Drag vs Missive

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

Missive

• Small teams sharing addresses such as support@ or sales@
• Teams that want to discuss emails internally instead of forwarding them
• Businesses that also talk to customers over SMS, WhatsApp or live chat

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.

Missive

• There is no free plan; once the 30-day trial ends a paid plan is required.
• Starter is limited to 5 users and leaves out integrations, rules, API access, the AI assistant and analytics.
• SAML single sign-on and IP restriction are only available on Business.
• Missive says it offers no discounts for students, nonprofits or schools, and yearly plans are not refundable.

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.

Missive

Shared inboxes and team spaces

Team inboxes sit next to personal accounts, grouped into team spaces. Conversations can be assigned to a person or a team, with controls over who sees what.

Internal discussion in threads

Teammates talk about an email in an internal conversation attached to the thread, so nothing has to be forwarded or CC'd.

Collaborative drafting

Several people can write the same reply together in real time before it is sent.

Rules and automations

Automate repetitive handling such as assigning or tagging with up to 1,000 rules. Rules are available from the Productive plan.

Multi-channel inbox

Email from Gmail, Microsoft 365, iCloud or any IMAP account appears alongside SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and live chat conversations.

AI assistant and integrations

An AI assistant drafts and translates replies and can pull context from connected tools over MCP. It comes with Productive, along with 25+ app integrations and the API.

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.

Missive

• Starter$14

  per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

  Up to 5 users. Email, SMS and social accounts, team spaces and inboxes, conversations and tasks. No rules or integrations.

• Productive$24

  per user / month, billed yearly ($30 billed monthly)

  Up to 50 users. Adds integrations, rules and automations, the AI assistant, basic analytics, and API and MCP access.

• Business$36

  per user / month, billed yearly ($45 billed monthly)

  Unlimited users. Adds SAML single sign-on, IP restriction, advanced analytics and personalized team onboarding.

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.

Missive

• Annual discount

  20% off with yearly billing

  Billed yearly, Starter is $14 per user a month instead of $18, Productive $24 instead of $30 and Business $36 instead of $45. Missive states the yearly saving as 20%.