Thanks! I’ll find the best shared inbox platforms suited for a 10-user law practice that integrates with Gmail and offers key features like assignment, team chat, and AI-powered automation. I’ll compare tools based on their functionality, ease of use, pricing, and any legal-industry relevance.I’ll get back to you with a detailed breakdown shortly.

Shared Inbox Platforms for a 10-User Law Practice (Gmail Integration)

A shared inbox can greatly streamline a law firm’s email communications by allowing multiple team members to collaborate on client emails. For a 10-user law practice using Gmail (Google Workspace), the ideal platform should support assigning conversations to specific staff, internal notes or chat on emails, and modern AI/automation tools to boost efficiency. Security and compliance are paramount given the sensitive nature of legal communications, and the tool should offer an intuitive experience (ideally within Gmail) with strong customer support. Below we evaluate several top shared inbox platforms known in professional services and legal circles, and compare their features, pricing, and suitability for a law firm.

Key Features and Evaluation Criteria

1. Gmail Integration: How the tool integrates with Gmail – does it work inside the Gmail interface via an extension/add-on, or as a separate app connecting to Gmail? Seamless Gmail integration keeps the learning curve lowwww.wpbeginner.comgmelius.com.2. Conversation Assignment: Ability to assign email threads to specific team members (e.g. assign a client inquiry to a particular lawyer or paralegal). This ensures clear ownership of each conversation and avoids duplicate responses.3. Internal Collaboration: Tools like internal notes or chat within email threads. Lawyers and staff should be able to discuss an email “behind the scenes” without forwarding or CCing internallyhiverhq.commissiveapp.com. Collaborative drafting (multiple people editing a reply) is a plus.4. AI and Automation: Any AI features (like AI-generated reply suggestions, email summarization, or smart routing) and rule-based automation (like auto-tagging or assigning emails based on keywords). These can save time – for example, auto-detecting a “thank you” email and closing the threadwww.wpbeginner.com, or using AI to suggest response templates.5. Security & Compliance: Since law firms handle confidential information, the platform should have robust security (encryption, data privacy) and compliance certifications (e.g. SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, etc.). Support for regulatory compliance (like HIPAA, if relevant) is a strong indicator of security standardsworkspace.google.comwww.carahsoft.com.6. Pricing and Support: Cost for 10 users and what’s included. Law practices need cost-effective solutions. Also important is the quality of customer support and any onboarding help, as legal teams may not have dedicated IT support for complex setups.Below we present an overview of five leading shared inbox solutions and then a comparison table of their features.

Platform Overviews

Hiver (Google Workspace Add-on)

Hiver is a popular choice for Google Workspace users, adding helpdesk-like features directly inside Gmail. By installing the Hiver Chrome extension, your Gmail interface gains new capabilities for team email managementwww.wpbeginner.com. Hiver lets you assign emails to team members, mark statuses (open, pending, closed) for tracking progress, and add internal notes on emails. Users collaborate in real-time right from Gmail, which makes adoption easy – “it intuitively fits into your inbox’s interface… everything you need to do, you can do it right from your inbox”hiverhq.com. Hiver also extends to other channels (it now supports live chat, knowledge base, etc.), but for email it excels in simplicity.Notably, Hiver has introduced AI-powered features in higher-tier plans – for example, it can suggest email templates based on the customer’s email content and detect thank-you messages to auto-close conversationswww.wpbeginner.com. An AI summarizer (“Harvey AI”) is available to quickly brief long threads, which can be useful when catching up on a case email chain. Hiver also offers automation rules (e.g. round-robin assignment, auto-tagging) to handle repetitive taskshiverhq.com.For a law firm, Hiver’s security credentials are reassuring: it’s GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and CCPA compliantworkspace.google.com. Essentially, it’s vetted for high security standards as a Google recommended app. Customer support is 24/7 even on basic plans, and Hiver emphasizes quick response times (they highlight an average 13s chat response)hiverhq.com – a plus for busy firms needing prompt help.Pricing: Hiver offers flexible per-user pricing. Plans start around $19/user/month** (Lite plan, up to 10 users, 2 shared inboxes) and go up to about **$n49/user/month for Pro with all featureswww.wpbeginner.com. For 10 users, that’s roughly $190/month on the basic plan. The$n19 tier includes core features suitable for a small firm, while advanced AI features come with higher plans.Pros: Native Gmail integration, easy adoption; robust assignment & tracking inside Gmailwww.wpbeginner.com; unique AI helpers (template suggestions, etc.)www.wpbeginner.com; strong security complianceworkspace.google.com; 24/7 support.
Cons: Fewer integrations with external apps compared to some competitorswww.wpbeginner.com; higher-tier plans needed for all AI features.

