Number one
1. Kerna29 / 30
Kerna sp. z o.o., Katowice, Poland · Gmail add-on and Outlook add-in
Kerna installs as an add-on in Gmail and an add-in in Outlook. It triages the inbox, summarises threads, pulls named fields out of attachments, drafts replies with a choice of tone and intent, composes from a brief, and translates, across 45 languages. Nothing is sent without you initiating it. The processing chain is entirely within the EEA and personal data is stripped before any model call.
Where your mail goes. Application runs on Google Cloud Run in europe-west1 with Firestore in europe-central2. Model calls go to OpenAI Ireland Limited under a signed zero data retention agreement. Personal data is redacted before content reaches the model.3
Price. EUR 12 per month (Standard). Free tier at EUR 0.1
Before you install. Two platform requirements and one gap worth knowing about first. The Outlook add-in needs a Microsoft-hosted mailbox and, on classic desktop Outlook, Office 2021 or a Microsoft 365 subscription; Outlook 2019 and earlier cannot load it. Outlook mobile is not supported. The Gmail add-on has neither restriction and works in the Gmail mobile app. There is also no single sign-on or SCIM yet, so a company that requires SSO for every application will need to wait.
Why these scores
- Data protection 5/5.
- Cloud Run in europe-west1, Firestore in europe-central2, OpenAI Ireland under a signed zero retention agreement, personal data stripped before the model call, sub-processors published.
- Inbound work 5/5.
- Triage, thread summaries and attachment extraction, with the categories and the extracted fields both definable by the customer.
- Outbound work 5/5.
- Drafting across seven tones and eight intents, composition from 200 briefs, translation across the same 45 languages.
- Language coverage 5/5.
- 45 languages, tuned per language rather than passed through translation.
- Deployment and admin 4/5.
- On both official marketplaces and admin installable, with one shared allowance for the team. Not a five: there is no single sign-on, no SCIM and no central console showing who used what.
- Cost at five seats 5/5.
- EUR 69 a month for five seats, flat, with nothing required underneath it and no usage surcharge.
2. Microsoft 365 Copilot in Outlook25 / 30
Microsoft Corporation, United States · Outlook
The native option if your organisation already runs on Microsoft 365. Summarises threads, drafts and rewrites replies, and reaches across Word, Excel and Teams on the same licence.
Price. USD 21 per seat per month (Copilot Business, annual, organisations up to 300 users), on top of a qualifying Microsoft 365 licence. A USD 18 promotional rate runs to 30 September 2026. The enterprise add-on is USD 30.4
The catch. You cannot buy it on its own. Copilot is an add-on to a qualifying Microsoft 365 subscription, so the real number is the base licence plus the add-on, and the licence prices themselves rose on 1 July 2026. It does nothing for Gmail, so an organisation running both surfaces gets one covered. Microsoft reports roughly 15 million paid Copilot seats against 450 million commercial Microsoft 365 subscribers, which is a licence most buyers have either declined or bought and left unused.
Why these scores
- Data protection 4/5.
- Among the strongest published positions in the industry, with an EU Data Boundary and a mature processing agreement. Off a five only because the group is US-headquartered and nothing is removed before the model sees the message.
- Inbound work 4/5.
- Thread summaries are excellent. Triage stays within the categories Outlook already offers rather than a taxonomy you define.
- Outbound work 5/5.
- Drafting, rewriting and coaching are the best in this comparison.
- Language coverage 5/5.
- Very broad coverage, backed by Microsoft localisation across the suite.
- Deployment and admin 5/5.
- The strongest admin story here: native, tenant-managed, and governed with the rest of Microsoft 365.
- Cost at five seats 2/5.
- USD 117.50 for five on the cheapest bundle, and it cannot be bought at all without a Microsoft 365 licence underneath it.
3. Gemini in Gmail25 / 30
Google LLC, United States · Gmail
The native option if you are already on Google Workspace. Thread summaries and drafting inside the compose window, at no separate charge.
Price. No separate price. Bundled into Google Workspace since March 2025, when the standalone Gemini add-ons were withdrawn and base plan prices rose by 17 to 22 per cent. Business Standard at USD 14 per user per month on annual billing is the lowest tier with full Gemini; Business Starter carries a limited version.5
The catch. You did pay for it, in the 17 to 22 per cent rise applied to Workspace plans when Gemini was bundled in and the standalone add-ons were withdrawn. There is no way to license it for only the people who want it: everyone on the plan is charged for it whether they use it or not. It is Gmail only, so it does nothing for a team on Outlook, and it does not sort your inbox into categories you define.
