Notion initially began as an all-in-one workspace focused primarily on note-taking and task organization, competing with the likes of Obsidian and Evernote. A lot has changed since then, starting with the release of Notion Calendar, which was essentially the company’s version of Google Calendar and Outlook.

Now, as announced in a post on Notion's blog, the company is expanding further by adding Notion Mail to its portfolio, marking the latest step in its effort to compete with Microsoft Office and Google Workspace.

Notion Mail has AI features that are actually useful

Notion describes its email app as a "new inbox that is designed to think like you." This new email app is meant to be a more personalized and modern way to communicate, and has essentially been created to combat the fact that "email has largely been frozen in time," even as other work tools have evolved. I took Notion Mail for a run, and after being a loyal Gmail user, it's safe to say I'm impressed.

What’s always bothered me about Gmail (and most email apps) is how cluttered their interface can be. Replying to emails is stressful enough. So, the last thing I want is to feel overwhelmed just at the sight of my inbox. While other apps help you tackle that by sorting your email into categories like Primary, Promotions, Social, and Updates, the issue is that your customization options essentially end there.

With Notion Mail, you can create separate sections (which Notion calls "views") that filter and sort your emails. You can create one by tapping + New view in the Views section, and then either Describe your view, Configure manually, or Use template.

With Describe your view, you just need to enter a brief description of how you’d like to filter your emails, and the mail app will use Notion AI to sort your inbox based on that criteria. It'll also give you a few suggestions.

For instance, I got Job application updates and AI-related news and articles under Keep in Inbox, and Spammy emails from people I don’t know and Receipts and purchase confirmations under Split from inbox.

I can already imagine how this feature will come in handy when trying to sort out my work inbox! Of course, since this feature uses AI, I don’t expect it to be perfect, but it’s certainly exciting.

Notion Mail’s features go beyond just sorting. If you spend hours re-writing the same emails over and over, Notion Mail can help with that too. Tired of writing the same email asking a colleague if they’re available for a quick coffee chat? You can save it as an email template and avoid having to write it again and again!

As expected, Notion Mail also integrates closely with its calendar app, allowing you to share your upcoming availability and letting others quickly book time with you. You can also use Notion AI to refine your emails. If you're familiar with Notion, the / command is something you likely use every few minutes. With Notion Mail, you can use the same / command to bring up headings, callouts, and all the other content blocks you’re familiar with, right inside your emails.

To use it, all you need to do is head to Notion Mail’s website, hit Get started for free, and connect your Gmail account. At the time of writing, it’s available on the web, as a native macOS application, and is also coming to iOS very soon!

I'm sure this is just the beginning, and Notion Mail is only going to get better. Regardless, it’s exciting, and I can’t wait to see how it progresses.