Gmelius

Gmelius is another Gmail-centric platform – an official Google Partner that turns Gmail into a teamwork hubgmelius.com. Like Hiver, Gmelius lives inside your Gmail inbox via a browser extension, but it also provides a standalone web and mobile app for those who prefer an external interfacegmelius.com. Teams can use Gmelius to “assign and delegate emails”, add shared labels, and discuss threads via internal notes. It basically overlays collaborative features onto Gmail, so the learning curve is low.Gmelius stands out for its extensive automation and AI capabilities. It leverages Gmail labels and “latest developments in Artificial Intelligence” to organize emails and streamline workflowsgmelius.com. For example, Gmelius offers AI Reply Assistants (to draft or suggest replies), AI Sorting (to prioritize or categorize emails), and even AI Dispatching (automatically routing emails to the right person or team) in its higher plansgmelius.comgmelius.com. These AI assistants can save time in triaging client communications. In addition, Gmelius has customizable workflow rules, Kanban boards, templates, and integrations with tools like Trello and Slack, making it a broader productivity platform, not just a shared inbox.Security-wise, Gmelius recently achieved SOC 2 Type II certificationnews.gmelius.com, demonstrating a strong commitment to data security. Data stays within Gmail’s infrastructure for the most part, and Gmelius has a detailed Trust Center. It is also GDPR compliant and offers HIPAA Business Associate Agreements if neededgmelius.comwww.nudgesecurity.com, which speaks to its maturity in handling sensitive info.Pricing: Gmelius has tiered plans. The Lite plan is around $10–$n12/user/month (billed annually) for basic shared inbox features. The Growth plan (~$24/user/month)** and **Pro plan (~$n36/user/month) add more automation and AI (e.g., AI dispatching is in Pro)gmelius.comgmelius.com. For 10 users, expect roughly $120/month on Lite or$n240/month on Growth (annually). All plans include unlimited shared inboxes and a generous feature set, so even a small firm can start with a lower plan and still get core assignment and collaboration tools.Pros: Works inside Gmail (minimal training)gmelius.com; rich automation (rules, sequences) and new AI assistants for email management; option of a standalone app; SOC 2 Type II certified, GDPR compliantnews.gmelius.com.
Cons: The breadth of features can be overwhelming; some advanced AI functions only in higher plans. Additionally, while it integrates with many tools, it’s very Google-centric – if your firm ever left Gmail, Gmelius wouldn’t be as useful.

