Free AI Email Assistants
Which AI email assistants a startup can triage its inbox and draft replies with for free today, how much AI the free plan or trial includes, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Email assistants change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
AI email assistants a startup can use for free today include Fyxer AI (Free plan: 400 credits a month), Shortwave (14-day free trial of paid plans), Ellie (Free plan: 10 replies a day), Mailbutler (14-day free trial, all features), and Spark (Readdle) (Free plan: unlimited email accounts). Each of the 8 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its AI caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Founders spend hours a day in email. AI email assistants sort the inbox, summarize threads and draft replies in your voice; a few have a free plan with a monthly AI allowance, and most offer a free trial.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap AI credits or drafts a day, keep inbox sorting or auto-drafts for paid plans, and trials run 7 to 30 days. Each assistant below shows what is free, its main limit, its AI allowance, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which assistants we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which assistants are listed or where.
AI email assistants with a free plan
Sort your inbox and draft replies with AI, free to start.
- 1
Fyxer AI
Solo users who want AI replies and meeting notes free
Fyxer's Free plan gives 400 credits a month, about 20 chat messages. Automatic inbox labeling starts with the Pro plan, which is $37 a person a month billed yearly.
- First paid plan
- Pro: $37 a person a month, billed yearly (source: fyxer.com)
Start free at FyxerReferral linkTerms read on fyxer.com on Fyxer AI: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Ellie
Occasional manual reply drafts in Gmail or Outlook
Ellie's Free plan lets you draft up to 10 replies a day by hand, with no auto-drafts. Auto-drafts start with the Casual plan.
- 3
Spark (Readdle)
Several email accounts in one app, with no AI needed
Spark's Free plan is free and covers unlimited email accounts with its smart inbox. Its AI is a limited free preview, and Spark +AI is on its paid plans.
Start free at Spark (Readdle)Terms read on sparkmailapp.com on Spark (Readdle): the free allowance and how to start
AI email assistants with a free trial
Paid AI inbox assistants you can try free first.
- 1
Shortwave
Email users who want to try AI search and drafts first
Shortwave's pricing page offers a 14 day free trial of its paid plans. Business is $30 per seat a month after the trial.
- First paid plan
- Business: $30 per seat a month (source: shortwave.com)
Start free at ShortwaveTerms read on shortwave.com on Shortwave: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Mailbutler
Email tracking and Smart Assistant drafts, tried first
Mailbutler's pricing page offers a free 14-day trial that includes all features. No credit card information is required to start.
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: mailbutler.io)
Start free at MailbutlerTerms read on mailbutler.io on Mailbutler: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Missive
Teams sharing one inbox who want to test the Productive plan
Missive gives every new team a 30-day free trial of the Productive plan, with no credit card and nothing charged when it ends. Starter starts at $14 per user a month.
- Payment card
- No card required (source: missiveapp.com)
- First paid plan
- Starter: $14 per user a month (source: missiveapp.com)
- 4
SaneBox
Cutting email noise across up to 4 accounts
SaneBox's free trial lasts 7 days and includes all its features for up to 4 email accounts. After the trial, the Snack plan is $4.54 a month billed every 2 years.
- 5
Lavender
Sales reps who write cold email and want a coach
Lavender's Email Coach is free to try for 7 days, with all integrations included. Plans are month to month and need no credit card.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: lavender.ai)
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How this comparison is built
The list covers AI email assistants a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each assistant's terms. Every term comes from the assistant's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on AI drafts or summaries a month, one inbox only, a trial instead of a free plan can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these assistants pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a assistant appears, and no assistant pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
Is there a free AI email assistant?
Yes, with limits. By the terms each provider states, Fyxer AI's free plan includes 400 credits a month, Ellie's 10 draft replies a day, and Spark offers a limited free preview of its AI Assistant.
Is Fyxer free?
Fyxer AI has a free plan with 400 credits a month, about 20 chats, without inbox sorting; its Pro plan is $37 a person a month, billed yearly.
Which AI email assistants have a free trial?
Missive offers a 30-day free trial, Shortwave and Mailbutler 14-day trials, and SaneBox and Lavender 7-day trials.
Is Shortwave free?
Shortwave offers a 14-day free trial of its paid plans; Business is $30 per seat a month, with 150 to 300 AI requests a day.
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