Short answer: for a support or sales team, Front and Help Scout are the strongest Missive alternatives, and Help Scout has a free plan for up to 5 users. If your team lives in Gmail, Hiver and Gmelius work inside it. Shared Inbox by Canary (ours) is the cheapest of the team tools at $10 per user per month. If you only used Missive for yourself, an email app like Canary Mail or Spark does that job for free.
Disclosure: we make Canary Mail and Shared Inbox by Canary, and both are in this list. Prices were checked on each vendor's own pricing page on October 16, 2026.
Why teams look for a Missive alternative
Missive is a team inbox: shared email accounts, internal chat inside each conversation, drafts you write together, assignments and tasks. It also connects SMS, WhatsApp and social accounts, and runs on the web, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. It's good software, and if it works for you there's no reason to move. The usual reasons people do:
- There's no free plan. After the 30-day trial, access pauses until someone picks a plan.
- The useful parts cost more. Starter is $14 per user per month billed yearly ($18 monthly), but rules, integrations, the API and the AI assistant all start on Productive, at $24 per user per month yearly ($30 monthly). Business is $36 ($45 monthly).
- AI is metered. Missive's AI runs on credits or your own API key, so it costs extra on top of the seat price.
- Caps and add-ons. Starter stops at 5 users and Productive at 50, and extra shared accounts are $15 a month per 5.
- It's built for teams. If you used Missive mainly to read several personal accounts in one place, you're paying per seat for collaboration you don't need.
Missive alternatives compared
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan or trial | Works with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Support teams on several channels | $25 per seat/month (yearly) | 14-day trial | Email, SMS, social on higher plans |
| Help Scout | Small support teams | Free; Standard $25 per user/month (yearly) | Free plan for 5 users | Email, chat, SMS, WhatsApp |
| Hiver | Teams that work in Gmail | $25 per user/month (yearly) | 7-day trial | Gmail, Outlook and others |
| Gmelius | Google Workspace teams | $25 per user/month (yearly) | 7-day trial | Gmail and Google Workspace |
| Shared Inbox by Canary (ours) | Small teams on a budget | $10 per user/month | 14-day trial | Shared inbox and AI chatbot |
| Spark | A few people sharing threads | Free; Plus $99 per user/year | Free plan, 2 active collaborators | Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, IMAP |
| Canary Mail (ours) | One person with many accounts | Free; Growth $36/year | Free plan | Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange, IMAP |
The 7 best Missive alternatives in 2026
1. Front: Best for support teams on several channels
Front is the best-known Missive competitor and the most complete. Every plan has a shared inbox with ticketing, automation rules and analytics, and Professional adds SMS and social channels, macros, multiple workspaces and SSO. It's the safer pick once a team outgrows a simple shared inbox. For more options in this space, see our list of Front alternatives.
- Who it's for: customer support and account teams that need rules, reporting and more than email
- Price: Starter $25 per seat a month billed yearly ($35 monthly), up to 10 seats; Professional $65 ($85 monthly); Enterprise $105, yearly only; 14-day trial of Professional, no card needed
- Compared with Missive: stronger automation, ticketing and reporting, at a higher price per seat
- Downside: it costs more than Missive at every level, and omnichannel support starts on Professional.
2. Help Scout: Best free plan for small support teams
Help Scout turns shared email into a simple help desk: assignments, saved replies, a knowledge base (Docs) and AI drafts. Unlike Missive, it has a free plan, which covers 5 users, 1 inbox and 1 Docs site.
- Who it's for: small support teams that want a clean help desk rather than a team email client
- Price: free plan (5 users, 1 inbox, 100 contacts a month); Standard $25, Plus $45 and Pro $75 per user a month billed yearly; 15-day trial of Standard or Plus, no card needed
- Compared with Missive: a real free plan and better support tooling, but it isn't meant for personal or internal email
- Downside: the free plan caps you at 100 contacts a month, and it's a customer support tool, not an everyday inbox.
3. Hiver: Best for teams that work in Gmail
Hiver comes in two versions. Hiver in Gmail adds shared inboxes, team collaboration, workflows and AI to the Gmail window your team already uses. Hiver Omni is a separate app that works with Gmail, Outlook and other providers and adds chat, voice, WhatsApp and social channels.
- Who it's for: teams that don't want to leave Gmail, or that need a full support platform
- Price: Hiver Omni Growth $25 per user a month billed yearly ($35 monthly), Pro $55 ($65), Elite $85 ($95); 7-day free trial
- Compared with Missive: nothing new to learn if you use Gmail, but no personal-and-team inbox in one app
- Downside: the trial is short, and the Gmail version only makes sense if your whole team is on Google.