Missive

Missive takes a unique approach by combining email and team chat in one app. It’s a standalone email client (web/desktop/mobile) that supports Gmail and other email providers. Missive is highly regarded for enabling “real-time collaboration on emails” — team members can literally chat alongside an email thread and even co-edit drafts simultaneouslygmelius.comgmelius.com. This is ideal in a law firm context: for example, an attorney and paralegal can discuss a client’s email and craft a response together without any back-and-forth email threads. Missive’s interface includes a unified inbox for all your email accounts (personal and shared), and conversations can be assigned to individuals or shared among a team.Importantly, Missive has proven adoption in the legal industry, with “550 law firms rely on Missive every day”missiveapp.com. Legal teams appreciate features like chat within emails, collaborative drafting, and an audit log of all actions on a conversationmissiveapp.com. The audit log is useful for accountability – you can see who did what on a case email (e.g. when a message was assigned or replied). Missive also supports creating tasks linked to emails, which can help a firm track follow-ups or case to-dos.On the automation front, Missive provides a Rules engine that lets you automate workflows. You can set rules to, say, auto-label incoming emails with certain keywords or auto-assign emails from a specific client to their lead attorneymissiveapp.com. Missive has also integrated with OpenAI – it offers an AI integration (ChatGPT) for drafting assistance and even “AI Rules” where AI can help categorize or respond under certain conditionsmissiveapp.commissiveapp.com. This can speed up email drafting or sorting, though any AI use can be configured to ensure sensitive info is handled appropriately (Missive allows using your own OpenAI API key for privacy).Security: Missive is SOC 2 Type II certified and “GDPR-ready,” indicating strong internal security practicesmissiveapp.com. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Being a smaller company, Missive prides itself on personal support and has a reputation for responding quickly to user requests. It might not have every certification like larger vendors, but SOC 2 compliance and many law firms using it suggest it meets professional standards.Pricing: Missive’s plans start at $18/user/month** (Starter, up to 5 users) and **$n24/user/month (Productive, up to 50 users) when billed monthlymissiveapp.commissiveapp.com. For a 10-user firm, the Productive plan is most suitable (around $240/month, or$n14/user/mo billed annuallymissiveapp.com). This includes shared inboxes, assignments, chat, and rules. The top “Business” plan ($36/user/mo annually) would be ~$n360/month for 10 users, and adds SSO, advanced analytics, etc., which might not be necessary for a small practice. Notably, Missive offers a 30-day free trial (much longer than others’ trials) and no credit card is required, so a firm can thoroughly test it.Pros: Highly interactive collaboration – true chat + email integrationgmelius.com; multiple team members can work on one email (comments and co-editing); used by many law firms (proven suitability)missiveapp.com; solid automation and integration options (supports WhatsApp, SMS via Twilio, and many app integrations); SOC 2 Type II compliantmissiveapp.com.
Cons: Requires using a new app outside Gmail (some users miss the native Gmail UI, though Missive’s interface is intuitive). Cost can add up for larger teams (mid-tier pricing)gmelius.com, but for 10 users it’s moderate. Missive’s integrations are improving but slightly fewer direct CRM integrations than Front or Hiver.

Front

Front is a well-known shared inbox and customer communication platform that goes beyond email. It’s often praised as “a robust desk software solution combining the best of a shared inbox and a communication platform, with added CRM functionalities”gmelius.com. Unlike Hiver or Gmelius, Front is not an in-Gmail tool – it has its own web and desktop interface. You connect your Gmail accounts or Google Groups to Front, and it pulls in the emails (and can sync outbound replies through Gmail). For a law firm, adopting Front means using a separate app for email, but in return you get a multitude of channels: Front can unify email, SMS, live chat, even social media messages in one placegmelius.com. If your practice only needs email, these extras might be overkill, but some firms use text messaging or have a general inbox for website chat which Front could handle together.Front’s email collaboration features are very strong. You can assign emails to team members (and even assign to multiple people or have shared drafts), and colleagues can leave comments on email threads to discuss internally just like on other platforms. It supports SLA reminders, tagging, and has built-in analytics to track metrics like response times and volumegmelius.com. Front also integrates with a ton of external apps (Salesforce, Asana, Slack, etc.)gmelius.com, and even has an API, so it’s highly extensible if your firm needs to connect email with case management or other systems.With the recent addition of Front Intelligence (AI), Front offers AI-driven features to speed up work. In the Growth plan and above, users get AI Compose and AI Summarize tools built into the compose windowfront.com. These can draft replies or create a summary of a long email thread, which could help a lawyer quickly glean the gist of a lengthy client email exchange. Front also has automation rules (called Workflows) – e.g., you can automatically tag or route incoming messages based on keywords, similar to Gmail filters but more team-oriented (Starter plan allows 10 rules, higher plans morefront.com). It even allows setting up chatbots or auto-responses for the live chat channel. For email specifically, Front’s automation and AI are comparable to competitors, though you might need a higher plan to unlock all AI capabilitiesfront.com.Security & compliance: Front is SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifiedfront.com, and offers a HIPAA compliant setting for those who need it. They are used in financial services and other regulated industries, so they meet high security standards. Data in Front is stored on Front’s servers (not just in Gmail), but they provide encryption and extensive controls (SSO, audit logs on enterprise plans, etc.). For a law firm, this means trust is placed in Front’s platform – many firms do trust it, but it’s a different model than purely storing in Gmail.Pricing: Front is on the higher end. Starter is 19/user/month** (billed annually) for up to 10 users[front.com](https://front.com/pricing#:~:text=Starter) – this would cover a firm of 10, giving the basics (shared inboxes, assignments, comments). However, Starter lacks some features like built-in chat channel and some automation/AI. The next tier, **Growth, is n59/user/month (annual)front.com and has no user cap; it includes workflow automation, analytics, and the AI features. For 10 users, that’s ~$590/month. There’s also **Scale ($n99/user)** and Premier ($Contact, ~$n229+) for larger orgs with advanced needs, which are likely beyond the scope for a 10-user teamfront.comfront.com. Front does offer a free 7-day trial. Overall, while Front is powerful, its pricing can be **“expensive, especially for smaller teams”*gmelius.com.Pros: Very feature-rich (multi-channel communications in one place)gmelius.com; polished UI with robust assignment, commenting, and even built-in task/CRM features; advanced analytics and integration ecosystem; growing set of AI tools to assist drafting and triage; strong security certs (SOC2, ISO27001)front.com. Front has a solid reputation and many professional service firms use it for client communication management.
Cons: Higher cost than other tools for similar user countsgmelius.com; not inside Gmail – requires users to adopt a new interface (which some find has a “steep learning curve”hiverhq.com for new users). Some features (like 24/7 support or certain analytics) are only in very pricey planshiverhq.com. If your firm only needs email collaboration and not the multi-channel aspect, Front might be more solution than necessary.

