Short answer: if your Google Workspace plan includes it, try Gemini in Gmail first for on-request summaries and drafts. If you want drafts prepared in the background for new mail, waiting in your Gmail Drafts folder for you to review, look at Jace, Fyxer or Superhuman's Email Assistant. If you are happy to move to a new Gmail-only app with strong AI search, look at Shortwave. If a team shares an inbox such as support@, look at Gmelius. If you only want less noise and no drafting, look at SaneBox.
This guide was compiled on 9 November 2026. We make Jace. Read the linked vendor pages yourself, because prices and features in this category change every few months.
How we chose and compared
- Must work with Gmail. Each tool connects to Gmail or Google Workspace according to its own pages.
- Sources: each vendor's own pricing page, product page or docs, opened on 9 November 2026 and linked at the end. Shortwave and Gmelius facts come from our comparisons checked on 7 November 2026. No review sites or affiliate lists.
- What we did not do: timed tests or benchmarks. We don't publish "hours saved" numbers. Where a vendor makes a claim, we say so.
- What we compared: whether it drafts without being asked and whether it can send without you. We also noted where you work (Gmail itself or another app) and the list price for one person.
Quick picks for Gmail
| Tool | Best for | Where you work | Drafts without being asked | List price for one person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gemini in Gmail | Workspace users whose plan includes it | Gmail | No, on request | Included from Workspace Business Starter, listed at $7 per user a month |
| Jace | Drafts waiting in Gmail, reviewed before sending | Gmail, plus the Jace web app | Yes, for the labels you choose | $20 a month billed yearly, $25 monthly |
| Fyxer | Drafts plus a meeting notetaker | Gmail | Yes | Free plan. Pro $37 billed yearly, $49 monthly |
| Superhuman Email Assistant | Four basics at a low price | Gmail | Yes | Pro $12 billed yearly, $15 monthly |
| Shortwave | A new AI-first app for Gmail | The Shortwave app | Through its sister product Tasklet | Free plan. Paid from $14 billed yearly, $18 monthly |
| Gmelius | Teams sharing an inbox in Gmail | Gmail | Yes, Meli and AI agents | From $19 billed yearly, $21 monthly |
| SaneBox | Filtering the noise without drafting | Your mailbox, with SaneBox folders | Not a drafting tool | From $4.54 a month billed every two years |
The 7 options
1. Gemini in Gmail
Google's AI sits inside Gmail. It summarises threads and drafts or refines emails when you ask. Google's Workspace pricing page lists the "Gemini AI assistant in Gmail" from the Business Starter plan, at $7 per user a month. A temporary discount was shown on 9 November 2026.
- Fits: Workspace users who want help on demand at no extra cost.
- Watch-outs: it works when you ask. It doesn't prepare drafts for new mail in the background.
- Compared in depth: Jace vs Gmail's built-in AI.
2. Jace
Jace connects to Gmail or Google Workspace and works in the background. It labels new mail with Gmail labels and writes reply drafts for the labels you pick, such as Needs Reply. Drafts go to your normal Gmail Drafts folder, so they appear on your phone too. They use the full thread, attachments, your calendar, your rules and your writing style (Drafting). Threads in Waiting get a follow-up draft after 3 days without a reply. Flows let you write automations in plain English, and Jace connects to Slack, Google Drive, HubSpot and other tools.
- Fits: people who answer their own client email, such as lawyers and consultants, and anyone who wants drafts reviewed before sending.
- Watch-outs: no native mobile app yet. No shared inbox or team assignments.
- Price: Plus $25 a month or $20 billed yearly, with 2 inboxes. Pro $50 or $40 billed yearly, with 8 inboxes. 7-day free trial (pricing).
- Setup and permissions: Jace for Gmail.
3. Fyxer
Fyxer signs up with Google or Microsoft, sorts the inbox, drafts replies in your tone and takes meeting notes. Its pricing page lists a Free plan, Pro at $37 per person a month billed yearly or $49 monthly, and Team at $64 or $99. Paid plans have a 14-day trial.
- Fits: people who want email drafting and meeting notes in one product.
- Compared in depth: Jace vs Fyxer.
4. Superhuman Email Assistant
Launched on 3 November 2026, Email Assistant runs inside Gmail and Outlook. It labels mail, drafts replies in your voice, reminds you about unanswered threads and archives low-priority mail. Superhuman says it never sends for you. It is in Pro at $12 a month billed yearly or $15 monthly (plans).
- Fits: people who want those basics at a low price and never want the tool to send.
- Compared in depth: Superhuman Email Assistant vs Jace.
5. Shortwave
Shortwave is an AI-first email app for Gmail with an assistant that searches and summarises your history. It points to its sister product, Tasklet, for background drafting. It works with Gmail and Google Workspace only.
- Fits: Gmail users who want a new app with strong AI search.
- Compared in depth: Jace vs Shortwave, with pricing sources.
6. Gmelius
Gmelius turns Gmail into a team workspace with shared inboxes, assignments and SLAs, plus Meli, its AI assistant.
- Fits: Workspace teams answering shared addresses.
- Compared in depth: Jace vs Gmelius, with pricing sources.
7. SaneBox
SaneBox filters mail into folders such as SaneLater and SaneNews. It says it reads only basics like sender and subject, never full emails. Its pricing page starts at $4.54 a month billed every two years.
- Fits: people whose problem is noise, not replies.
- Compared in depth: Jace vs SaneBox.
How to choose for Gmail
- Check what your Workspace plan already includes. Gemini handles on-request summaries and drafts.
- Want drafts before you open a thread? Pick a background assistant that writes into Gmail Drafts: Jace, Fyxer or Superhuman's Email Assistant.
- Does a team share the inbox? Gmelius, or a shared-inbox tool such as Front.
- Check your admin settings. Google Workspace admins can control which third-party apps get access to Gmail data. Ask before you connect a work account.
FAQ
What is the best AI email assistant for Gmail? For on-request help, Gemini in Gmail if your plan includes it. For drafts prepared in the background inside Gmail, Jace, Fyxer or Superhuman's Email Assistant. For a new Gmail-only app, Shortwave.
Does Gemini in Gmail write replies automatically? No. Gemini drafts when you ask it to. It doesn't prepare drafts for new mail in the background.
Is there a free AI email assistant for Gmail? Fyxer and Shortwave list free plans, and Gemini comes with eligible Workspace plans. Jace has a 7-day free trial, not a free plan.
Does Jace send emails from Gmail without my approval? Not by default. Drafts land in your Gmail Drafts folder. Auto-send stays off unless you turn it on for a specific label or Flow, and Jace warns you first.
Does Jace work with Google Workspace accounts? Yes. Jace works with personal Gmail and Google Workspace accounts. It asks Google only for the permissions it needs, listed on Jace for Gmail.
Try Jace in your Gmail inbox
Connect Gmail and see Jace's drafts on your real threads for 7 days, with auto-send off. Start your free Jace trial, or read how Jace works with Gmail first. On Outlook too? See the best AI email assistant for Outlook and Jace for Outlook. For the full field, see the best AI email assistants in 2026.
Sources (checked 9 November 2026 unless noted)
- Google: Workspace pricing, control third-party app access
- Fyxer: pricing
- Superhuman: Email Assistant, plans
- Shortwave and Gmelius: see the sources in our Shortwave and Gmelius comparisons (checked 7 November 2026)
- SaneBox: homepage, pricing
- Jace: pricing, Drafting, Jace for Gmail
