products, read their own pages.
Is Gemini in Gmail an AI email assistant?
In part. Google's pages describe drafting help, thread summaries, suggested replies and search answers, available in different forms by country, language and plan. See the dedicated page for what it does and does not do.
Why is Donezo Inbox on a list it publishes?
Because it competes in the same category, and leaving it out would hide that. Its limits have their own section, every price comes from the vendor's page with the date it was read, and "not stated" is used where a page was silent. Read it with that in mind.
Try Donezo Inbox on sample mail
Free for one inbox, and the demo needs no sign-in. Pro is $29/year if you want more.