8 Best Shared Inbox Tools for Outbound Teams (2026)
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Why trust this list?
This list is written by the Master Inbox team and reviewed by our founder, Abdul Mukati. Every feature and price for the other seven tools comes from that vendor's own pages, read on 28 October 2026, and the sources are listed at the bottom. Master Inbox is one of the eight options, and we say so up front. We state only what each vendor publishes, phrase limits as neutral facts and leave out ratings. Each tool here is strong at the job it was built for.
Shared inbox vs outbound reply management
Both ideas put a team on one queue of messages. They start from different places, and that shapes which tool fits.
What a shared inbox does well
A shared inbox gives a team one address, such as support@, with assignment, internal notes, shared drafts and collision detection so two people do not answer the same message. Most of the tools below add ticketing, SLAs and analytics, which suits inbound work where customers write in and a team resolves each request.
What outbound reply management adds
Outbound starts with the sender. Replies arrive from dozens of mailboxes across several sequencers and LinkedIn tools. Reply management reads those mailboxes, labels each reply by intent and routes hot ones to a person fast. Our cold email reply management guide shows the workflow.
Why many teams run both
The two sit on different parts of the stack. A support desk handles customers. A reply layer handles prospects. Teams keep the tool they already use for support and add Master Inbox for outbound.
Shared inbox tools for outbound teams at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Pricing model (checked 28 Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Master Inbox | Outbound teams and agencies working email and LinkedIn replies | By connected mailboxes and client workspaces, unlimited users, from $499 a month |
| 2. Front | Support and operations teams sharing one inbox | Per seat, $25 to $105 a month, billed annually |
| 3. Missive | Team inbox with email, SMS and chat channels | Per user, $14 to $36 a month on yearly billing |
| 4. Hiver | Support and service teams working in Gmail or Outlook | Per user, $25 to $85 a month on annual billing |
| 5. Help Scout | Small support teams that want a free plan to start | Per user, free plan then $25 to $75 a month |
| 6. Gmelius | Teams that live in Gmail and Google Workspace | Per user, $19 to $40 a month on yearly billing |
| 7. Zendesk | Customer service at scale with ticketing and AI agents | Per agent, $19 to $115 a month on yearly billing |
| 8. Intercom | Support teams that want one inbox plus the Fin AI agent | Per seat plus per outcome for Fin |
1. Master Inbox
Master Inbox is the reply management platform for outbound teams and agencies: one unified inbox for every sequencer, LinkedIn tool and inbound form, with AI labeling and AI reply agents. Your whole team works the same queue.
Key features
- Unibox: one AI-labeled inbox for Smartlead, Instantly, EmailBison, Reply.io, Lemlist, HeyReach, Expandi, Aimfox and more. It reads the mailboxes themselves, so it also threads forwards, CC replies and new-address replies that a sequencer's own inbox does not show.
- AI labeling: every email and LinkedIn reply labeled by intent as it lands, with thirteen default labels or your own taxonomy, on your own OpenAI, Anthropic or OpenRouter key.
- Workflows: label-triggered actions inside the inbox, such as Slack cards, HubSpot sync, stopping the sequence on a booked meeting and webhooks.
- Client workspaces: one workspace per client with its own mailboxes, labels and members, with client logins scoped to their inbox only.
- Reply Agents and reporting: agents answer outbound replies, follow up and book meetings on your real calendar, and SLA tracking covers every reply.
Pricing
Master Inbox is never priced per seat. Plans scale with connected mailboxes and client workspaces, and every plan includes unlimited users. Full details are on the pricing page.
| Plan | Price | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| Reply Agent | From $499 per month | Reply agents that answer, follow up and book meetings |
| Agency | $599 per month | Agencies, with up to 3,000 mailboxes and 15 client workspaces |
| Team | $799 per month | Sales teams, with up to 2,000 mailboxes |
Larger plans are listed on the pricing page. Every plan starts with a free 7-day POC, and onboarding is done with you.