4. Gmelius: Best for Google Workspace teams
Gmelius also works inside Gmail, with shared inboxes and shared labels, automation rules, auto-assignment, shared templates, SLA tracking and an AI assistant that drafts replies and sorts mail.
- Who it's for: Google Workspace teams that want collaboration plus AI without a new app
- Price: Growth $25 per user a month billed yearly ($33 monthly), which is the plan with shared inboxes; Pro $40; 7-day trial
- Compared with Missive: stays in Gmail, but doesn't support Outlook or iCloud accounts
- Downside: Gmail and Google Workspace only.
5. Shared Inbox by Canary: Best for small teams on a budget
Disclosure: Shared Inbox by Canary is our product. It combines a shared inbox, internal chat and mentions, a built-in help desk with ticket status and assignment, shared templates, and an AI chatbot trained on your own help material that answers common questions. You can use it on the web or with its Mac app.
- Who it's for: small teams that want a shared inbox and an AI support assistant for less than Missive's Starter plan
- Price: Starter $10 per user a month; Business $20; Scale $30; 14-day free trial, no card needed
- Compared with Missive: cheaper, with an AI chatbot included, but no SMS, WhatsApp or social channels
- Downside: integrations and analytics start on the Business plan, and the AI chatbot has a monthly response cap on each plan.
6. Spark: Best for a few people sharing threads
Spark is an email app first, but its free plan lets you create a team, share threads, leave private comments, write drafts together with up to 2 active collaborators and make 10 assignments per team. That covers what many two- or three-person teams used Missive for.
- Who it's for: tiny teams and freelancers who mostly need to discuss emails
- Price: free; Plus $10 per user a month or $99 a year (unlimited collaborators); Pro $20 a month or $199 a year
- Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android
- Downside: there's no shared team address, help desk or SMS, and AI is on paid plans.
More: Spark alternatives.
7. Canary Mail: Best if you used Missive on your own
Disclosure: we make Canary Mail. Plenty of people pick Missive just to read several accounts in one window. Canary does that without per-seat pricing: it puts Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and IMAP accounts in one inbox on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android, with AI that drafts replies and summarizes threads. Tracker blocking is on by default, and Pro+ adds PGP encryption. More than 2 million people use it.
- Who it's for: individuals with several accounts who don't need team features
- Price: free for unlimited accounts on 2 devices; Growth $36 a year; Pro+ $100 a year; lifetime licenses $100 and $300
- Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android
- Downside: it isn't a team inbox, so there's no shared address or assignment; for that, use Shared Inbox by Canary or one of the tools above. Paid plans are yearly or lifetime only.
What to look for in a Missive alternative
- Who replies. A support team answering customers needs ticketing, assignment and reports (Front, Help Scout, Hiver). A small team discussing email needs comments and shared drafts (Spark, Shared Inbox by Canary).
- Where you work. Gmail teams can stay in Gmail with Hiver or Gmelius. Mixed providers need a separate app.
- Channels. If you rely on Missive's SMS or WhatsApp, check that the replacement includes them on the plan you'd buy. With Front that's Professional.
- The real per-seat cost. Compare the plan that has the rules and AI you'll use, not the entry price.
- AI pricing. Some tools include AI in the seat price, others charge per use or per resolution.
Our guides to the best shared inbox tools and shared inbox best practices go further.
How to move off Missive
Missive connects to your existing mailboxes, so your email stays with Google, Microsoft or your IMAP provider when you leave. Before you cancel, export your conversations, contacts and canned responses from Missive's Settings, under Login and Security. Then connect the same accounts to the new tool and recreate your rules and templates. Internal chat and comments live in Missive, so keep that export if you need the history.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Missive?
Front for support teams that need automation and several channels, Help Scout if you want a free plan, and Hiver or Gmelius if your team works in Gmail. For one person with several accounts, an email app such as Canary Mail or Spark is enough.
Is there a free Missive alternative?
Yes. Help Scout has a free plan for up to 5 users and one inbox, and Spark's free plan includes shared threads and comments with 2 active collaborators. Missive itself has no free plan.
How much does Missive cost?
Starter is $14 per user per month billed yearly or $18 monthly, Productive $24 or $30, and Business $36 or $45. New teams get a 30-day trial of Productive with no card.
Missive vs Front: which is better?
Front is stronger for customer support, with better automation, reporting and more channels, and it costs more. Missive is better for small teams that want email and internal chat in one app at a lower price.
Does Missive include AI?
Yes, on the Productive and Business plans. It drafts replies and searches your mail, and it's paid through Missive AI credits or your own API key.
Does Missive work with Gmail and Outlook?
Yes. Missive connects Gmail and Google Workspace, Outlook and Microsoft 365, Exchange, iCloud and IMAP accounts, plus SMS, WhatsApp and social channels.