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TITidy Inbox Notes

AI Features Already Inside Gmail and Outlook

Which AI inbox tools come with Gmail and Outlook, and what plan or licence each needs.

Up to date as of 1 November 2026

You may already have AI features in Gmail or Outlook. The catch is the plan. Both makers tie the features to particular plans or licences, and those change.

The makers' pages were last read for this site on the "up to date as of" date shown on this page. Check them again before you decide.

Side by side

Gmail (Google) Outlook (Microsoft)
AI assistant Gemini in Gmail1 Microsoft Copilot app2
What the maker says it does Summarise threads, draft, add labels, search1 Use the Microsoft Copilot app to read, draft responses and summarise emails in shared mailboxes2
What you need An eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan1 A Microsoft Copilot licence for shared mailboxes2
Where to check cost Google's Workspace pricing page3 No Microsoft price page has been checked for this site

Gmail and Gemini

Google's help page says Gemini in Gmail can shorten long threads into bullet points. It can also draft, label, search and suggest meeting times.1 Google adds a condition: it must be an eligible Workspace or Google AI plan.1

Finding the AI you already haveWhich email service do you use?Which plan or licence do you have?Check the maker's pageTry it on a few messages
Check the plan before you look for a new tool.

Google's pricing page lists a Gemini assistant in Gmail on its Starter plan.3 The Standard plan lists Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more.3 For Gemini chat, the page also says company data is not used to train models.3

This page doesn't copy prices. The pricing page shows them per user, changes them with offers, and may show them in a different currency from yours. A figure here could be wrong for you. Open the page and read the line for your country.

Outlook and Copilot

Microsoft's page describes using the Microsoft Copilot app, where you type a prompt in a chat window, to read and act on shared-mailbox emails. It says you must have a Copilot licence to do that.2 That matters for a team using a shared customer inbox. There's a limit too: Microsoft says Copilot can't help with a delegate mailbox if you only have shared folder permissions.2

Version matters as well. On a Mac, Copilot in Outlook is only offered in the latest version of the app.4 Read the Microsoft page for your own setup.

Which suits whom

  • A team already on Google Workspace has a built-in route to try first. It only needs the right plan.
  • A team on Microsoft with a shared mailbox should look at the Copilot licence cost, because Microsoft says you need one to use Copilot there.2
  • A business on a free personal Gmail or another provider may find the built-in AI isn't available to it, and would have to compare outside tools.

None of this means you need AI. Plain filters are a separate option. They're covered on the page about inbox rules before AI.

Before you switch anything on

Ask three questions. Who on the team will get access? What does the maker say happens to the data? And who checks the output? The last two are covered in customer emails and privacy and drafting replies.

Reference list

  1. Collaborate with Gemini in Gmail, Google (Gmail Help)
  2. Use Copilot in shared mailboxes and delegate mailboxes, Microsoft Support
  3. Google Workspace pricing, Google
  4. Create quicker responses using Reply with Copilot in Outlook for Mac, Microsoft Support

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