The Best AI Email Assistants in 2026: 8 Tools Compared

Short answer: the best AI email assistant depends on your email provider and on how much you want it to do without you. If you want drafts waiting in Gmail or Outlook that you review before sending, look at Jace or Fyxer. If you want a faster email app with AI built in, look at Superhuman (Gmail and Microsoft 365) or Shortwave (Gmail only). If your company already pays for Google or Microsoft AI, try Gemini in Gmail or Copilot in Outlook first. If you want one agent for email and many other jobs, look at Lindy. If a team shares inboxes like support@, look at Gmelius.

This comparison was compiled on 7 November 2026. We make Jace, so read it knowing that, and check the linked sources yourself: prices and features in this category change every few months.

How we compared

• The 8 tools: products that come up when people search for AI email assistants and that we already compare in depth, plus the AI built into Gmail and Outlook, because that is the default most people already have.
• Sources: each vendor's own pricing page, product pages, help centre or security page, all opened on 7 November 2026 and linked at the end. We didn't use review sites or affiliate lists.
• What we did not do: we did not run timed tests or benchmarks, and we don't publish "hours saved" numbers, ours or anyone else's. Where a vendor makes a claim, we say it is the vendor's claim.
• Jace facts come from Jace's pricing page, docs and code.
• What we compared: which email providers each tool works with, whether it drafts on its own or only when you ask, whether it can send without you and how you control that, where you work (your existing inbox or a new app), team features, and list price per user.

Quick picks

Provider and approval matrix

This is the table to check before you buy: does the tool work with your email, and what can it do without you?

The 8 tools

1. Jace

Jace is an AI email assistant that works on the Gmail or Outlook account you already have. It labels new mail, writes reply drafts for the labels you pick, and prepares follow-ups when a thread you sent sits in Waiting for 3 days. When it drafts, it reads the full thread and attachments, checks your calendar for scheduling, can look things up in connected tools, and follows your rules, writing style and signature (Drafting). Flows let you say "if emails like this arrive, then draft, create a calendar event or update a connected tool" (Flows). Slack, Google Drive and OneDrive are built in, and tools such as Notion and HubSpot connect through MCP (Integrations).

• Good fit: professionals who answer their own client email, such as lawyers and consultants, people on Outlook, and anyone who wants drafts reviewed before sending.
• Watch-outs: no native mobile app yet (you work in the browser, and drafts and labels show in your phone's Gmail or Outlook app). No shared inbox, assignments or team analytics.
• Price: Plus $25 per month or $20 billed yearly, with 2 inboxes. Pro $50 or $40 billed yearly, with 8 inboxes. 7-day free trial (pricing).
• Provider setup: Jace for Gmail, Jace for Outlook.

2. Fyxer

Fyxer sorts and labels your inbox, drafts replies in your tone, takes meeting notes and keeps a follow-up list, inside Gmail or Outlook. It has grown into a wider assistant with Spaces, Flows and AI chat, and team plans with shared follow-ups and reporting. Fyxer says it never sends an email on your behalf, and lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and HIPAA compliance.

• Good fit: people who want email drafting and meeting notes from one product.
• Watch-outs: usage is metered in credits, and automatic drafting isn't on the Free plan.
• Price: Free plan. Pro $37 billed yearly ($49 monthly), Team $64 billed yearly ($99 monthly). 14-day free trial.
• Compared in depth: Jace vs Fyxer.

3. Superhuman

Superhuman now sells a suite. Its Email Assistant works inside Gmail or Outlook to sort incoming mail, draft replies in your voice, clear noise and remind you to follow up, and it is part of the Pro plan. Superhuman Mail, the keyboard-first email app, is in the Business plan, with shared conversations, snippets and CRM views. Superhuman says its AI can draft and, if you want, send emails for you.

• Good fit: people who want a faster email client and live in shortcuts.
• Watch-outs: the email app means changing where you read mail. Compare plan contents carefully, because Email Assistant and the Mail app sit in different plans.
• Price: Pro $12 billed yearly ($15 monthly). Business $33 billed yearly ($40 monthly).
• Compared in depth: Jace vs Superhuman.

4. Shortwave

Shortwave is an AI-first email app for Gmail with an AI assistant that searches and summarises your history, AI filters, attachment analysis and AI writing that learns your style. Shortwave points to its sister product, Tasklet, for 24/7 automatic drafting.

• Good fit: Gmail users who want a new email app with strong AI search.
• Watch-outs: Shortwave's docs say Microsoft 365 and Exchange aren't supported, and Outlook.com works only by forwarding into a Gmail account.
• Price: Free plan. Pro $14 billed yearly ($18 monthly), Business $24 ($30), Premier $36 ($45), Max $100 ($120). 14-day free trial.
• Compared in depth: Jace vs Shortwave.

5. Gemini in Gmail

Gemini sits inside Gmail. Google lists summarising long threads, drafting and refining emails, organising (for example adding labels), searching your inbox and proposing meeting times from Google Calendar. It needs an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan.

• Good fit: Google Workspace users whose plan already includes it and who want help on demand.
• Watch-outs: it works when you ask. Google's help pages describe features you open yourself, not drafts prepared for new mail in the background, and it doesn't cover Outlook.
• Price: included in eligible Google Workspace and Google AI plans (Google Workspace pricing).
• Compared in depth: Jace vs Gmail's built-in AI.

6. Copilot in Outlook

Copilot in Outlook summarises threads, drafts emails from a prompt (Draft with Copilot), coaches you on tone and clarity, and can prioritise your inbox. Microsoft says Copilot chat in Outlook can also create rules and help schedule meetings. Many features need a Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) licence.

