Google Workspace is great. Its desktop email experience isn't.

The missing piece of Google Workspace

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) powers email for millions of businesses. The admin tools are excellent, the pricing is competitive, and the integration with the rest of Google's productivity suite is unmatched. But there's one thing Google has never shipped: a desktop email client.

Microsoft has Outlook. Apple has Apple Mail. Google has... a browser tab.

For many teams, that's fine. But for roles that live in email — operations, logistics, customer service, sales, legal, finance — a browser tab isn't a professional tool. It's a workaround.

Who this matters for

Operations and logistics teams

Teams that process high volumes of email need a layout that supports fast triage. The 3-pane view lets you scan subjects in the message list while reading the full email in the side pane — without opening each message in a new tab. Keyboard shortcuts speed up filing and replying.

Customer-facing teams

Sales reps and account managers send similar emails dozens of times a day. ChainMail's template system with smart variables ({first_name}, {company}) and file attachments makes repetitive outreach fast and consistent. Type ; in the compose window to search and insert a template by name.

Teams with compliance requirements

Some industries require that email data not be synced to third-party clouds. ChainMail is local-first: emails are cached on the user's machine and connect directly to Google's servers via the Gmail API. No data passes through ChainMail's infrastructure. Compliance officers can verify this in our Privacy Policy.

IT departments managing the transition

If your organization recently moved to Google Workspace — or is planning to — ChainMail smooths the transition for users who are accustomed to a desktop email experience. You get the benefits of Google's backend without forcing everyone onto the web interface.

What IT admins get

• No server-side deployment — ChainMail is a client-side application. There's nothing to install on your Google Workspace instance.
• Standard OAuth 2.0 — Users sign in with Google's OAuth flow. The app requests specific Gmail API scopes (documented in our Privacy Policy). No passwords are stored.
• Google Workspace policies respected — Retention policies, DLP rules, and admin-enforced settings work as normal because ChainMail interacts with Gmail at the API level.
• No data in transit to us — All email data flows between the user's machine and Google's servers. ChainMail's own servers are only used for license validation (one API call, no email data).
• Standard Windows installer — .exe installer, user-level install (no admin rights needed). Can be deployed via standard software distribution tools.

Features that matter for teams

Capability	Gmail Web	ChainMail
Desktop application	✕ Browser only	✓
3-pane layout	✕	✓
Templates with variables	Basic canned responses	✓ Variables + attachments
AI drafting	Gemini (Google-controlled)	✓ BYOK, 6 providers
Data residency	Google servers	Local cache + Google servers
Works offline	Limited	✓ Cached messages
Dark mode	✓	✓

Pricing for teams

ChainMail uses per-user annual licensing. Each team member needs their own license key. Every license starts with a 7-day free trial — no credit card needed.

For team or volume pricing, contact us at admin@chainmail.online.