Short answer: Mailbutler is an extension for Apple Mail, Gmail and Outlook. It bundles email tracking, message templates, mail merge, email signatures and team notes with an AI Smart Assistant. On its Smart plan ($11 per user a month billed yearly) that assistant can draft replies to incoming email and draft follow-ups. Jace is an AI email assistant built around the reply. It labels new mail and drafts replies in your voice from the full thread and its attachments. It prepares follow-ups on threads where you wait for an answer, and runs Flows that connect email to tools such as HubSpot or Slack. Pick Mailbutler if you want tracking and signature tools in one add-on. Pick Jace if drafting and follow-through are the main job.
We make Jace. Mailbutler facts come from its homepage and pricing page, opened on 9 November 2026. We have not run timed tests on either product.
Mailbutler vs Jace at a glance
| Mailbutler | Jace | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An extension that adds tools to your email client | An assistant that works on your Gmail or Outlook account, plus a web app |
| Email clients | Apple Mail, Gmail and Outlook | Gmail and Outlook (Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com) |
| AI drafting | Smart Compose from keywords. Smart Replies drafts responses to incoming email, for all mail or when conditions match (Smart plan and up) | Drafts for the labels you choose, from the full thread, attachments and calendar, following your rules |
| Follow-ups | Smart Follow-ups ranks tracked emails by urgency and can draft the follow-up | Waiting label, with a follow-up draft after 3 days without a reply |
| Email tracking | Opens and link clicks, with per-recipient detail on higher plans | None |
| Signatures and templates | Signature designer, message templates and mail merge | Drafts use your Gmail or Outlook signature (signature and send-as). No designer, templates library or mail merge |
| Team features | Assignments, shared notes and tasks, collaborator status | None. Jace works on individual inboxes |
| Automations | Rule-based automations, plus Smart Automations on Smart | Flows written in plain English, with steps in connected tools |
| Price | Starter $4, Professional $7, Smart $11, Business $24 per user a month, billed yearly | Plus $20 a month billed yearly or $25 monthly. Pro $40 or $50 |
Mailbutler prices from mailbutler.io/pricing on 9 November 2026, yearly billing (Mailbutler says yearly saves up to 25%). Jace prices from jace.ai/pricing.
What Mailbutler does well
Mailbutler covers a lot of ground for a low price. Tracking shows when emails were opened and links clicked, with device and location detail on Smart and Business. Message templates with placeholders and mail merge from contacts, HubSpot, Salesforce or a CSV file help with repeated outreach. The signature designer adds call-to-action buttons and shares signatures across a team.
The Smart Assistant adds AI on top. Mailbutler's pricing page says Smart Replies can "draft a response for every email you receive or only when specific conditions are met". It adds that "every draft remains yours to review and send". Smart Follow-ups ranks tracked emails by urgency and can draft the nudge. Smart Summarize and Smart Task Finder turn emails into notes and tasks.
Its other strength is Apple Mail. Mailbutler works in Apple Mail as well as Gmail and Outlook. Jace does not support Apple Mail as a client for its features, though Jace's drafts will appear in any app showing your Gmail or Outlook Drafts folder.
When to pick Mailbutler instead
- You want open and click tracking. Jace has none.
- Signature design and mail merge matter to you. Mailbutler bundles both, with templates.
- You live in Apple Mail. Mailbutler supports it, and Jace's features do not run there.
- Price. Mailbutler Smart at $11 a month billed yearly costs less than Jace Plus.
- A small team shares tasks and notes on email.
When Jace is the better Mailbutler alternative
- Drafts need the whole thread and its files. Jace reads earlier messages and attachments before drafting (how Jace reads attachments). Your rules and writing style shape every draft (Drafting).
- Email turns into work in other tools. A Flow is written in plain English. For example: "when a client confirms a meeting, draft a reply with an agenda and create the calendar event" (Flows). Slack, Google Drive and OneDrive are built in, and tools such as Notion or HubSpot connect through MCP (Integrations).
- You want to ask your inbox questions. Jace's chat searches your connected history: 1 year on Plus, 3 years on Pro.
- You want sorting with labels you describe. Jace labels new mail, and you can add labels in plain English that sync to Gmail labels or Outlook categories (Labels).
Jace's limits, plainly: no email tracking, no mail merge or signature designer, no team features, no Apple Mail add-in and no native mobile app yet.
Price for one person
Mailbutler Smart, the first plan with Smart Replies, is $11 per user a month billed yearly. Business is $24. Jace Plus is $25 a month or $20 billed yearly, with 2 inboxes and drafting included. Jace Pro is $50 or $40 billed yearly, with 8 inboxes and custom integrations (pricing).
FAQ
What is a good Mailbutler alternative? If drafting replies is the main job, an AI email assistant such as Jace, Fyxer or Superhuman's Email Assistant fits. If tracking and signatures are the main job, Mailbutler is hard to replace with an AI assistant. See the best AI email assistants in 2026.
How much does Mailbutler cost? On 9 November 2026 Mailbutler listed Starter at $4, Professional at $7, Smart at $11 and Business at $24 per user a month, billed yearly.
Does Mailbutler write email replies with AI? Yes. Its pricing page lists Smart Compose, and Smart Replies, which drafts responses to incoming email for you to review, on the Smart and Business plans.
Does Jace track email opens? No. Jace does not track opens or link clicks.
Does Jace send emails without my approval? Not by default. Drafts land in your normal Drafts folder. Auto-send stays off unless you turn it on for a specific label or Flow, and Jace warns you first.
Try Jace on your own inbox
Connect Gmail or Outlook and see Jace's drafts on your real threads for 7 days. Start your free Jace trial, or compare plans first. Setup guides: Jace for Gmail and Jace for Outlook. Jace is used by lawyers and consultants who answer their own client email.
Also comparing: Inbox Zero, Spark, SaneBox and Fyxer.