Help Scout

Help Scout is a bit different from the above – it’s a helpdesk-style shared inbox popular with customer support teams, but it’s also used by many small businesses and some professional firms for managing inquiries. It doesn’t plug into Gmail’s UI; instead, your firm would use the Help Scout interface while emails sent to your addresses (which can be Google Workspace addresses) are handled by Help Scout. Think of it as an email-based ticketing system that feels like a simple inbox.Within Help Scout, you can assign conversations to team members, leave private notes on emails, and use collision detection (to prevent two people from accidentally responding to the same email)www.wpbeginner.comwww.wpbeginner.com. It also organizes emails into mailboxes and folders – for example, you could have a mailbox for intake@lawfirm.com and separate it from, say, billing@lawfirm.com. Help Scout provides customer management features – a sidebar shows the client’s info and past interactions, which can be useful context for a law practice to see prior matters or inquiries from the same personwww.wpbeginner.com. It even has an integrated knowledge base and web chat (called Beacon), though a law firm may or may not use those.Help Scout’s workflow automation allows you to set up simple if-then rules (called “Workflows”) to tag, assign, or prioritize emails. These aren’t AI-based but can automate sorting of emails (similar to Gmail filters, but shared among the team). Regarding AI, Help Scout has been introducing some features in higher-tier plans – for instance, they have an AI-powered suggested reply or article feature in beta and an “IntelliSense” search to automatically find relevant knowledge base articles. However, as one review noted, “advanced AI functionalities are only available in higher-tier plans”www.wpbeginner.com, and the base plans have limited AI. In practice, many law firms might not need AI here beyond perhaps auto-suggesting help articles (not very applicable to legal services) – so this is a minor factor.Security: Help Scout is a well-established company and is SOC 2 compliantdocs.helpscout.com. They also offer a HIPAA compliance option on their Plus plan and abovewww.wpbeginner.com, meaning they are willing to sign a Business Associate Agreement – another indicator that they keep data secure. All communications are encrypted. Many healthcare and financial companies use Help Scout, so a law firm’s client data would be handled with care. One consideration: with Help Scout, your emails reside on Help Scout’s servers (not just Google’s) – much like with Front – so you are trusting a third party with your mail storage. Help Scout has a good track record in this regard.Pricing: Help Scout’s pricing model recently changed to be based on the number of active contacts rather than strictly per user. For small teams, this can be economical. They even have a Free plan for up to 2 users and 50 contacts (for trial or very low volume)www.wpbeginner.com. For a 10-user firm, the **Standard plan is roughly $20/user/month** in older terms (they quoted$n75/month for 100 contacts)www.wpbeginner.com. In practice, a law firm with 10 users would likely go on the Pro plan (~$40/user) to get features like HIPAA compliance and unlimited contacts. That would be around$n400/month for 10 users. However, if your client list (active contacts emailing in) is small, the cost could be less. It’s best to get a quote based on your contact volume. Help Scout does offer discounts for non-profits and possibly for annual billing.Pros: Simple, user-friendly interface (designed to feel like email, minimal training); reliable assignment and internal note systemwww.wpbeginner.com; useful customer info panel for contextwww.wpbeginner.com; collision detection to avoid double replieswww.wpbeginner.com; multi-channel (email, live chat, and limited social integration) if needed; highly regarded customer support and knowledge base integration. Security and compliance standards are high (SOC2, GDPR, optional HIPAA)www.carahsoft.com. Pricing can be very affordable for 10 users if email volume (contacts) is not huge.
Cons: Focused on customer support use cases – lacks some advanced workflow automation that others havegmelius.com (no built-in AI triage in lower plans, fewer integration triggers). It’s not inside Gmail, and the feature set is somewhat more limited (e.g., no real-time collaborative editing of drafts like Missive). If your firm needs heavy internal chat on emails, Help Scout’s notes are useful but not as interactive as Missive’s chat.