Why these scores
- Data protection 4/5.
- A published processing agreement and strong enterprise commitments. Off a five because the group is US-headquartered and nothing is redacted before the model call.
- Inbound work 3/5.
- Thread summaries yes, but no triage into categories you define and no structured extraction from attachments.
- Outbound work 4/5.
- Drafting inside compose is quick and good; no tone or intent selection.
- Language coverage 5/5.
- Very broad coverage, backed by Google localisation across Workspace.
- Deployment and admin 5/5.
- Native, tenant-managed and governed from the Workspace admin console.
- Cost at five seats 4/5.
- USD 70 for five on Business Standard, which is the whole Workspace bill. The 17 to 22 per cent rise that funded it is already in that number.
4. MailMaestro23 / 30
Maestro Labs PTE. LTD., Singapore · Outlook add-in, Gmail (Chrome extension)
An add-in inside Outlook and an extension inside Gmail. Composes, replies, improves drafts, applies labels, and summarises threads and attachments on the paid tier.
Price. USD 15 per seat per month, or USD 12 billed annually6
The catch. SOC 2, CASA, HIPAA, GDPR commitments, single sign-on and any control over data retention are all listed as Enterprise features, so a five-person company on the paid Professional tier gets none of them. The Gmail side is a Chrome Web Store extension rather than a Google Workspace Marketplace add-on, so it does not run in the Gmail mobile app. The free tier stops at three requests a week.
Why these scores
- Data protection 3/5.
- SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR commitments and any control over retention are real but listed as Enterprise features, so a paying small team does not get them.
- Inbound work 4/5.
- Thread and attachment summaries on the paid tier, plus auto labels. Labelling rather than a taxonomy you define.
- Outbound work 5/5.
- Compose, reply, improve, templates and shared team tones, with tone and language selection. As complete as anything here.
- Language coverage 4/5.
- Multiple languages with selection in the product, though no published count.
- Deployment and admin 3/5.
- On the Microsoft marketplace, but Gmail is a Chrome extension rather than a Workspace add-on, so it does not run in Gmail mobile.
- Cost at five seats 4/5.
- USD 75 a month for five, or USD 60 annually, which is competitive. The free tier stops at three requests a week.
5. Fyxer AI21 / 30
Fyxer AI Limited, United Kingdom (company 15189973) · Gmail, Outlook
An assistant layer over Gmail and Outlook that categorises inbound mail and writes draft replies before you ask, plus a notetaker that joins video calls.
Price. USD 30 per seat per month (Starter), or USD 22.50 billed annually. Professional USD 50, or USD 37.50 annually.7
The catch. The most expensive tool in this comparison, at more than twice Kerna per seat, and there is no free tier, so a seven-day trial is the only way to try it. Starter covers one inbox; a second mailbox means Professional at USD 50 a seat. Single sign-on, SCIM and team analytics sit on Enterprise, which carries a fifty-seat minimum, so a five-person company cannot buy them at any price. Attachment reading is a Professional feature, and there is no mobile app.
Why these scores
- Data protection 3/5.
- No published sub-processor list found and nothing redacted before the model call. The controls a buyer would ask for, single sign-on and SCIM among them, sit on an Enterprise tier with a fifty-seat minimum.
- Inbound work 5/5.
- The best inbound work in this comparison. Categorisation and drafts are ready before you open the inbox, which nothing else here does as well.
- Outbound work 4/5.
- Drafts match your past voice per contact, though there is no explicit tone or intent control.
- Language coverage 3/5.
- Works in more than English, but no published language list.
- Deployment and admin 4/5.
- Connects cleanly to both Gmail and Outlook. No mobile app, and central controls are Enterprise only.
- Cost at five seats 2/5.
- USD 150 a month for five, the highest here, with no free tier and a single inbox on the entry plan.
6. Mailbutler20 / 30
Mailbutler GmbH, Germany · Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail
A long-established add-in built around tracking, snoozing, templates, signatures and notes, with an AI assistant added on the Smart tier that drafts, improves and summarises.
Price. USD 14.95 per seat per month for Smart, the lowest tier carrying the AI assistant, with a discount for annual billing. Cheaper tiers below it do not include AI.8
The catch. The AI is the newest and thinnest part of a product that is mostly about open tracking and templates. Categorisation runs to three urgency buckets rather than a taxonomy you define, and there is no structured extraction from attachments. Anything AI requires the Smart tier, so the cheap plans in the price list are not comparable to the tools here.