Pros
- Unlimited users on every plan, so adding a rep, a closer or a client manager does not change the bill.
- Replies from every sending tool and from LinkedIn land in one labeled queue.
- Master Inbox internal data shows roughly 12% more replies captured than a sequencer reports.
- EU hosting in Finland and Germany, GDPR-ready, and white-glove onboarding.
Best for
Outbound sales teams and lead generation agencies that send from many mailboxes and want every reply worked by the right person. See Master Inbox for outbound teams and for agencies.
Works alongside
Master Inbox works alongside the tools you already run: your sequencer for sending, your CRM such as HubSpot for records and your support desk for customers. It is the reply layer between them.
2. Front
Front describes itself as an AI customer operations platform: shared inboxes, ticketing, a knowledge base and AI agents across email, chat, SMS and WhatsApp. Read the Front pricing guide or seven Front alternatives for more.
Key features
- Shared inboxes with @mentions, escalations and handoffs, plus full customer history across conversations.
- Salesforce, HubSpot and Slack integrations, an API with webhooks and 160+ out-of-the-box integrations.
- Copilot for agents, Autopilot AI agents, Smart QA and Smart CSAT.
Pricing
Per Front's pricing page, checked 28 October 2026, Starter is $25, Professional is $65 and Enterprise is $105 per seat per month, billed annually. Copilot is $20 per seat on Starter and Professional. A 14-day trial is offered.
Pros
- Collaboration tools built for teams that share one inbox.
- A broad integration directory aimed at larger teams.
Cons
- Priced per seat, with up to 10 seats on Starter and 50 on Professional.
- No LinkedIn integration was found in Front's integrations directory on 28 October 2026.
Best for
Support, operations and customer success teams. Many teams keep Front for support and add Master Inbox for outbound. See Master Inbox vs Front.
3. Missive
Missive is a collaborative inbox where teams work on email, SMS and social channel conversations together, with assignments, internal comments, tasks and shared drafts. See Missive alternatives and Master Inbox vs Missive.
Key features
- Team inboxes with assignment to people or teams, auto-assignment with workload balancing, shared drafts and an audit trail.
- Gmail, Microsoft and IMAP/SMTP accounts, plus SMS, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram and live chat.
- An AI assistant that drafts replies for approval, with a choice of Claude, OpenAI or Gemini models, plus a REST API and an MCP server.
Pricing
Per Missive's billing documentation, checked 28 October 2026, Starter is $14 on yearly billing or $18 monthly, Productive is $24 yearly or $30 monthly, and Business is $36 yearly or $45 monthly, all per user per month. A 30-day trial is offered, and there is no free plan.
Pros
- Collaboration inside each conversation: comments, shared drafts and tasks.
Cons
- Priced per user, with up to 5 users on Starter and 50 on Productive.
- No LinkedIn integration and no cold-email sending or campaign features were found on Missive's pages.
Best for
Teams that share customer-facing mailboxes and want a general team inbox across several channels.
Working outbound replies as a team? Start your free 7-day POC and give every teammate a seat at no extra cost.
4. Hiver
Hiver describes itself as an agentic omnichannel customer service platform with shared inboxes, ticketing, automations and AI. It comes as Hiver Omni, a standalone platform, and Hiver in Gmail, a Chrome extension. See Hiver alternatives and Master Inbox vs Hiver.
Key features
- Shared inboxes with ticketing, assignment, routing, tags, notes with @mentions, shared drafts and collision detection.
- Email, live chat, Slack, WhatsApp and social in one queue on Hiver Omni, with voice as a paid add-on.
- AI Agents, AI Copilot, AI tagging and sentiment analysis.
Pricing
Per Hiver's pricing page, checked 28 October 2026, Growth is $25, Pro is $55 and Elite is $85 per user per month on annual billing, or $35, $65 and $95 on monthly billing. Voice is $30 per voice seat per month. A 7-day trial gives access to the Elite plan.
