Missive vs Polymail
We give Missive a 3.2 GPA and Polymail a 3.0, out of 4.0. Missive grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, 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.
Missive
Team email client with shared inboxes, internal chat and rules
Polymail
Email client with read tracking, follow-up reminders and scheduling
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAMissiveVery good | 3.0GPAPolymailVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BStarter is $14 a user a month billed yearly, or $18 monthly. That's above the $9 that's typical for email tools here, though you do get a whole team email app for it. It's capped at 5 users and leaves out rules, integrations, the AI assistant and analytics. Productive, with all of those, is $24. | BBasic is $10 a month billed yearly, or $13 monthly, about the $9 that's typical for email tools here. It has tracking, follow-up reminders, send later and templates for up to 2 connected accounts. Sequences and up to 20 accounts need Premium, which is a jump to $24 a user. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan. The trial is 30 days of the Productive plan with no credit card required, for up to 25 users. Once it ends, a paid plan is required. | CNo free plan. The trial is 7 days of the Premium plan with no credit card required. After that a paid plan is needed to keep using the app. |
| Features | ATeam inboxes next to personal accounts, internal chat attached to each thread, replies written together in real time, and emails turned into tasks. SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and live chat land in the same app. Productive adds up to 1,000 rules and an AI assistant. For a team, that's the whole job. | APer-recipient open tracking, with link and attachment tracking in a searchable activity feed. Follow-up reminders, Read Later, send later, templates, outreach sequences and meeting scheduling, plus private comments on a thread. For selling by email that's the whole kit. AI-powered workflows are listed as coming soon. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. It's one app for shared and personal mail, and it takes Gmail, Microsoft 365, iCloud or any IMAP account. Talking inside the thread means nobody has to learn a forwarding etiquette. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. It's an app you install and connect to the Gmail, Outlook or iCloud account you already have, with the tracking and reminders built into the inbox. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Productive brings 25+ app integrations, with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Asana and Zapier among them, plus API and MCP access. Starter has no integrations or API. | BWeb, Mac, Windows and iOS. No Android or Linux app is listed. It connects to Gmail, Outlook and iCloud accounts, and the only other integration on record, Salesforce, is limited to the custom-priced Enterprise plan. |
| Best for | small teams who talk about email, in email | selling and following up from your inbox |
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: Missive and Polymail. How we grade
Where they differ
- Missive starts at $14 per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly). Polymail starts at $10 per month, billed yearly ($13 billed monthly).
- Only Missive lists an Android app.
- Missive also covers tasks, shared inbox and workflow automation.
- Polymail also covers templates and booking links.
At a glance
| Missive | Polymail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $14 per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly) | $10 per month, billed yearly ($13 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial of the Productive plan, no credit card required (up to 25 users, 30 days of history) | 7-day free trial of the Premium plan, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Missive (Heliom inc.) | Polymail Inc. |
| Price read from | missiveapp.com | polymail.io |
| Checked | Oct 4, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Polymail
- Founders and salespeople who run their deals from the inbox
- Replacing separate tracking, scheduling and outreach add-ons with one app
- Managing several Gmail, Outlook or iCloud accounts in one inbox
Worth knowing
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.
Polymail
- There is no free plan: after the 7-day trial a paid plan is needed to keep using the app.
- Basic connects only 2 email accounts; sequences and up to 20 accounts need Premium at $24 per user / month, billed yearly.
- The download page offers Mac, Windows and iOS apps only, alongside the web app; no Android or Linux app is listed.
- Salesforce integration, SAML single sign-on and advanced analytics are limited to the custom-priced Enterprise plan.
Key features
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.
Polymail
- Email tracking
- Per-recipient open tracking plus link and attachment tracking, with every open, click and download timestamped in a searchable activity feed.
- Follow-up reminders and Read Later
- A reminder returns a thread to the inbox if nobody replies within a set time, and Read Later moves non-urgent mail away until the date and time you choose.
- Send later and templates
- Schedule an email for later delivery, even while offline, and reuse message templates with placeholders. Premium lets a team share templates.
- Sequences
- Automated, personalized follow-up emails for outbound outreach, run from the inbox rather than a separate sales tool. Sequences are part of the Premium plan.
- Calendar scheduling
- Share your availability so contacts can book a time without back-and-forth, and send calendar invites from the app. Basic includes 1 calendar page and Premium 5.
- Shared conversations
- Comments and mentions let teammates discuss a thread privately, with permission controls, instead of forwarding it or adding people on BCC.
Plans
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.
Polymail
Basic$10
per month, billed yearly ($13 billed monthly)
Up to 2 connected accounts, email tracking with an activity feed, follow-up reminders, send later, read later and message templates.
Premium$24
per user / month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)
Everything in Basic, plus up to 20 connected accounts, automated sequences and calendar scheduling with 5 calendar pages.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Premium, plus a Salesforce integration, SAML single sign-on, advanced analytics, and live training with phone support.
Ways to pay less
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%.
Polymail
- Annual discount
About 20% less with annual billing
Basic is $10 a month billed yearly against $13 monthly, and Premium $24 a user a month ($288 a year) against $29. The pricing FAQ puts the saving at roughly 20%.
- Education
Education Plan for students and educators
Verified students, teachers and school staff pay $78 a year for Basic or $174 a year for Premium, which Polymail describes as 50% off, after emailing proof of status.
- Nonprofit
40% off annual plans for nonprofits
Registered nonprofits with valid charitable status can apply by email for a permanent 40% discount on any annual subscription. Schools and some other groups are excluded.
