Drag vs Mailbutler
We give Drag a 3.2 GPA and Mailbutler a 3.4, out of 4.0. Mailbutler grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Drag
Shared inbox for Gmail teams with kanban boards and built-in AI
Mailbutler
Email tracking and team tools for Apple Mail, Gmail and Outlook
How we grade them
| 3.2GPADragVery good | 3.4GPAMailbutlerVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is $12 a user a month billed yearly, or $16 monthly, a bit above the $9 that's typical for email tools here. It has the boards, assignments, templates and notes. But it includes no AI credits and stops at 10 automation rules. Plus is $18 and Pro is $24. | BPaid Starter is $4 a user a month billed yearly, but its feature list is the same as the free plan's. The useful stuff is Professional at $7, with templates, mail merge and assignments, and Smart at $11 with the AI. That's around the $9 that's typical here. Business jumps to $24. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. The trial is 7 days with no card, and it opens every Pro feature with 1,000 AI credits per seat. After that you pick a paid plan. | BStarter is free for good, with first-open and first-click tracking, real-time notifications and signatures. But sent emails carry a visible Mailbutler watermark, and that's all you get. The 14-day trial of every feature needs no credit card. |
| Features | AA shared address becomes a board in kanban, list or preview view, and each email is a card with an owner, a status, tags and a due date. Notes with @mentions, shared drafts and collision detection are on every plan, plus a help centre and live chat. Varley drafts, tags and sums up mail. That's the whole job. | AOpen and link tracking, templates with placeholders, mail merge from your contacts or a CSV file, scheduled sending, notes and tasks on emails, and assigning mail in a shared inbox you already have. Automations tag things for you. For an add-on that's the full set. The AI Smart Assistant needs Smart. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. It runs inside Gmail through a Chrome extension and you sign in with Google. The emails themselves stay in Gmail, so nobody has to move anything. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. It adds itself to the mail app you already use, so there's no new inbox to learn. The iOS and Android apps are companions that need a desktop install. |
| Platforms and integrations | AA Chrome extension inside Gmail, plus web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android apps. It connects to Google Calendar, Google Drive, WhatsApp and Zapier, and Pro adds a REST API and an MCP server with 47 tools. Shared inboxes have to be Gmail addresses or Google Groups. | AIt runs inside Apple Mail, Gmail in Chrome, Safari or Edge, and Outlook, with companion apps for iPhone and Android. It connects to HubSpot, Salesforce, Asana, Todoist, Trello and Evernote. Custom SMTP is listed as coming soon. |
| Best for | Gmail teams who want email as a kanban board | tracking and templates inside the mail app you have |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Drag and Mailbutler. How we grade
Where they differ
- Drag starts at $12 per user / month, billed yearly. Mailbutler starts at $4 per user / month, billed yearly (paid Starter).
- Mailbutler has a free plan. Drag does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Drag lists a web app.
- Drag also covers kanban boards and AI agents.
At a glance
| Drag | Mailbutler | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $12 per user / month, billed yearly | $4 per user / month, billed yearly (paid Starter) |
| Free plan | None | Free-forever Starter plan: first-open and first-click tracking, real-time notifications and email signatures. Sent emails carry a visible Mailbutler watermark. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with every Pro feature and 1,000 AI credits per seat, no credit card required | 14-day free trial of all features, no credit card required; the account then moves to the free Starter plan |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | DragApp.com Ltd. | Mailbutler GmbH |
| Price read from | dragapp.com | mailbutler.io |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Drag
- Gmail and Google Workspace teams sharing support@ or sales@ addresses
- Teams that like to see email as cards moving across a kanban board
- Growing teams, since no plan has a seat minimum or user cap
Mailbutler
- People who want tracking and templates inside Apple Mail, Gmail or Outlook
- Teams sharing an info@ or sales@ inbox without moving to a new mail app
- Mixed teams whose members use different email clients
Worth knowing
Drag
- It is built on Gmail and Google Workspace: shared inboxes are Gmail addresses or Google Groups, and sign-in runs through Google.
- There is no free plan; the 7-day trial is followed by a paid plan.
- AI is metered in credits. Starter includes none, Plus 1,000 per seat a month and Pro 2,000, and extra credits are sold from $10.
- WhatsApp, Varley Agents, the API and MCP server, SLA rules and round-robin assignment need Pro at $24 per user / month, billed yearly.
Mailbutler
- It is an add-on, not a mail client: it runs inside Apple Mail, Gmail in Chrome, Safari or Edge, and Outlook. The iOS and Android apps are companions that need a desktop install.
