As we speak, Notion introduced the final availability of its free Notion Mail add-on to its wildly widespread eponymous productiveness dashboard. For individuals who have been hiding beneath a rock for the previous 5 years or so, Notion is a digital atmosphere that enables customers to customise how they combine notes, duties, and databases into a really customized workspace.
A bit over a 12 months in the past, Notion acquired Skiff, an organization that supplied a variety of privacy-focused instruments, together with mail, calendar, paperwork, and file storage. Notion Mail relies on the mail instrument acquired from Skiff.
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This continues Notion's sample of expertise acquisitions that it makes use of to shore up its fundamental choices. Two years earlier, Notion acquired Cron, which offered the corporate with calendaring software program. The core of that acquisition is now present in Notion Calendar, one other line extension of the Notion providing.
Each Notion Mail and Notion Calendar observe Notion's freemium method to SaaS licensing. You should use Notion, Notion Mail, and Notion Calendar totally free, however if you’d like extra storage or further options, you'll must improve to costlier licensed companies.
In contrast to Notion and Notion Mail, Notion Calendar doesn’t supply an AI function upsell. Notion has lengthy had built-in AI constructed into the product. Notion Mail is launching with a variety of attention-grabbing AI options as nicely.
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Sadly, Notion Mail doesn’t combine with Notion databases. Whereas the interface seems related, there's no interoperability with Notion databases. So, whereas it could be good to combine Notion Mail into, say, a tech help database, that functionality doesn’t exist at launch. Notion hasn't indicated whether or not database integration is a deliberate function for a future launch.
What’s Notion Mail?
Notion Mail offers all the same old mail options, which suggests you may learn messages, ship messages, reply to messages, and so forth. It makes use of the Gmail API interface, so no matter you do in Notion Mail is mirrored in your essential Gmail interface.
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There are 4 huge options that Notion is selling that set Notion Mail aside from different electronic mail instruments: sensible labeling, customized views, a gathering scheduler, and the Notion writing interface with slash instructions.
Sensible labeling
Sensible labels use AI that can assist you create labels primarily based on emails which can be coming into your inbox. You’ll be able to click on the Auto Label button, and Notion Mail will current you with a variety of sorting and cataloging decisions from which you’ll be able to select an motion. It seems that Notion then units up its personal AI-based filter for choosing and sorting emails from any sensible label you create.
This may increasingly supply the primary function I've lengthy wished in Gmail: the power for AI to differentiate lessons of electronic mail primarily based on a immediate.
For instance, I'd like to have Gmail put all press releases into one folder, distinguished from different promotional supplies. It could be even higher if, primarily based on the content material of the incoming message, it may put AI-related releases in a single folder, AR/VR-related releases in one other folder, and all different press releases in a 3rd.
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If it really works, and if it's potential to do that with the 1000’s upon 1000’s of messages I’ve, it could be an unlimited time saver.
Is that this potential in Notion Mail? I don't know but. You'll have to remain tuned for every time Notion Mail will take away its unlucky electronic mail handle restriction.
Customized views
Certainly one of Notion's best strengths is its skill to create customized views into database tables. These assist you to format, isolate, and concentrate on necessary data for every view.
It seems that Notion Mail has applied Notion-style views in mail. This, relying on how versatile and highly effective it’s, would possibly enable for some very attention-grabbing electronic mail processing and administration workflows.
Assembly scheduler
If you wish to arrange a gathering, you need to use the assembly scheduler to embed a calendar in an electronic mail invite. This enables customers to decide on occasions that they will meet, taking into consideration open occasions in your calendar.
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This function exists in quite a lot of add-ons, however constructing it proper into electronic mail could possibly be a pleasant time-saver.
Notion writing atmosphere
E-mail messages will be written utilizing the identical modifying atmosphere present in Notion. Actually, I'm writing this text in Notion proper now.
Notion helps a slash syntax, the place you kind a slash after which select a format (like /h3 which produced the heading above). It's quick and handy, however sometimes will get in its personal manner. That stated, I spend at the very least 4 to eight hours every single day within the Notion writing atmosphere. I'm typically fairly comfy with the way it works.
It begins off free
Notion Mail begins off free, identical to Notion Calendar and the primary Notion product itself. There are some limitations to the free model, which is why some critical customers have upgraded to the Plus, Enterprise, or Enterprise plans.
