Gmail is one of the most popular email clients in the world. It's used by millions of people for both personal and business purposes. Do you already enjoy the basic features of Gmail? Consider improving your productivity by using add-ons and extensions.
In this post, we will help you understand what Gmail add-ons are and how they differ from Gmail extensions. You’ll also discover a list of the best Gmail add-ons and extensions to start using today.
Gmail add-ons are small pieces of software that add extra features or functionality to Gmail. Use them to do things like track your emails or manage tasks. You'll only discover these add-ons inside the G-suite Marketplace.
While Gmail extensions are Gmail-specific browser extensions. They interact with Gmail when you’re using them with the Google Chrome browser.
Add-ons work with the Gmail API and can do things like:
Create new messages
Modify existing messages
Send messages without ever opening Gmail
To use an add-on, visit the G-suite Marketplace. Find your desired Gmail add-on, click to install it, and agree to the app's permissions.
Gmail extensions don’t have access to the Gmail API. To use a Gmail extension, you first need to visit the Chrome Web store. Find the Gmail extension you prefer. Tap on "Add to Chrome." Click on the confirmation popup.
Typically, a Gmail add-on will perform tasks like helping you schedule emails to send them later or giving you ideas for the perfect subject line. Gmail extensions can make Gmail look better, work faster, or help you get through your inbox more productively.
Other differences include:
You use Gmail add-ons on the web, on Android, and iOS
You can only use Gmail extensions on the web
Let’s take a look at some of the most useful Gmail add-ons and extensions.
Mailtrack is a Gmail add-on. It lets you know when contacts interact with your emails. It works in Gmail and Inbox by Gmail on the web. You can also use it with the Mailtrack app for Android and iOS.
Mailtrack will automatically track all email opens and clicks for you. You don't need to do anything else. You can see when people open your emails and how many times they've opened them.
Mailtrack benefits include the following:
Follow up with contacts who haven't replied to your emails
Gain insight into why some people ignore your emails
Find out which subject lines are the most effective
Zoom offers a Gmail add-on that allows you to set up video calls and screen share with up to 100 people.
You can use Zoom for:
One-on-one calls
Group calls
Webinars
Screen sharing
Zoom works well for anyone conducting online meetings, using distance learning, and working from home. Using this add-on, you can schedule a meeting in Gmail with just a few clicks.
As a Google extension, Calendly for Chrome allows Gmail to quickly and easily schedule appointments. You can also manage calls and interviews.
With Calendly for Chrome, you can:
Schedule appointments directly from Gmail
Send meeting invitations with ease
Eliminate back-and-forth emailing
Save time by letting others choose when to meet with you
This extension works well for salespeople, customer service reps, and busy professionals.
The Trello Gmail add-on allows you to quickly add emails to Trello as cards. Choose this add-on when you need help with project management, task management, and email organization.
With the Trello Gmail add-on, you can:
Create new Trello boards and cards from Gmail
Add Gmail attachments to Trello cards
Organize your Gmail inbox
Are you tired of the extra step required to upload files to emails after downloading them to your computer or the cloud? Give the Dropbox for Gmail add-on a try. It adds a Dropbox button to Gmail, so you can attach files directly from your Dropbox account.
The best benefit of using Dropbox for Gmail is the increased speed gained while uploading files as email attachments. Gmail's file attachment process can become slow, especially when attaching multiple files.
Other advantages include the following:
Send large files without leaving Gmail
Preview attachments without downloading them
Share links to files in Dropbox
The Todoist for Gmail add-on helps with task management. It allows Gmail users to create and manage tasks from their inboxes. The add-on integrates with Gmail's interface and works with the Gmail API.
You can use the add-on to create and manage tasks. You can also add tasks to your Gmail inbox. Keeping all of your to-do lists in one place makes your life and business simple to operate.
The Todoist app provides an interface that exists next to your email drafts. It suggests tasks to you as you type out your email. The tagging feature is also useful for categorizing your tasks.
Here are other features offered by Todoist.
Inbox Zero: Take control of your inbox by using the "Add to Todoist" button to quickly turn emails into actionable tasks.
Automatic Suggestions: As you type out an email, Todoist will automatically suggest relevant tasks for you to add to your email.
Gmail Priority Inbox: Automatically surface the most important emails from your Gmail inbox.