Pros
- Works on top of Gmail or Google Workspace, and with Outlook and other providers on Hiver Omni.
- SLAs, CSAT surveys and analytics on higher tiers.
Cons
- Priced per user, and Hiver's FAQ says plans start at 2 seats.
- Hiver's pages position it for inbound support. No cold-email sending features or LinkedIn integration were found on the pages we read.
Best for
Customer support, customer success and other service teams that handle inbound requests from Gmail, Outlook or other providers.
5. Help Scout
Help Scout is a customer communication platform with a shared inbox, a knowledge base called Docs, live chat called Beacon and AI features. It states that its products power over 12,000 customer-facing teams.
Key features
- A shared inbox with auto-assignment, internal notes and mentions, saved replies, workflows and customer history.
- An Inbox API, webhooks, a Chat API and a Docs API, plus 100+ listed integrations including HubSpot and Salesforce.
Pricing
Per Help Scout's pricing page, checked 28 October 2026, there is a Free plan for up to 5 users. Standard is $25, Plus is $45 and Pro is $75 per user per month. The page does not state whether those prices are monthly or annual, and it notes a 16% annual discount. Envoy is $0.75 per resolution.
Pros
- A free plan with 1 inbox and 100 contacts per month, and a 15-day trial on Standard and Plus.
Cons
- Priced per user, with up to 25 users on Standard and 50 on Plus, and Pro has a minimum of 10 users.
- No cold-email-specific features such as warm-up or sending-account rotation were found, and no LinkedIn integration was found in the visible directory.
Best for
Small businesses, startups and non-profits running customer support.
6. Gmelius
Gmelius adds shared inboxes, shared Gmail labels, shared drafts, assignment, automation rules and AI assistants to Gmail and Google Workspace. Its AI assistant, Meli, is described as an AI Chief of Staff.
Key features
- Unlimited shared inboxes and shared labels on paid plans, with notes, @mentions, collision detection, kanban views and custom views.
- A two-way Slack integration, HubSpot and Salesforce on Pro, and a REST API with webhooks.
Pricing
Per Gmelius's pricing page, checked 28 October 2026, Meli is $19, Growth is $25 and Pro is $40 per user per month on yearly billing, or $21, $33 and $50 on monthly billing. Enterprise is a custom quote with a minimum of 50 users. A 7-day trial is offered.
Pros
- Works inside Gmail, so a team does not need to leave the mailbox it already uses.
- Unlimited users on Pro.
Cons
- Gmelius works on Google and Google Workspace accounts only, and plans carry monthly caps on conversations and rule executions.
- No cold-email warm-up or mailbox rotation and no LinkedIn integration were found on the pages we read.
Best for
Teams that work in Gmail or Google Workspace and want shared inboxes and workflows without leaving it.
7. Zendesk
Zendesk is a service-first CRM company whose products include ticketing, omnichannel messaging, a help center, AI agents and an agent Copilot. It cites 80,000+ companies as customers.
Key features
- Incoming email becomes tickets that are routed and assigned to agents and groups, with triggers and automations.
- A two-way Slack integration and a Marketplace of 1,500 or more apps.
Pricing
Per Zendesk's pricing page, checked 28 October 2026, Support Team is $19, Suite Team is $55 and Suite Professional is $115 per agent per month when paid yearly, or $25, $69 and $149 monthly. AI agents are billed at $1.50 per automated resolution committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go, and Copilot is a $50 per agent add-on. Enterprise pricing is not published.
Pros
- Ticketing across email, messaging, live chat and voice in the Suite plans.
- Support for multiple brands and up to 3,000 support email addresses per account.
Cons
- Ticket-based rather than a shared mailbox, and priced per agent.
- No LinkedIn integration and no cold-email features such as warm-up were found.
Best for
Businesses that run customer service at scale and want ticketing, a help center and AI agents in one platform.