Why these scores
- Data protection 3/5.
- A German company, which puts the controller relationship inside the EU, but nothing is redacted before the model call and the AI terms are not separately published.
- Inbound work 3/5.
- Three fixed urgency buckets rather than a taxonomy you define, and no extraction from attachments.
- Outbound work 4/5.
- Drafts, improves, summarises and offers positive, negative or detail-sharing replies, with templates and mail merge behind it.
- Language coverage 3/5.
- Works in more than English, but no published language list.
- Deployment and admin 4/5.
- Installs into Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail, which is the widest reach here. No shared team allowance.
- Cost at five seats 3/5.
- USD 74.75 a month for five, and anything AI requires the Smart tier.
7. Gmelius20 / 30
Gmelius SA, Switzerland · Gmail
Turns Gmail into a shared team workspace with assignments, notes, kanban boards and automation rules, with AI drafting and categorisation layered on.
Price. USD 19 per user per month for the Meli plan, which carries AI drafts, AI categorisation and automation rules9
The catch. Gmail only, so a team on Outlook cannot use it at all. Most of what you pay for is shared-inbox collaboration rather than assistance with your own mail, and there is no structured extraction from attachments.
Why these scores
- Data protection 4/5.
- A Swiss company, so processing sits in a jurisdiction with an adequacy decision, with a published policy. Nothing is redacted before the model call.
- Inbound work 4/5.
- AI categorisation plus automation rules that go well beyond labelling, though there is no attachment extraction.
- Outbound work 3/5.
- AI drafts built around shared-inbox replies rather than tone or intent control.
- Language coverage 3/5.
- Works in more than English, but no published language list.
- Deployment and admin 3/5.
- Gmail only, so an Outlook team cannot deploy it at all.
- Cost at five seats 3/5.
- USD 95 a month for five, per seat, and most of that buys collaboration rather than assistance.
8. Inbox Zero20 / 30
Inbox Zero (open source) · Gmail
Open source. Plain-English rules that label, archive, draft and chase replies, with the option to run your own instance against your own model keys.
Price. —
The catch. Gmail only, and self-hosting means you own the server, the model bill, the updates and the security of the whole thing. There is no company behind it to sign a data processing agreement with unless you count yourself.
Why these scores
- Data protection 4/5.
- Self-hosting against your own model keys is the strongest position available on paper. Off a five because you become responsible for it and there is no counterparty to sign an agreement with.
- Inbound work 4/5.
- Rules written in plain English that label, archive and chase, which is genuinely flexible. No attachment extraction.
- Outbound work 3/5.
- Drafting and reply chasing, without tone control.
- Language coverage 2/5.
- No published language list.
- Deployment and admin 2/5.
- Not on either marketplace, and self-hosting is an engineering project.
- Cost at five seats 5/5.
- Free to run, though you pay the server and the model bill yourself.
9. SaneBox19 / 30
SaneBox, Inc., United States · Any client, server side
Sorts mail at the server into folders, so nothing changes in the client at all and it works with any of them. The filtering is rule-based and learns from how you file, rather than generative.
Price. USD 7 per month (Snack, one account), USD 12 (Lunch, two accounts), USD 36 (Dinner, four accounts). Priced per person, with a discount for annual billing.10
The catch. It only sorts. It does not summarise a thread, draft a reply, translate anything or read an attachment, so it is not a substitute for an assistant, and pairing it with one means paying twice. Pricing is per person with no shared team billing, and the account limits, not the features, are what push you up the tiers: a third mailbox costs USD 36 a month.
Why these scores
- Data protection 4/5.
- It reads headers rather than message bodies, so the bulk of your content never reaches it at all. That is a stronger practical position than most tools here, despite the company being US-based.
- Inbound work 4/5.
- Sorting is excellent, runs unprompted and works with any client. No summaries and no extraction.
- Outbound work 1/5.
- It does not draft anything.
- Language coverage 2/5.
- Largely language-independent, and not usable as a language tool.
- Deployment and admin 4/5.
- Server side, so it needs nothing installed anywhere and works with every client. No shared team billing.
- Cost at five seats 4/5.
- USD 35 a month for five on the entry plan, the cheapest here, for one capability out of six.