• Good fit: organisations already standardised on Microsoft 365 that want AI across Outlook, Word, Excel and Teams.
• Watch-outs: drafting is on request, and it doesn't cover Gmail.
• Price: Microsoft lists the Copilot Business add-on from $18 per user per month billed yearly, and bundles with Microsoft 365 Business plans (Microsoft 365 Copilot Business).
• Compared in depth: Jace vs Copilot in Outlook.

7. Lindy

Lindy is a general AI assistant for work. Email is one of its jobs: it connects to Gmail or Outlook, drafts replies in your voice and handles scheduling, alongside meetings, phone calls, routines and 1,500+ integrations with MCP. Lindy says approvals are built in and lists SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA.

• Good fit: people who want one agent across email, meetings and other tools and are happy to set it up.
• Watch-outs: pricing is credit-based, so cost depends on how much work you give it.
• Price: Free with $50 in credits for 7 days. Team from $29.99 per active user per month for 3,000 credits, with top-ups at $10 per 1,000 credits.
• Compared in depth: Jace vs Lindy.

8. Gmelius

Gmelius turns Gmail into a team workspace: shared inboxes, assignments, notes, SLAs and analytics, plus Meli, an AI assistant, and AI agents that triage and act across connected tools. It lists SOC 2 Type II.

• Good fit: Google Workspace teams that answer shared addresses like support@ or ops@.
• Watch-outs: built for Google accounts, not Outlook. More than an individual needs if nobody else works your inbox.
• Price: Meli $19 billed yearly ($21 monthly), Growth $25 ($33), Pro $40 ($50). 7-day free trial.
• Compared in depth: Jace vs Gmelius.

Who should not choose Jace

We would rather you pick the right tool than churn in a month. Jace is probably not for you if:

• A team shares one inbox and needs assignments, internal notes, collision detection or SLAs. Look at Gmelius.
• You want a new, keyboard-first email app. Jace works on top of Gmail or Outlook instead of replacing them. Look at Superhuman or Shortwave.
• You mostly work from your phone. Jace has no native mobile app yet. Its drafts and labels appear in your phone's Gmail or Outlook app, but you set things up and chat with Jace in the browser.
• You only need help when you ask, and your Google or Microsoft plan already includes AI. Gemini in Gmail or Copilot in Outlook may be enough.
• You want meeting recording in the same product. Fyxer and Lindy take meeting notes. Jace focuses on email.
• Your email isn't Gmail or Outlook. Jace connects to Gmail and Outlook only.
• You need a signed HIPAA agreement. Jace doesn't advertise one.

How to choose in five minutes

1. Start with your provider. On Outlook or Microsoft 365, Shortwave, Gemini and Gmelius drop out.
2. Decide how much the assistant may do alone. Drafts you review, or sending for you? Check the approval column above.
3. Decide where you want to work. Your current inbox (Jace, Fyxer, Superhuman Email Assistant, Gemini, Copilot) or a new app (Superhuman Mail, Shortwave)?
4. Check privacy before you connect a work inbox: permissions, AI providers, retention and training. Our guide to AI email assistant privacy lists the questions and Jace's answers.
5. Run a trial on real mail. One week of drafts on your own threads tells you more than any list, this one included.

FAQ

What is the best AI email assistant in 2026? It depends on your provider and how much autonomy you want. For drafts you review inside Gmail or Outlook, Jace and Fyxer fit. For a new email app, Superhuman or Shortwave. For AI you already pay for, Gemini in Gmail or Copilot in Outlook. For shared team inboxes, Gmelius.

Which AI email assistants work with Outlook? Of the eight tools here, Jace, Fyxer, Superhuman, Lindy and Copilot in Outlook work with Outlook or Microsoft 365. Shortwave, Gemini in Gmail and Gmelius are built for Gmail.

Which AI email assistant won't send emails without my approval? Fyxer says it never sends on your behalf. Jace creates drafts by default and only sends automatically if you switch on auto-send for a label or a Flow. Gemini and Copilot draft when you ask and leave sending to you.

Is Gemini in Gmail or Copilot in Outlook enough? They may be if you want help on request and your plan already includes them. Google's and Microsoft's help pages describe drafting when you ask, not drafts prepared for new mail in the background or follow-ups on threads you sent, which is what dedicated assistants like Jace and Fyxer do.

How much does an AI email assistant cost? On 7 November 2026, the entry paid plans in this list cost between $12 and $49 per user per month, depending on the tool and billing period, and team tiers cost more. Jace Plus is $25 monthly or $20 billed yearly, and Pro is $50 monthly or $40 billed yearly.

Did you test these tools hands-on? No timed tests or benchmarks. We compared each vendor's own pricing pages, product pages, help centres and security pages on 7 November 2026, and Jace's facts against its own docs and code. We make Jace, so check the sources before you decide.

Try Jace on your own inbox

Jace's 7-day trial connects to the Gmail or Outlook account you already use, with auto-send off, so you can judge its drafts on real threads. Start your free Jace trial, or compare Jace's plans first.

Sources (checked 7 November 2026)

• Jace: pricing, Drafting, Flows, Integrations, Multiple accounts, Mobile, Security
• Fyxer: fyxer.com, pricing, security
• Superhuman: plans, Superhuman Mail
• Shortwave: pricing, other email providers
• Gemini in Gmail: Collaborate with Gemini in Gmail, Gemini in Gmail, Google Workspace pricing
• Copilot in Outlook: FAQ about Copilot in Outlook, Microsoft 365 Copilot Business
• Lindy: pricing, email, security
• Gmelius: pricing