8. Intercom
Intercom is an AI-powered helpdesk that puts conversations, tickets and channels such as email, live chat, phone, SMS and WhatsApp in one shared Inbox, alongside the Fin AI agent and a Copilot for agents.
Key features
- One Inbox for email, live chat, phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, with tickets, Workflows and reporting.
- Fin, an AI agent priced per outcome, which can also run on top of other helpdesks.
- A two-way Slack channel integration, Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive connectors, a REST API and webhooks.
Pricing
Per Intercom's pricing page, checked 28 October 2026, Essential is $19 per seat per month for new customers, with $29 shown struck through, Advanced is $85 and Expert is $132. The page does not say whether the Essential price is monthly or annual. Fin is $0.99 per outcome, and a 14-day trial is offered.
Pros
- One Inbox across many channels, with Fin and human teammates in the same reporting.
Cons
- Priced per seat plus per outcome for Fin.
- Up to 250 email addresses can be forwarded into one workspace, and Google Groups or shared mailing lists are not supported. LinkedIn was not mentioned on the integrations page.
Best for
Businesses running support, sales and customer success conversations from one Inbox with an AI agent.
How to choose a shared inbox for outbound
Start with who writes the messages, then check how the bill scales.
- Prospects replying to your campaigns: choose Master Inbox. It reads the mailboxes behind every sequencer, labels each reply and gives the whole team one queue. Compare options on our compare page.
- Customers asking for help: choose a help desk such as Front, Hiver, Help Scout, Zendesk or Intercom, based on your email provider and channels.
- A team living in Gmail: Hiver and Gmelius both work on top of it.
- Both jobs at once: run a support tool and Master Inbox side by side. They connect to different parts of the stack and do not overlap.
Then check the pricing unit. Front, Missive, Hiver, Help Scout, Gmelius, Zendesk and Intercom price per person, and several add usage fees for AI. Master Inbox follows connected mailboxes and client workspaces with unlimited users. See also our guides to the best unified inbox for cold email and the response SLA glossary entry.
Start your free 7-day POC and try Master Inbox next to your current setup.
Frequently asked questions
What is a shared inbox?
It is one mailbox that a whole team works together, with assignment, internal notes and shared drafts so each message has an owner. Many shared inbox tools add ticketing, SLAs and analytics.
What is the best shared inbox for outbound teams?
Master Inbox is built for outbound. It collects replies from every sequencer and LinkedIn tool into one AI-labeled inbox, with unlimited users on every plan.
Can a help desk like Zendesk or Intercom work outbound replies?
Help desks are built around inbound requests and tickets. Their pages describe support workflows, and the pages we read did not mention cold-email features such as warm-up or sending-account rotation. Many teams keep them for support and add Master Inbox for outbound.
Which of these tools charge per seat?
Front, Missive, Hiver, Help Scout, Gmelius, Zendesk and Intercom all price per seat, user or agent. Master Inbox is priced on connected mailboxes and client workspaces, with unlimited users.
Do I have to replace my support tool?
No. Master Inbox works alongside your support desk, CRM and sequencer. It handles the replies to your outbound campaigns, and your support tool keeps handling customers.
How do I try Master Inbox?
Every plan starts with a free 7-day POC, and onboarding is done with you. You can start from the pricing page.
Sources
Prices and features checked on 28 October 2026 from each vendor's own pages:
- Front pricing and Front integrations directory
- Missive billing and plans
- Hiver pricing
- Help Scout pricing and Help Scout shared inbox
- Gmelius pricing
- Zendesk pricing
- Intercom pricing and Intercom helpdesk
Master Inbox pricing comes from our pricing page. Front, Missive, Hiver, Help Scout, Gmelius, Zendesk and Intercom are each a trademark of its owner. Master Inbox is an independent product and is not affiliated with Front, Missive, Hiver, Help Scout, Gmelius, Zendesk or Intercom.