Keeping vs. Gmelius
Gmelius alternative: turn Gmail into a shared inbox
Keeping is a shared inbox that works inside Gmail, like Gmelius, without the AI suite on top. Your team assigns, notes and tracks every email to support@ from the Gmail they already use.
- A shared inbox with no conversation or automation caps
- Nothing to migrate: your email is already in Gmail
- Set up in two minutes with Google sign-in
Rated 4.5 /5 on G2
14 days free. No credit card required. Works with the Gmail you already use.
2,000+ companies run their shared inbox in Gmail with Keeping
“We've been able to cut our customer response time down to mere minutes for the vast majority of requests. Vacation and illness coverage has been nearly completely solved.”
Gmelius vs Keeping: shared inbox features and pricing
Our verdictGmelius is now an AI email suite whose shared inbox starts on Growth, with monthly conversation and automation caps. Pick Keeping if your team needs a shared inbox in Gmail without caps. Stay with Gmelius if you rely on its AI assistant, Kanban boards or email sequences.
| Prices per user/month |  | Gmelius |
|---|---|---|
| Price for what your team needs | ||
| Cheapest plan with a shared inbox | $14Essentialsbilled annually, $19 monthly | $25Growthbilled annually, $33 monthly |
| Plan with round robin and SLAs | $24Advancedbilled annually, $29 monthly | $25Growthbilled annually, $33 monthly |
| Plan with HubSpot and Salesforce | $24Advancedbilled annually, $29 monthly | $40Probilled annually, $50 monthly |
| Limits | ||
| Monthly conversation cap | None on any plan | 10,000 on Growth |
| Automation | No run cap: two workflows on Essentials, unlimited on Advanced | 10,000 rule runs a month on Growth |
| Shared inboxes | Unlimited on Advanced, two on Essentials | Unlimited on Growth and up. None on Meli |
| Users | Up to 10 on Essentials, no cap on Advanced, with a two-user minimum | Up to 50 on Growth |
| Setup | ||
| Works inside Gmail | YesChrome extension, plus web and mobile | YesChrome extension |
| Free trial | 14 days. No credit card required. | 7 days |
Gmelius prices from gmelius.com/pricing, as of October 2026. Prices before tax. | Start free in Gmail 14 days free. No credit card required. |
Gmelius pricing vs Keeping: what a 5-person team pays
Pick the row that matches what your team needs. Five users, billed annually, before tax.
Just a shared inbox
One or two addresses, assignment, notes, statuses, templates
GmeliusGrowth
$1,500/yr
KeepingEssentials
$840/yr
$660 less a year (44%)
Round robin and SLAs
Three or more addresses, more than two automations
GmeliusGrowth
$1,500/yr
KeepingAdvanced
$1,440/yr
About the same price, without the caps
HubSpot or Salesforce
Your CRM beside every customer email
GmeliusPro
$2,400/yr
KeepingAdvanced
$1,440/yr
$960 less a year (40%)
What is Gmelius?
Gmelius is best described as a collaboration hub for Gmail. It now leads with Meli, its AI assistant, and adds shared inboxes, Kanban boards, email sequences and automation from its Growth plan up. Its entry plan, also called Meli, has no shared inbox.
Like Keeping, Gmelius installs as a Chrome extension and works inside Gmail. Because so much is packed in, reviewers mention a learning curve. That is the real choice between the two: Gmelius bundles an AI suite around the shared inbox, and Keeping is just the shared inbox.
Gmelius alternatives: 4 tools that work with Gmail
Three run inside Gmail like Gmelius does. Missive asks your team to move to its own app. Prices are per user per month, billed annually.
Keeping
Inside GmailFrom $14 on Essentials
A shared inbox on every plan, with assignment, notes, collision detection and reporting. No conversation caps. Round robin, SLAs and integrations come with Advanced.
See the shared inboxHiver
Inside GmailGrowth $25, $35 monthly
A shared inbox for Gmail teams. Users are sold in blocks of 5, so a team of 7 pays for 10.
Keeping as a Hiver alternativeDrag
Inside GmailStarter $12, $16 monthly
Turns Gmail into Kanban boards. Starter includes 10 automation rules. No free plan; a 7-day trial.
Keeping as a Drag alternativeMissive
Separate appStarter $14
A standalone email client for Gmail, Outlook and IMAP. Starter covers up to 5 users, with no rules.
Keeping as a Missive alternative
Is Keeping right for your team?
Keeping fits if
You need a shared inbox for support@ or info@, and nothing else on top.- You don’t want a plan that meters conversations or automation runs.
