Ellie vs MailMaestro (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ellie and MailMaestro share a 2.0 GPA, and only MailMaestro has a free plan.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ellie grades higher on platforms. MailMaestro grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ellie
AI that drafts email replies in your voice for Gmail and Outlook
MailMaestro
AI email writing and inbox assistant for Outlook and Gmail
Which one is for you
Pick Ellie if
- Fits if you spend your day answering inbound email in Gmail or Outlook
- Makes sense if a small team wants shared roles and one knowledge base for replies
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you write cold or outbound email, because the FAQ says it only replies
- Tight if you stay on Casual: 25 replies a day, extension only, no auto-drafts
- Pricey if you add people, as extra team members start at $5 each on top of the plan
- Skip it if you want a free plan, since there is only a 7-day trial
- Watch out: the pricing page shows a time-limited first-year discount that we haven't recorded
Pick MailMaestro if
- Fits if you answer lots of similar emails in Outlook or Gmail
- Works for teams that want shared templates and one bill, from two seats up
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 3 AI requests a week runs out by Tuesday
- Pricey if you want inbox agents, labels and follow-ups, which are Pro-only at $12 a seat
- Skip it if you want a full email client, as it only adds to Outlook and Gmail
- Watch out: annual plans can't be refunded after purchase, according to the pricing FAQ
- Watch out: the name is in flux, as Flowrite was folded into MailMaestro and its old team moved to a separate product
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAEllieFair | 2.0GPAMailMaestroFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DThe auto-drafts that make it worth having start on Business at $39 a month for up to 3 seats. Casual is $19, against an email middle of about $8, and has no auto-drafts. | CPro is $12 a seat a month on annual billing ($15 monthly), which sits near the dear end of email tools: the middle is about $8 and the cheaper quarter starts at $3. |
| Free plan and trial | C7 days free with no credit card, and nothing free after that. | CFree forever with no card, but only 3 AI requests a week. That's a taste, not a plan you can work on. The Pro trial is 14 days. |
| Features | CDrafts replies, categorizes mail, and learns from a knowledge base. The pricing FAQ says it writes replies only, never cold emails. | CWrites, replies, rewrites and summarizes, with templates and shortcuts. It lives inside Outlook and Gmail, and the listing shows no standalone client. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect your mailbox and feed it a knowledge base before it sounds like you. | CNo store rating on record. You add it to your mailbox and connect your account, then learn the templates and shortcuts. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, browser extension and Outlook add-in, covering Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365 and Fastmail. No phone app is listed. | CA browser and Outlook add-in for one job, with Teams, Zoom and Google Meet listed. No phone or desktop app of its own. |
| Best for | AI-drafted email replies | AI replies inside Outlook and Gmail |
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: Ellie and MailMaestro. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ellie starts at $19 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. MailMaestro starts at $12 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Ellie scores higher, and starts $7 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, 36 score higher than Ellie for less, and 54 score higher than MailMaestro for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- MailMaestro also covers text expansion.
At a glance
| Ellie | MailMaestro | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month (Casual, billed monthly) | $12 per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 3 AI requests a week to write, reply to and improve emails, plus templates and text shortcuts. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Ellie | Maestro Labs |
| Price read from | ellieai.com | maestrolabs.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ellie
- Writes replies only; the pricing FAQ says it will not write cold emails.
- Casual has no auto-drafts and works only through the browser extension.
- Extra team members are priced starting at $5 per user, according to the pricing FAQ.
- The pricing page also shows a time-limited first-year discount that is not recorded here.
MailMaestro
- Flowrite was acquired and folded into MailMaestro; it is listed here under its current name.
- The free plan stops at 3 AI requests a week; unlimited use needs Pro.
- It works inside Outlook and Gmail; the pages list no standalone email client.
- Annual plans are not refundable after purchase, according to the pricing FAQ.
Key features
Ellie
- Auto-drafted replies
- On Business and Professional, Ellie connects to a Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook or Microsoft 365 mailbox and saves drafts to the Drafts folder.
- On-demand replies
- A browser extension adds a reply button in Gmail and Outlook on the web; Casual also lists Fastmail. An Outlook add-in covers the desktop apps.
- Writing in your style
- Ellie learns from previous sent emails, up to 200 on Casual and 1,000 on Business, and replies in your tone and language.
- Roles and knowledge base
- Roles give each kind of email its own tone and material, such as help documentation for a support role. Business and Professional accept files and website URLs.
- Auto-categorize
- Business and Professional also sort incoming mail into categories. The vendor says Ellie never sends an email without you checking it first.
MailMaestro
- AI writing and replies
- Writes emails from scratch in several languages, drafts replies from the thread and attachments, and rewrites or polishes selected text.
- Inbox agents
- On Pro, agents label incoming mail, prepare drafts before an email is opened and send follow-ups when someone has not replied.
- Summaries
- Summarizes long emails and threads. Summarizing attachments and asking questions about the inbox are marked as Outlook features.
- Templates and shortcuts
- Magic templates combine saved text with the AI writer, and keyword shortcuts insert details such as a phone number or LinkedIn profile.
- Team management
- With two or more seats, Pro adds shared templates and user management with centralized billing in the Maestro Portal.
Plans
Ellie
Casual$19
per month, billed monthly
One person; 25 replies a day through the browser extension only, with no auto-drafts.
Business$39
per month for up to 3 seats
100 replies a day, auto-draft and auto-categorize, shared roles and training, 1 connected account per user.
Professional$79
per month for up to 5 seats
Unlimited replies a day, 3 connected accounts per user, priority support and extra seats.
MailMaestro
Free$0
3 AI requests a week, Magic templates, custom text shortcuts, in Outlook and Gmail.
Pro$12
per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly)
Unlimited writing and replies, auto labels, drafts and follow-ups, summaries. 14-day free trial.
EnterpriseCustom
Company-wide templates, SSO, custom data retention and dedicated support. Billed annually only.
Ways to pay less
Ellie
No public discounts listed.
MailMaestro
- Annual discount
20% off MailMaestro with annual billing
Pro is $12 per seat a month billed annually at $144, against $15 a month billed monthly, according to the pricing page.
- Other savings
Special pricing for startups, nonprofits, education
The pricing FAQ says Maestro Labs has special pricing for startups, non-profits and education; the terms are not shown on the page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ellie or MailMaestro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ellie starts at $19 per month (Casual, billed monthly), and MailMaestro starts at $12 per seat / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly). One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Ellie or MailMaestro?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only MailMaestro has a free plan. Ellie does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Ellie and MailMaestro run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Ellie lists a web app. Both list a browser extension. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.