The Missive Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Missive in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Missive
The Insider’s Guide
Team email client with shared inboxes, internal chat and rules
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from Missive’s own pages.
Made by Missive (Heliom inc.) · checked Oct 4, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Missive’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Missive’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 4, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 28 of the 51 other email apps we grade
Missive is a collaborative email client for teams. Shared inboxes and personal accounts live in one app, where teammates can discuss a thread internally, assign conversations, turn emails into tasks and write replies together. It also brings in SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and live chat, and higher plans add rules, integrations, an AI assistant and API access.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Missive, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for small teams who talk about email, in email
There's no free plan, no discounts for schools or nonprofits, and yearly plans aren't refundable.
- 2
Paid plans start at $14 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $14 per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly).
- 3
You can try it first
30-day free trial of the Productive plan, no credit card required (up to 25 users, 30 days of history)
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
Collaborative drafting
Several people can write the same reply together in real time before it is sent.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 28 of 51
That is against the other email apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Missive you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Missive at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $14 per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of the Productive plan, no credit card required (up to 25 users, 30 days of history)
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Missive (Heliom inc.)
- Category
- Email Apps
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for small teams who talk about email, in email
Missive is an email app for teams. Shared inboxes sit beside your own accounts, and you can talk about an email in a chat attached to the thread, or write the reply together, so nothing gets forwarded around. Starter is $14 a user but stops at 5 users with no rules, integrations, API or AI, which need Productive at $24. There's no free plan, no discounts for schools or nonprofits, and yearly plans aren't refundable.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Starter is $14 a user a month billed yearly, $18 monthly, at the dear end of the middle band here, under Front or Hiver at $25. It stops at 5 users and leaves out rules, integrations, the AI assistant and analytics, all of which need Productive at $24. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No 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, and yearly plans aren't refundable. |
| Features | B | Team inboxes beside personal accounts, internal chat attached to each thread, replies drafted together in real time, emails turned into tasks, and SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and live chat in the same app. The team-email job is covered, with 1,000 rules and an AI assistant from Productive. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. Discussing a thread in place replaces forwarding, but someone sets up the team spaces, shared inboxes, permissions and rules first, and connects each Gmail, Microsoft 365, iCloud or IMAP account. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. Productive brings 25+ integrations, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Asana and Zapier among them, plus API and MCP access. Starter has no integrations or API at all. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Missive is for
- Fits if a small team shares support@ or sales@ and keeps forwarding emails to each other
- Works for businesses that also talk to customers over SMS, WhatsApp or live chat
Who it is not for
- Tight if you're on Starter, which stops at 5 users and has no rules, integrations, API or AI assistant
- Not for you if you're a nonprofit or school hoping for a discount, as Missive says it offers none
- Pricey if you need SAML single sign-on or IP restriction, which are only on Business at $36 a user
- Watch out: there's no free plan after the 30-day trial, and yearly plans aren't refundable
- Tight if your team grows past 50 users, as Productive stops there and only Business has no cap
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$14
A month to start, for each person
Missive is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $14 per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly).
Once it ends, a paid plan is required, and yearly plans aren't refundable.
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.
Trying it first
30-day free trial of the Productive plan, no credit card required (up to 25 users, 30 days of history)
Read from missiveapp.com on Oct 4, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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%.
Stated on missiveapp.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
Team email client with shared inboxes, internal chat and rules. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, real-time collaboration, tasks, email client, shared inbox, workflow automation.
Starter has no integrations or API at all.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Gmail
- Microsoft 365
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- Pipedrive
- Asana
- Zapier
Missive is made by Missive (Heliom inc.).
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
28/51
Other email apps it is graded above
Missive's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 28 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 7.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 41 of 51) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $14 a month for each person, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 35 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 52 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Missive’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 11 of 51
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 51
- BFeaturesAbove 30 of 51
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 51
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 41 of 51
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 50 email apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Missive is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Missive you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It costs $168 a year.
What you could make
- Tasks: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- One mailbox that several people work at once.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Missive’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Front, Spark Mail, Superhuman Mail and Shortwave
The 4 tools Missive is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Front
Free trial · from $25/mo
Shared inbox and customer operations platform with AI and ticketing.
- Missive also covers tasks and email client.
- 3.0GPA
Spark Mail
Free plan · from $8.25/mo
Email client with a unified smart inbox, AI tools and team features.
- Spark Mail has a free plan. Missive does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Missive lists a web app.
- Missive also covers tasks and workflow automation.
- 2.2GPA
Superhuman Mail
From $25/mo
Keyboard-driven email client for Gmail and Outlook with built-in AI.
- Only Superhuman Mail lists a browser extension.
- Missive also covers tasks, shared inbox and workflow automation.
- Superhuman Mail also covers calendar and booking links.
- 2.6GPA
Shortwave
Free plan · from $18/mo
AI email client for Gmail with an assistant, filters and split inbox.
- Shortwave has a free plan. Missive does not, though it has a free trial.
- Missive also covers tasks, shared inbox and workflow automation.
- Shortwave also covers chat assistant, AI search and templates.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Missive free?
No, Missive is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial of the Productive plan, no credit card required (up to 25 users, 30 days of history).
How much does Missive cost?
Missive lists 3 plans. Starter: $14 per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly).
What platforms does Missive work on?
Missive is available on Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Does Missive offer any discounts?
Missive publicly lists the following: 20% off with yearly billing.
Does Missive have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 4, 2026. Missive is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android.
Is Missive open source?
Missive is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 4, 2026.
Does Missive have an API?
Yes. Missive offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Missive integrate with?
Missive's listing names Gmail, Microsoft 365, WhatsApp, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Asana and Zapier.
Who makes Missive?
Missive is made by Missive (Heliom inc.).
What are the alternatives to Missive?
The closest alternatives to Missive in our directory are Front, Spark Mail, Superhuman Mail and Shortwave.
How does Missive compare with other email apps?
Missive's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 28 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 7.
Is Missive good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Missive C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $14 a month for each person, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 35 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Missive?
To replace Missive you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Missive’s own pages on Oct 4, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Missive's own pages on 4 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-14.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Missive (Heliom inc.). Prices change, so check missiveapp.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Missive, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/missive
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Missive: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 4, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/missive
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/missive/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after Missive, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 52 email apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft Outlook Insider's GuideMicrosoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web3.6 GPA
- BlueMail Insider's GuideCross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI3.2 GPA
- Thunderbird Insider's GuideFree, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Missive’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Missive is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Missive (Heliom inc.). Prices and plans change: check missiveapp.com before you buy.