- You want HubSpot or Salesforce in the inbox without a Pro plan. They come with Advanced.
- You want to be set up in two minutes.
Stay with Gmelius if
- Your team uses its AI assistant, Kanban boards or email sequences every day.
- You need an integration Keeping doesn’t offer.
Collaborate in Gmail
Adding customer support to your operation no longer means opening an extra browser tab. Manage your shared inbox from your own Gmail account. No external app!
- Add collaboration to email
- Stop duplicated work
- Share the workload
Simple & Streamlined
Our instant setup and Gmail integration are designed for the busiest teams. There’s no complex software to configure. You’re up and running and supporting customers in minutes.
- Get started in minutes
- One home for multiple mailboxes
- Save time with shared templates
Best-in-Class Analytics
Reporting comes with every plan. Advanced adds advanced reporting and CSV export, so you know how your team responds to customers. Track first response time, resolution time, busiest times, and much more.
- Reports by agent, tag, and mailbox
- Understand how your team can improve
- Visualize the data over time
Automate Everything
Focus on what’s essential and let workflows handle repetitive tasks: two workflows on Essentials, unlimited on Advanced. Automatically assign tickets, set priority and tags, or change the status based on the content of your email.
- Improve team efficiency
- Respond to customers faster
- Nothing slips through the cracks
Connect the Tools You Use
Connect Keeping to the tools your team already uses. Slack works on every plan; HubSpot, Salesforce, Shopify and Zapier come with Advanced, with no Pro upgrade.
Gmelius alternatives FAQ
Is Gmelius free?
No. Gmelius has no free plan, and its trial lasts 7 days. Its cheapest plan, Meli ($19 per user per month billed annually), doesn’t include a shared inbox. Shared inboxes start on Growth at $25.
Is there a free alternative to Gmelius?
None of the Gmail shared inboxes on this page has a free plan. Hiver discontinued its free plan, and Drag offers a 7-day trial. Keeping has a 14-day free trial that requires no credit card, then starts at $14 per user per month on Essentials, billed annually.
Does Gmelius include a shared inbox on every plan?
No. Shared inboxes start on Growth ($25 per user per month billed annually or $33 monthly), which caps conversations and rule runs at 10,000 a month each. The Meli plan has none. Keeping includes a shared inbox on every plan: two shared mailboxes on Essentials and unlimited on Advanced.
Is Keeping a Chrome extension like Gmelius?
Yes. Both run as Chrome extensions inside Gmail. Keeping also has a web portal and mobile access on every plan.
Is Keeping cheaper than Gmelius?
It depends on what your team needs. For just a shared inbox, Keeping Essentials costs 44% less than Gmelius Growth. For round robin and SLAs, Keeping Advanced costs about the same as Growth, without its conversation and automation caps. For HubSpot or Salesforce, Advanced costs 40% less than Gmelius Pro. Prices billed annually.
Does Keeping limit conversations or automation runs?
No plan meters conversations or workflow runs. Essentials includes two workflows and Advanced has unlimited workflows. Gmelius Growth caps both conversations and rule runs at 10,000 a month. More on the Keeping shared inbox.
Is Hiver or Gmelius better?
Both run inside Gmail, and the plan most teams need costs $25 per user per month on either, billed annually. Gmelius adds an AI assistant, Kanban boards and sequences on top. Our Hiver alternative page compares Hiver with Keeping.
Our customers love us for a reason
Don’t just take our word for it, see what our customers are saying about us.
Rated 4.5 /5 on G2
“Keeping helps our customer service team stay on top of inquiries & recognize when an issue has been handled.”
“It's a great tool for tracking and sharing support emails with colleagues. I love how Keeping email has its own inbox inside Gmail.”
“Keeping seamlessly integrates with Gmail, so we don't have to work with another tool. It allows everyone to see responses from the team.”
“Seeing our shared mailbox right in GSuite, the automatic setup, and the ability to keep track of issues are my favorite features.”
“At our university, Keeping gives us control over the responses of all our agents, as well as ensuring that all emails are being responded to.”
“Our HR department uses Keeping, and it works amazingly well for us to keep organized. It's a simple but robust ticketing system.”
“I like that we can use it right inside our Gmail. I also like that we can assign and prioritize incoming requests.”
“Keeping makes it simple to stay on top of our work orders, and I love that it is integrated with Gmail.”
“Tried them all - Keeping is perfect for our startup. Exactly the features we needed, like Gmail integration and collision detection.”
Keep Gmail. Add the shared inbox.
Plans start at $14 per user per month on Essentials, and the 14-day trial requires no credit card.
