I attempted out Notion Mail however am switching again to Gmail — this is why

I just lately wrote about how I miss Inbox by Gmail however am usually glad with Gmail. Nevertheless, I used to be eager to discover different choices. As somebody who continuously makes use of each Notion and Notion Calendar, giving the brand new Notion Mail a strive appeared like a logical step.

I’ve been testing it out over the previous couple of days and have fashioned a reasonably agency opinion. It’s spectacular in lots of points, surpassing Gmail on a number of fronts. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless a piece in progress and is lacking a number of key elements that I worth, so I’ll be sticking with Gmail for now. Right here’s why.

Let’s begin by speaking in regards to the positives of Notion Mail — and there are many them. First up is the consumer interface. It’s easy, intuitive, and fairly pretty to have a look at. The design is distinctively Notion, but it surely’s clearly a lot simpler to make use of because it’s primarily a primary electronic mail shopper — Notion itself usually has a steeper studying curve.

What I significantly like about it’s that it’s far much less cluttered than Gmail. Google’s electronic mail shopper includes a left-hand menu stuffed with varied choices, tabbed classes up prime, a big search window, and integrations with different Google companies like Calendar and Carry on the proper facet. It’s rather a lot.

Notion Mail, alternatively, has roughly every thing neatly tucked away within the left-hand menu, with a number of different choices like filters within the prime proper nook. The remainder of the interface is a clear listing of all obtained emails, offering an uncluttered look that doesn’t make my head spin.

Not solely does it look higher, however the electronic mail administration system it has in place can also be superior. Whereas Gmail has 5 classes arrange by default — Major, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Boards — Notion Mail lets you create your personal customized views.

You possibly can, for instance, create a “Journey” view and set it as much as consolidate all emails from airways, motels, and reserving websites. You possibly can create these manually or with the assistance of Notion AI: simply create a view and enter a immediate like, “This could embody all emails from Reddit, Fb, and Instagram,” and voilà, Notion will do the give you the results you want.

Setting this up requires an preliminary time dedication, as you need to actually take into consideration the way you wish to arrange your emails. Nevertheless, this funding is normally worthwhile.

The entire system jogs my memory of Inbox by Gmail, my all-time favourite electronic mail shopper. Whereas Notion Mail lacks the “inbox zero” philosophy, it incorporates the customizable classes that Inbox had and Gmail at the moment lacks.

I’ve fairly a number of views arrange for myself. Along with the journey one I discussed, I even have an “Vital” view that reveals all of the emails I obtain from key folks in my life — mates, household, and colleagues. Then I even have a “Meh” folder for all of the promotional mail I obtain, which I nonetheless discover invaluable sufficient to maintain however don’t test frequently.

In addition to the e-mail administration system, Notion Mail has a number of different nifty options. For instance, I can set whether or not an electronic mail will open in full view, on the facet, or beneath the e-mail listing. Granted, Gmail affords comparable studying pane choices, however as soon as I swap on a pane in Gmail, for instance, it stays there persistently. This implies I can’t simply shut that pane view even when I shut the e-mail. Notion Mail is totally different; the proper panel solely seems once you open an electronic mail and could be cleared out with a click on of a button.

There’s additionally an ideal hover perform that lets me see a preview of an electronic mail with out opening it. And there’s even a handy button on the prime of promotional emails, permitting me to rapidly unsubscribe from the e-mail listing.

The e-mail shopper is built-in with Notion Calendar, permitting me to insert a snippet for the recipient to schedule a name based mostly on my availability. After which there are the settings, that are minimal and simple to navigate. This can be a stark distinction when in comparison with Gmail, which has a number of tabs underneath its “Settings,” with every one displaying fairly a number of choices — it’s straightforward to get misplaced.

Sure, I do know I’ve highlighted many nice issues about Notion Mail. For my part, it actually is great, surpassing Gmail in a number of key areas. Nevertheless, it at the moment lacks a number of options which can be stopping me from making a everlasting swap.

First off, Notion Mail is simply accessible on the net. There’s no Home windows app, which is bizarre contemplating there are devoted apps for each Notion and Notion Calendar. There’s additionally no Android app, which is a deal-breaker for me, though the corporate says one is on its method.

Then there’s Notion AI. Whereas it really works very effectively, serving to me write emails quicker and create views based mostly on pure language, it has a major fault — it’s not free. You possibly can mess around with it without spending a dime for a restricted time, however the function will ultimately cease working, prompting you to pay to proceed utilizing it.

I’m used to Gemini, and I’ve a subscription for the Superior model. Whereas it has its faults, it really works decently with Gmail. I admire this integration and am not keen to pay for an additional AI assistant simply to hurry up a number of duties in a brand new electronic mail shopper.

These two points alone are important sufficient to stop me from transferring to Notion Mail. By switching, I’d acquire a number of issues however lose a number of as effectively, so the tradeoff isn’t value it for me right now. I’ll solely transfer to a brand new electronic mail shopper when it makes me higher off total, as I don’t wish to make a ton of compromises.

Your mileage might fluctuate, although. For those who don’t care as a lot in regards to the lack of deep Gemini integration or a cellular app, or maybe you have already got a Notion AI subscription, Notion Mail could also be an ideal match for you.