Email is arguably the most popular form of communication to date, especially with almost everyone adopting a remote work setup. In fact, the number of private and business emails sent per day worldwide in 2021 alone has hit 319.6 billion, and this is expected to rise further to 376.4 billion per day by 2025. Email usage penetration in the U.S. is at 90.3%, with a whopping 76% of U.S. workers still checking emails beyond work hours and the average person sending and receiving 121 emails per day.
What all these numbers tell us is that there is no escaping email. Fortunately, there are apps that make handling the ever-growing barrage of messages much easier. We've listed some of the best email productivity tools to help you find the best fit for your usage style.
9 Great Email Productivity Apps to Simplify Your Life
There are hundreds of email productivity softwares out there, so we did the dirty work of sifting through the pile for you and found the best ones with both free and premium features.
1. Lightkey
Lightkey is an AI-powered software that not only suggests corrections for your spelling and grammar as you type, but it can also predict the next 12 words ahead, including punctuations. This real-time text prediction app learns your typing patterns and common subject themes the more you use it, so that the next time becomes a much more seamless experience. If you spend lots of time composing emails or even typing out documents, Lightkey can help speed up the process by helping to reduce your thinking time. There's also less need to lift your fingers off the keyboard and hit the backspace button as its spelling correction feature works while you're typing.
This user-friendly email productivity software makes a practical addition to anybody who does any type of writing. With its seamless integration with your preferred email app, you can start boosting your productivity and actually spend less time on your inbox.
Lightkey has a free version for Windows users, while paid plans start at $39.95 per year.
2. Boomerang for Gmail
Boomerang is a great email productivity tool for helping you reach inbox zero. It allows you to schedule and send emails for another time, enter or check a schedule on your calendar in just one click, and even let you know if your recipient has not opened or replied to your email by a designated time. Zoning out of your emails for a while is a practical email productivity tip, but willing yourself to do it might be challenging. If you really want to do it definitively, the software lets you snooze the arrival of new emails too.
Boomerang's basic plan is free, while paid tiers start at $4.99 per month.
3. Superhuman
Superhuman is another favorite email productivity app that lets you customize your Gmail and keyboard. Designed to help you breeze through emails extra fast, the backbone of the software is its keyboard shortcuts, like CMD+Shift to discard a draft and Enter to reply to all. Superhuman's split inbox feature is also a hit, allowing you to customize standard tabs on Gmail to suit your preferences.
Superhuman’s pricing is not indicated on its website, but it reportedly costs $30 per month.
4. SaneBox
As its name suggests, SaneBox will help you keep your sanity while dealing with constantly flooded inboxes. It works on any email platform and helps you categorize and prioritize emails, so you can focus only on those messages that you want to see first. The app automatically sends unimportant emails to another inbox, such as SaneNews for newsletters, SaneCC for CC'd emails, and SaneLater for those that contain distractions. Spam messages can also be sent to the trash straight away.
Pricing for Sanebox starts at 12 cents per day, or $3.49 per month.
5. BatchedInbox
If you're constantly bothered by notifications while working, BatchedInbox could be the email productivity tool you're looking for. This software lets you categorize emails by batch, so that you get all your messages at the same predesignated time instead of seeing them trickle in one by one. If you practice time blocking (as you should), this app will give you plenty of quiet hours to focus on things that matter.
BatchedInbox has a free version, while its paid plan costs $9.99 per month.
6. Followup.cc
Followup.cc is the perfect ally for those who should never forget to follow up on messages. Aside from making sure your VIP senders get preferential treatment, this software can be used to delay receiving emails and track whether they've already been opened or not. You can also manage your prospects' and clients' information from within the app, making it a good choice for sales and marketing people.
Followup.cc's paid plans start at $23 per month, and each tier comes with a free trial.
7. Otter
If you're into recording meetings and lectures (or your own voice reminders), Otter is a great tool that will simplify how you compose emails. This email productivity tool lets you speak into your device and translates verbal speech into text in real-time, so you don't have to type as much. You'll likely want to refine the text before sending your email out, but it will no longer take you as long as if you had to type from scratch.
Otter has a free version, while paid plans start at $12.99 per month.
8. HelloSign
If your email activity involves lots of signed paperwork, having HelloSign integrated with your email platform is a huge help. No longer will you wait to get your paperwork printed out, signed, scanned, and then emailed back to your sender. This app lets you collect electronic signatures, document workflows, and securely store or send documents. Its e-signatures are legally binding as well.
HelloSign pricing starts at $20 per month and each plan comes with a free trial.
9. Mailtrack
Mailtrack is one of the easiest email tracking tools around, so those looking for a minimalist aesthetic and experience will love this app. It lets you know whether or not your emails have been opened and how many times. It also tells you if the emails you're getting are being tracked. Mailtrack's straightforward nature lets you enjoy its features without changing how you already typically use and see your email account.
Mailtrack has a free version, while paid plans start at only $1 per month.
Regain Control of Your Emails with Lightkey
Managing a busy inbox might be part of your daily routine, but it doesn’t have to stress you out. By integrating email productivity apps to your platform, you can significantly reduce your email time and finish tasks faster. Lightkey is one such must-have for those who compose emails frequently, as it is designed to simplify your typing and thought process. Its real-time text prediction and spelling correction features are designed to boost your productivity — and help maintain your sanity.
Start exploring Lightkey by downloading the free version, or sign up for its premium paid software to take advantage of all the features that it has to offer.