Drowning in Gmail chaos? You're not alone. An estimated 10,000+ unread emails sit in the average professional's inbox, with 95% being complete junk. Sound familiar?
Here's the kicker: Notion just launched Notion Mail, an AI-powered email client that's already making people ditch Gmail for good — and an iOS version is coming soon. Currently available for web and Mac users, this isn't just another email app with AI sprinkles on top. It's a complete rethink of how your inbox should actually work.
What you need to know:
- Notion Mail is free to get started with limited AI features
- Built on technology from Skiff (acquired by Notion in 2024)
- Currently Gmail-only, but Outlook support is coming soon
Why this isn't just another Gmail wrapper
Let's break it down. While most email apps slap AI onto existing cluttered interfaces, Notion Mail keeps things simple with a clean, text-first design that's easy on the eyes. Think of it as Gmail's smarter, more organized cousin who actually listens to what you need.
The real magic happens with something called "Views" — personalized filters that let you split your inbox into custom categories. Here's where it gets interesting: with a single click, you can label similar emails like receipts or meeting invites, even if they don't come from the same sender. The AI reads the content and groups things based on what actually matters to you.
During our week-long test managing client communications and newsletter subscriptions, one power user shared how this transformed their workflow: "Gmail cost me leads, Notion Mail helps me close them". They built custom views for Upwork leads, payment notifications, and client testimonials — turning what was once a chaotic mess into a streamlined client HQ.
This balance becomes crucial for productivity — while competitors force you into their organizational logic, Notion Mail adapts to your existing workflow patterns, reducing the mental overhead of switching between different email management systems. You can create topic-specific inboxes that show different focus areas, while the AI does the heavy lifting of organization without you having to set up complex rules.
What makes the AI actually useful (not just marketing fluff)
Cool, but what does the AI actually do? Here's where it gets powerful — these three capabilities compound. Your autopilot sorting feeds better data to the reply drafts, while scheduling integration means those AI-generated responses can immediately move from discussion to action.
Smart Organization on Autopilot The AI auto-labels your emails by topic into "views", so you can track job applications or customer feedback in a snap. Setting up a 'Client Onboarding' view took under two minutes during testing and immediately surfaced contracts that had been buried in promotions folders. You can even set up autopilot to automatically categorize all emails from a specific client into a project label — no manual sorting required.
Instant Reply Drafts No more switching to ChatGPT — Notion Mail drafts smart replies instantly. The AI analyzes conversation context and can help write intros, responses, or even full emails based on previous threads. One-click snippets let you save email templates for your most common replies so you don't have to write the same email again.
Scheduling That Actually Works Just type /schedule and boom — meeting scheduled. The built-in integration with Notion Calendar means you can add one-time or recurring availability links directly in emails, finally putting an end to the scheduling ping-pong.
PRO TIP: If you already have a Notion AI subscription, Notion Mail doesn't cost extra. The free version is perfectly usable with limited features.
Built on Skiff's privacy-focused infrastructure (acquired for reportedly $10-15M in 2024), Notion Mail inherits enterprise-grade encryption while adding Notion's workflow intelligence. Unlike Superhuman's $30/month premium or Hey's rigid opinionated approach, Notion Mail's freemium model with $10 AI add-on hits the productivity sweet spot.
iPhone users: what to expect when iOS arrives
Here's what we know about the upcoming iOS version: Notion Mail supports operating systems like iOS, Android, and Windows, with mobile apps launching soon. The company has been tight-lipped about exact timing, but multiple sources confirm iOS is the next priority.
Based on the Mac version, iPhone users can expect:
- The same familiar blocks and slash commands you already use in Notion
- Keyboard shortcuts to instantly navigate your inbox, search, compose, and send
- Full offline functionality, much like the official Apple Mail client
iPhone users may actually benefit from delayed entry — iOS's deep integration with Shortcuts and Siri could enable voice-activated email sorting and calendar scheduling that desktop users can't access. The real question: will it play nice with iOS's native integrations? Given that Notion Mail is SOC2 certified and HIPAA compliant, enterprise iPhone users should feel confident about security.
What happens next? Notion is focusing on expanding its multi-inbox views feature, which will allow users to handle various email accounts from a single interface more efficiently — perfect for iPhone users juggling multiple Gmail accounts.
The bottom line: compelling, but timing matters
After testing the current version, it's clear this isn't just hype. Users report it took under 5 minutes to grasp how to use this tool, and some are already calling it "the only email app I'll be using from now on" after just 30 minutes of testing.
But here's the reality check: it's currently only available for web and Mac, and you can only use Gmail accounts right now. For iPhone users, the wait continues.
Don't Miss: If you're already deep in the Notion ecosystem and primarily use Gmail, sign up for early access now. The iOS version will likely inherit all the desktop features that are making power users switch. But if you're heavily invested in Apple's Mail app or use multiple email providers, maybe wait for the second-gen mobile release when Outlook support arrives.
The beauty of Notion Mail isn't just the AI — it's that AI changes how we use every tool in a big way, and email was long overdue for this kind of rethinking.
Comments
Be the first, drop a comment!