- The free Starter plan puts a visible Mailbutler watermark on sent emails and covers only basic tracking and signatures.
- The AI Smart Assistant, per-recipient tracking and full open history need the Smart plan at $11 per user / month, billed yearly.
- HubSpot and Salesforce tracking sync, a custom tracking subdomain and IP exclusion are limited to Business. Custom SMTP is listed as coming soon.
Key features
Drag
- Shared inbox boards
- A shared address becomes a board with kanban, list and preview views, where each email is a card with an owner, a status, tags and a due date. The emails themselves stay in Gmail.
- Assignments, notes and shared drafts
- Teammates assign emails, chat with @mentions on a thread, write shared drafts and reply as collaborators. Collision detection is included on every plan.
- Varley AI
- Copilot answers questions about the inbox and proposes actions to approve, Assists draft, summarize and classify mail, and on Pro, Agents resolve conversations or hand them to a person.
- Automations
- Rules route, tag and assign incoming mail. Starter allows 10 rules and the higher plans are unlimited; round-robin assignment, business hours and SLA rules are on Pro.
- Help center, live chat and WhatsApp
- A public help center and live chat, which is in early access, are on every plan. Pro adds WhatsApp conversations that sit beside email on the same boards.
- API and MCP server
- Pro includes a REST API and an MCP server with 47 tools, so assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot or Cursor can work in the inbox.
Mailbutler
- Email tracking
- Shows when a message was first opened and its links first clicked, with real-time notifications. Full open history, device and location details and per-recipient tracking start at the Smart plan.
- Templates and mail merge
- Message templates with placeholders, and mail merge that fills them from Apple, Google or Outlook contacts, HubSpot, Salesforce or a CSV file. Both start at the Professional plan.
- Inbox collaboration
- On a shared inbox you already have, teammates can assign emails, see who is viewing or replying to a message, and share notes, tasks and color-coded tags.
- Automations
- Rules made of a trigger, optional conditions and actions can tag emails, add notes or tasks and apply signatures when a draft is created, an email is sent or opened, or a link is clicked.
- Smart Assistant
- The AI assistant drafts emails and replies from a few keywords, corrects and rephrases drafts, summarizes messages and finds to-dos in them. It is part of the Smart and Business plans.
- Email signatures
- Signature templates, custom HTML signatures, call-to-action buttons and team sharing are on every plan. UTM link personalization and dynamic content need Business.
Plans
Drag
Starter$12
per user / month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly)
Shared inboxes in Gmail, boards, assignments, templates, notes, a help center and live chat. 10 automation rules, 3-month reporting, no AI credits included.
Plus$18
per user / month, billed yearly ($22 billed monthly)
Adds Varley's Copilot, Intelligence and six AI assists with 1,000 AI credits per seat a month, unlimited automation rules, email sequences and custom views.
Pro$24
per user / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly)
Adds the WhatsApp channel, Varley Agents, API and MCP access, SLA rules, round-robin assignment, custom fields and roles, and 2,000 AI credits per seat.
Mailbutler
Starter (free)$0
Basic open and link tracking, real-time notifications and email signatures with team sharing. Sent emails include a visible Mailbutler watermark.
Starter$4
per user / month, billed yearly ($5 billed monthly)
The paid version of Starter with the same feature list. The pricing page attaches the watermark to the free-forever version.
Professional$7
per user / month, billed yearly ($9 billed monthly)
Adds message templates, mail merge, email assignments, collaborator status, shared notes and tasks, tags and automations.
Smart$11
per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)
Adds the AI Smart Assistant, full open and click history, device and location details, per-recipient tracking, Smart Follow-ups and Smart Timing.
Business$24
per user / month, billed yearly ($32 billed monthly)
Adds HubSpot and Salesforce tracking sync, a custom tracking subdomain, IP exclusion, UTM link personalization and dynamic signature content.
Ways to pay less
Drag
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with yearly billing
The pricing page shows Starter at $12 a user a month billed yearly against $16 monthly, Plus at $18 against $22, and Pro at $24 against $30.
- Nonprofit
Program for non-profits and NGOs
The pricing FAQ says Drag runs a dedicated program for non-profits and NGOs, arranged by contacting its team. The size of the discount is not published.
- Education
Program for educational institutions
The same program covers educational institutions, again on request by email and without a published discount.
Mailbutler
- Annual discount
Up to 25% off with yearly billing
The pricing page advertises up to 25% off for yearly billing: Professional is $7 a user a month against $9 monthly, Smart $11 against $14, and Business $24 against $32.