Gmail Categories: Stay organized by adding Gmail messages to specific projects and labels in Todoist.
Using the Gmelius Gmail extension, you can schedule Gmail messages and send them at a later date and time. Doing this is useful if you want to deliver messages during a recipient’s workday hours.
You can use Gmelius to create email templates. It can save time if you find yourself sending similar messages regularly.
Gmelius allows you to snooze Gmail messages. Use this feature when you need to temporarily hide a message from your inbox until you have time to deal with it.
It also has a handy feature that allows you to view all the attachments in your Gmail account in one place.
Other interesting use cases for Gmelius include:
Automatically BCC yourself on all Gmail messages
Get notified when someone opens your email
See who else is cc'd on an email thread
Send encrypted emails
Do you need to capture signatures from clients and contractors? Try using the DocuSign Gmail add-on. It allows you to send documents for signature directly from Gmail.
With the DocuSign Gmail add-on, you can:
Send documents for signature
Track document status
Get notified when recipients sign documents
Store signed documents
To use the DocuSign add-on, a contact can hover over a Gmail attachment and click the "Sign" button. The app lets you approve purchases, sign agreements, and add signatures to PDF files without leaving the Gmail inbox.
Other important DocuSign features include:
Send multiple documents for signature at the same time
Collect information from Gmail contacts with forms
Use merge fields to include dynamic content in your document templates
The Right Inbox Google extension is one of the more feature-rich Gmail add-ons. It offers a wide range of benefits that can help you with your email productivity.
With Right Inbox, you can:
Schedule Gmail messages for a later date and time
Receive reminders when you don't get a reply to an important email
Snooze Gmail messages
Automatically use the Bcc feature inside Gmail
Right Inbox helps you create email templates that you can use over and over. Using merge fields, you'll cut down on time required to personalize mass emails. As well, you can use Right Inbox to see when a contact opens an email sent from your Gmail interface.
You can create multiple email signatures with the Right Inbox Gmail. Use the extension to automatically send out recurring emails, include embeddable GIFs, integrate with your CRM tool, and create private notes.
If you're a fan of Slack, then you'll love the Gmail add-on. With it, you can turn Gmail messages into Slack conversations.
The Gmail add-on also allows you to:
Create Slack channels from Gmail messages
Receive notifications in Slack when you receive a new email
View attachments from Gmail messages in Slack
The Gmail add-on is especially useful if you're leading a team. By integrating Slack and Gmail, you can keep all your communication in one place. Plus, it's easy to search for old email threads when you need to find information quickly.
With the Evernote Gmail add-on, you can save Gmail messages and attachments to your Evernote account. This is useful if you want to keep a backup of important email threads or if you need to reference information later.
With this Gmail add-on, you can create Evernote notes from Gmail messages. It's also useful for adding Gmail messages and attachments to existing Evernote notes.
The Evernote Gmail add-on is a convenient way to keep your Gmail inbox organized. By saving email messages and attachments to Evernote, you can declutter your inbox and keep all the information you need in one place.
If you're like most people, you use more than one Gmail account. With the Checker Plus for Gmail Chrome extension, you can manage all your Gmail accounts in one place.
The Gmail extension allows you to:
Check multiple Gmail inboxes at once
Receive desktop notifications for new Gmail messages
Respond to Gmail messages without opening the Gmail interface
You can add as many Gmail accounts as you want while using Checker Plus for Gmail. The extension supports Gmail, Google Inbox, and Gmail for business accounts. Plus, you can customize the extension to your liking with different themes and sound notifications.
By clicking on the Checker Plus icon from your Chrome extensions bar, you'll see all of your emails pop up in one window. From there, you can handle your email from all Gmail accounts at the same time. Read, delete, and archive messages. Send email messages to your folders. Compose new emails and send them off.
Gmail add-ons and extensions can help you become more productive when using Gmail. They allow you to manage multiple Gmail accounts, receive desktop notifications for new messages, and respond to messages.
If you haven't started using Gmail extensions or add-ons yet, consider starting with the Right Inbox Google extension. It offers a wide range of features that can help you with email productivity.
Michael started his career as a product manager and then developed a passion for writing. He has been writing on technology, remote working, productivity, etc., hoping to share his thoughts with more people.