Comparison Table of Key Features

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the discussed platforms, highlighting the critical features for a law practice with Gmail:

Conclusion and Recommendations

For a law practice of 10 users on Gmail, the above platforms each offer strong email collaboration, but with different strengths:

• Hiver and Gmelius are excellent if you want to stay inside the Gmail interface. They add assignment, internal notes, and even AI/automation without forcing you to learn a new app. Hiver is very Gmail-native and user-friendly, while Gmelius offers a few more power-features (like Kanban boards and advanced AI) if needed. Both are highly secure and have reasonable pricing for small teams. These are great for firms that value simplicity and Gmail familiarity – for example, if your lawyers are comfortable in Gmail, Hiver or Gmelius will feel like an organic upgrade.
• Missive is a top choice if real-time collaboration is paramount. Many law firms use it because of its seamless email-plus-chat workflowgmelius.com. It’s ideal when your team frequently needs to discuss emails (e.g. strategize a response to a client or get a second opinion on wording) – all done within one unified thread. The trade-off is adopting a separate app, but Missive’s interface is intuitive. It hits a sweet spot with robust features and mid-level pricing. Given its legal user base and audit logging, Missive is highly suited for professional services collaboration.
• Front shines for firms that need an all-in-one communication hub. If besides email your firm also handles SMS, website chats, or multiple channels for client communication, Front can unify that. It’s a powerhouse with analytics and integrations, but you pay a premium. For a smaller law practice primarily focused on email, Front may be more complex (and costly) than necessary. However, if your practice values cutting-edge workflow tech and doesn’t mind the investment, Front’s capabilities and AI features will not disappoint.
• Help Scout is a reliable, customer-service-oriented solution. It’s slightly different in flavor – more of a traditional shared inbox/ticket system. It could work well for an intake team or admin staff in the firm who handle initial client inquiries or support-like interactions. It’s straightforward and backed by a company with a long track record. If your primary need is a simple shared inbox with good organization and you don’t need fancy AI or in-line chat, Help Scout is cost-effective and easy to use. Plus, its knowledge base integration isn’t directly needed in law, but could be repurposed (e.g., an FAQ for clients). Recommendation: Many law practices favor tools that keep the familiar Gmail look and feel. If that’s a priority, Hiver would be a top recommendation – it’s built for Google Workspace and covers all essentials (assignments, notes, some AI) right in Gmailwww.wpbeginner.comwww.wpbeginner.com. For a more feature-rich approach without leaving Gmail, Gmelius is equally compelling, especially if you want to experiment with AI-driven email workflows. On the other hand, if your team is open to a new interface and heavy collaboration, Missive offers an excellent balance tailored to legal team needs (its growing adoption in law firms speaks to that).Ultimately, the “best” platform depends on your firm’s workflow: Hiver/Gmelius for seamless Gmail integration, Missive for rich collaboration, Front for multi-channel power, or Help Scout for simplicity and client-tracking. All these have free trials – it’s worth having a couple of team members pilot one or two solutions with a subset of client emails to see which fits your law practice’s style. With the right shared inbox in place, your team can ensure client communications are handled efficiently, collaboratively, and securely – critical factors for a successful modern law firm.