You don't must improve to a kind of plans if you wish to use the AI options with Notion Mail. However after every week's trial, you will want to pay $8 per thirty days per person to make use of Notion AI, whether or not you're utilizing a free plan or not.
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For Plus plan customers and above, this might get expensive fairly shortly.
My preliminary expertise making an attempt Notion Mail
Notion Mail is basically a entrance finish to Gmail. While you begin utilizing it, you're requested to attach with Google.
From there, you'll be introduced with the same old sign-in with Google immediate, which hyperlinks your Gmail to your Notion Mail.
Then, you'll be requested to offer Notion a variety of permissions. Right here, I solely allowed it to have electronic mail permission, which appeared like greater than sufficient.
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I perceive that for Notion Mail to supply an easier-to-manage entrance finish to my Gmail, it must see my Gmail. However nonetheless, it doesn't make me significantly comfy making a gift of that type of entry. Worse, Notion refused to permit me to make use of Notion Mail till I gave it all of the permissions it requested.
To be trustworthy, I see no motive Notion Mail wants entry to all my contacts. And since I'm not utilizing Notion Calendar, I see no motive I ought to have to offer Notion Mail entry to my Google Calendar.
However, since I'm doing this for you of us studying this, I gave Notion all the pieces it requested for.
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Sadly, I instantly hit one other wall. I log into my Notion account utilizing my main company electronic mail handle, however Notion Mail wished my Gmail handle. Since they’re two various things, I seem like blocked from utilizing Notion Mail, at the very least for now.
I had meant to point out you the way Notion Mail labored with my Gmail, however that's not within the playing cards for at present. I'm positive I can finally get the Notion of us to assist me join my Gmail, regardless that I log into Notion utilizing my essential electronic mail handle, however that gained't occur in time for this text's deadline.
Since I'd moderately not go away Notion Mail with the broad vary of permissions I needed to grant it in my try to make use of it with my Gmail account, I pointed my browser to https://myaccount.google.com/permissions and eliminated all permissions assigned to Notion Mail. I determine that if it gained't let me have entry, I gained't let it have entry both.
So, let's simply transfer on. I can't but demo these options. Within the meantime, I’ve been in contact with the Notion crew, so I can share some helpful data to at the very least get you began.
Is that this the mail consumer you've been ready for?
I'm unsure. If it could transcend the bounds of electronic mail filters and guidelines and handle mail primarily based on context moderately than string matching, it may show to be a boon for overwhelmed electronic mail customers.
The flexibility to rearrange your mail atmosphere with customized views may also show useful, however Notion itself is commonly restricted in how customized it's keen to get. For instance, when you can assign colours to sure objects in Notion, the app solely permits a small set of pretty pastel colours, and that's it.
Outlook, in contrast, has lengthy had formatting guidelines that may parse messages and format them when it comes to coloration and font primarily based on some text-matching necessities. That doesn't exist in Gmail, and it undoubtedly doesn't exist in Notion Mail.
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I used to be stunned that Notion Mail doesn't connect with Notion. Sure, the interface appears related, however there's no information sharing between the 2. I might have anticipated that Notion's very highly effective database capabilities would have offered the underpinning to Notion Mail, however that's not the way it works. There’s a lot potential for a real linkage between an electronic mail consumer, a database-aware AI, and Notion's database flexibility, that the absence of any connection is an enormous swing and a miss.
And, after all, there's the bizarre state of affairs the place Notion Mail gained't work in case your Notion account login is an electronic mail handle apart from your Gmail handle. That needs to be a bug, and I'm positive will probably be resolved finally.
I’ve to say that this launch dissatisfied me. From the shortcoming for it to have the ability to deal with my company electronic mail handle login ID to lack of connectivity to what makes Notion Notion, Notion Mail is extra promise than worth proper now. I can see the potential, however whether or not Notion Mail finally lives as much as that potential is a query we'll have to look at sooner or later sooner or later.
For now, I'm sticking with my tried-and-true Gmail consumer.
Have you ever tried Notion Mail but, or are you contemplating it? Do you suppose its sensible labeling and customized views may truly change the way you handle your inbox? How necessary is full integration with Notion databases to you? And what's your tackle the Gmail-only entry and required permissions? Is that cheap or a dealbreaker? Tell us within the feedback beneath.
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