How to Use Missive to Manage Team Email and Chat in One Inbox

Missive is built on a simple idea: email and internal chat belong in the same window. A team shares a mailbox, discusses a message in a side thread, assigns it to someone, and closes it — without leaving the app or forwarding anything.

Direct answer: Missive is a collaborative email client where teams share inboxes, chat inside a conversation, and assign messages as tasks. You connect Gmail, Outlook, or a custom IMAP account, share the inbox with teammates, and reply together. The Starter plan is about $14 per user per month, billed annually.

What problem does Missive solve?

Most teams handle shared email by forwarding. Someone gets support@, forwards it to a colleague, who replies from their own address, and the customer sees three different senders for one thread. Missive keeps the reply on the shared address and puts the internal discussion where it cannot be seen by the customer.

How do you set up a shared inbox?

1. Connect your email. Add Gmail, Outlook, or IMAP. A shared address like support@ or sales@ works best to start.
2. Invite teammates. Add them to the organization and grant access to that inbox.
3. Create rules. Auto-assign by keyword or sender, and tag conversations (Billing, Bug, Refund) so nothing sits in a pile.
4. Use internal comments. Type a comment instead of sending an email to discuss a message privately with the team.
5. Assign and close. Turn a message into a task, assign an owner, and mark it done when resolved.
6. Add chat channels. Put quick team chat next to the inbox so you stop switching tabs.

Is Missive free?

There is a free tier for small teams and a Starter plan at roughly $14 per user per month (annual). The free plan limits the number of users and shared inboxes; paid tiers add more, plus automations and integrations with tools like Slack and HubSpot.

Does Missive replace Slack?

Partly, not fully. Its chat is fine for inbox-adjacent discussion, but it is not a general company chat tool with channels, huddles, and a huge app directory. Teams that live in email get the most from it. If your company culture is chat-first, Missive becomes a second place to check, which is a real downside.

Who should use it?

Customer support teams, agencies, and small businesses that share a handful of inboxes and reply to customers as a team. It is less compelling for solo users, who do not need assignment or internal comments, and for large enterprise helpdesks that need ticket SLAs and reporting — that is a different category of software.

Quick Summary

• Missive combines shared email, internal chat, and task assignment in one app.
• Connect Gmail, Outlook, or IMAP; share an inbox; reply from the shared address.
• Free tier exists; Starter is about $14/user/month annually.
• Its chat is inbox-adjacent, not a full Slack replacement.
• Best for shared-inbox teams — support, agencies — not solo inboxes or enterprise helpdesks.