Native mailbox
Trupeo vs Gmail delegation / Google Workspace
Native Gmail lets people share access. Trupeo adds what raw access leaves out: who owns each email, who's replying, and what's already handled.
A clear team layer on top of the mailbox you already use: assignments, notes, reply visibility, on any provider.
From €10/mo excl. VAT
Google Workspace's native shared inbox (built on delegation), Gmail delegation and Google Groups: shared access for several people, with limited team accountability.
Personal Gmail delegation is free; Google Workspace is paid
- Real accountabilityOne owner per conversation, an open/done status, and notes the customer never sees.
- Everyone their own loginAdd teammates cleanly. No shared password and no delegation to keep re-configuring.
- Works beyond GoogleKeep Gmail today, add Outlook or IMAP tomorrow: same workspace, same workflow.
Feature by feature
The facts, side by side. Green marks a genuine Trupeo advantage; we keep the rest honest.
| What matters to a small team | Trupeo | Gmail delegation / Google Workspace |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | €10/mo, flat | Included. Free (delegation); Workspace from €6.80/user/mo |
| Uses the mailbox you already have | Included. Keeps your address | Included. Native to Gmail |
| Send from the shared address | Included. Yes | Included. Yes, native shared inbox (Business editions) |
| Assign who owns each email | Trupeo advantage. Yes, clear ownership | Limited. Manual; not part of the native shared inbox |
| See who's already replying | Trupeo advantage. Yes | Not included. No collision detection |
| Internal notes beside the email | Trupeo advantage. Yes | Not included. Not available |
| Shared view of what's handled | Trupeo advantage. Assignments, notes, resolved | Limited. Mostly manual; no open/done status |
| Works across providers | Trupeo advantage. Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365, IMAP | Not included. Google only |
| Setup | Trupeo advantage. Minutes, no admin console | Admin console; gradual rollout in 2026 |
Which one fits you?
Choose Trupeo if
- Several people handle the same emails and need clear ownership.
- Duplicate replies or missed messages already happen.
- You need internal notes beside customer emails.
- You may use Outlook or IMAP as well as Gmail.
Choose Gmail delegation / Google Workspace if
- Cost must stay at zero.
- One or two people only need occasional access.
- You are comfortable managing ownership manually.
- Your team is fully on Google Workspace and the native shared inbox is enough.
When basic access is enough, Google's native options are sensible, including Workspace's new shared inbox. When several people handle the mailbox daily, Trupeo gives the accountability delegation doesn't show: ownership, notes, reply visibility and a shared view of what's open, from €10/mo excl. VAT.
Overview
This comparison covers two different Google cases. Personal Gmail can delegate mailbox access, but it is not a true shared mailbox: delegation is limited and has no admin console. Google Workspace is the paid business platform; it supports admin-controlled delegation, Google Groups Collaborative Inbox and, since 2026, a native shared inbox set up from the Admin console.
The limitation is accountability. Gmail delegation, Collaborative Inbox and the native shared inbox help several people read and reply, but a dedicated shared inbox tool makes two things far more obvious: who is on each message, and whether it is finished. Trupeo adds that missing team layer while keeping the mailbox your contacts already know.
Google’s native shared inbox
Google Workspace now ships a built-in shared inbox. An admin creates it from the Admin console, in the Users section, via “Set up a shared email address”. It is available on Business Starter, Standard and Plus, and is being released in phases: if it has not reached your Admin console yet, Google points you to delegated accounts instead. An existing account can also be converted into a shared inbox.
Under the hood it is delegation: Google states that delegated accounts and shared inboxes are the same thing. Each member can read, send and delete messages from the common address, and replies go out as the shared address with the sender shown as “sent by” (that attribution can be hidden). Google recommends at most 40 people using the account at the same time, and since summer 2026 delegated accounts also work in the Gmail app on iOS and Android.
That is real progress on access. But the help page documents no per-conversation assignment, no open/done status, no internal notes, and no collision detection when two people answer at once. If one person owns the mailbox with occasional backup, it is enough. If three or more people work through it daily, “who is handling this?” still has no answer.
Pricing
Personal Gmail delegation is free for basic access, and Google Workspace features are part of a paid business subscription. The native shared inbox requires a Business edition: as of July 2026, that means €6.80 per user per month on Business Starter, €13.60 on Standard and €21.10 on Plus (billed monthly). If your only need is letting one or two people occasionally access a mailbox, native Google options can be enough.
Trupeo adds a separate €10/mo excl. VAT cost, but that pays for team workflow, not mailbox access. For three to five people, the real question is whether the team loses time to duplicate replies, unclear ownership or forgotten messages. If those happen weekly, the small fixed cost is easy to justify.
Related reading
- Read the complete shared inbox guide.
- Learn how to avoid duplicate email replies.
- See how to share a mailbox without sharing the password.
- Check Trupeo pricing.
Want to try it? Trupeo is available as a free 30-day trial, no credit card required. Create an account.
Sources:
- Create a shared inbox: Admin console setup, Business editions, phased rollout and delegate capabilities.
- Delegate a user’s email address: shared inboxes are delegated accounts; recommended maximum of 40 concurrent users.
- Delegate & collaborate on email: personal Gmail delegation is free, capped at 10 delegates, and configured from Gmail settings with no admin console.
- Use a group as a Collaborative Inbox: Google Groups Collaborative Inbox and its Google Workspace requirements.
- Work with delegated Gmail accounts from mobile devices: delegated accounts available in the Gmail iOS and Android apps since summer 2026.
- Google Workspace pricing: per-user Business edition prices observed in July 2026.