This Email App Is Gmail On Steroids, And I Can’t Recommend It Enough
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I love Gmail, but I needed an inbox that was more than a chronological list of messages. I wanted a solution that adapted to my workflow and integrated seamlessly with my productivity ecosystem. I tried Outlook, Spark Mail, Thunderbird, and Proton Mail on my Android phone, but they felt limiting in one way or another. Then, I came across Notion Mail, and it transformed my inbox in no time.
Notion Mail leverages the core strengths of Notion’s flexible database structure, AI capabilities, seamless organization, and more to transform your email experience from cluttered chaos into organized efficiency.
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Notion Mail is aesthetically pleasing
Feels better than Gmail backgrounds
In a world of often-cluttered inboxes, Notion Mail feels like a breath of fresh air. Unlike Gmail, there are no distracting, unnecessary backgrounds or busy themes that make your eyes tired. Instead, it focuses on minimalism, which Notion is well-known for. With clean lines and ample white space, Notion feels like a workspace designed to enhance focus.
Although Notion Mail is primarily available on the web, the Mac app feels solid and built with attention to detail. The animations are smooth, the responsiveness is snappy, and it integrates seamlessly with the macOS environment. It’s something I can’t say about Gmail web. Notion Mail also supports dark mode, which is handy during night hours.
Auto label is a game changer
And custom views!
Now, let’s talk about the game-changers in Notion Mail: auto-labeling and custom views. For years, I struggled with manually organizing my emails. Gmail offers rules, but these require manual work during the initial setup. I often missed something important because it didn’t fit a predefined rule. Notion Mail flips this on its head.
The auto-label feature, powered by Notion AI, is handy. Instead of dealing with complex “if this, then that” conditions, I describe the type of email I want to categorize. For example, my organization uses the Asana tool to manage projects, and I receive many messages from it every day.
I can ask Notion Mail to filter emails from Asana and give them the same label. Similarly, I can create custom views for my ever-flowing inbox. You can either describe a view or manually configure it based on rules.
Here’s how I use it. I receive frequent emails from Amazon, Best Buy, and eBay about my online purchases and invoices. I created a Shopping view that displays all emails from these companies and finds my relevant invoices quickly. The possibilities are endless with this one.
Notion snippets edge out Gmail templates
You need to give it a try
Beyond smart organization with auto-labels and custom views, Notion Mail offers another productive feature called snippets. Instead of copying and pasting from a separate document or digging through old emails, I can create and save these reusable blocks of text within the app.
When composing an email, all I do is type a forward slash (/) followed by the name of my snippet, and the pre-written text appears in the email body. It’s not only about saving a few keystrokes. The practice helps me maintain consistency and professionalism with minimal effort. When creating a snippet, I can insert an attachment or my availability via Notion Calendar.
Feels like a part of the Notion family
Enjoy a familiar interface
Notion Mail feels like an extension of my Notion workspace. It’s a massive win for someone like me who practically lives in Notion. An example of this is how email messages open. Instead of taking a full screen, it opens the message in peek mode.
There is also a calendar integration. I can type /schedule within my draft, and a miniature calendar displays my availability. I can select open slots and generate a clean scheduling link for the recipient. Composing emails feels exactly like working with Notion. It supports the same intuitive and powerful slash commands to format emails like a pro.
Your inbox, supercharged
Notion Mail isn’t an upgrade, and it’s more than a new coat of paint for my inbox. It’s a fundamental shift in how email integrates with and improves my productivity. Notion’s block-based system, with smart AI features and intuitive organization, offers a refreshing alternative to the traditional Gmail web.
However, like any new-age solution, Notion Mail is far from perfect. I would love to see performance improvements, support for more email providers, better integration with Notion, and mobile apps in future updates. Still, these aren’t dealbreakers for me. If you feel the same, give Notion Mail a try and see if it works for you. Meanwhile, check out these Android apps to boost your productivity.
