I'm looking for a simple, Gmail-based tool to handle customer support tickets.

Here are the best, simplest tools that turn Gmail (or Google Workspace) directly into a customer support ticketing system without forcing you or your team to learn a bloated, standalone helpdesk platform:

• Hiver - This is widely considered the gold standard for a Gmail-native help desk . It works directly inside your Gmail interface as an extension, allowing you to assign emails like tasks, track status (Open, Pending, Closed), add internal notes, and measure response times without leaving your inbox. Check it out on Hiver.
• Keeping - A super lightweight and simple alternative that turns your Google Workspace inbox into a shared helpdesk. It adds status tags (Open, Closed, Pending) and assignment features directly into your normal Gmail layout with zero steep learning curves. Learn more at Keeping.
• Front - Great if you want something that looks like an inbox but functions like a powerful collaborative helpdesk. It blends emails, internal team comments, and collision detection (so two people don't reply to the same customer at once) into a clean interface. Explore it at Front.
• Google Collaborative Inbox - If you want a completely free native option, you can set up a Google Groups Collaborative Inbox. It lets multiple people assign, track, and manage email threads right from a shared group interface, though it lacks the polish and advanced analytics of a paid extension. Get started via Google Workspace Support.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• How many team members will be handling these tickets?
• Do you need automation features (like auto-responders or collision alerts), or strictly a shared view?

If you want simple, Gmail-native ticketing, I’d shortlist these two:

• Hiver — probably my first choice. It turns Gmail into a help desk with shared support@ inboxes, ticket assignment, statuses, internal collaboration, automation, and reporting. Your team stays in Gmail rather than learning a separate help-desk UI.
• Gmelius — a strong alternative if you want something especially focused on shared Gmail inboxes. It supports assigning conversations, ticket statuses, tags, notes, automation, and SLA tracking directly in Gmail. Its current Growth plan is listed at $25/user/month annually.

My pick

For a small customer-support team that just wants “turn support@ into a simple ticket queue”, I'd start with Hiver. It has the most straightforward help-desk framing while remaining inside Gmail. Hiver says most teams can get up and running quickly, and it supports shared inboxes, assignment, tagging, and workflows.

If you tell me how many support agents you have and roughly how many tickets/emails you receive per day, I can narrow this down to the cheapest/simplest option for your situation.

If you want to keep your customer support workflow completely inside Google Workspace without forcing your team to learn a heavy, standalone platform, several great Gmail-native options exist.

• Hiver – Transforms your standard Gmail or Google Workspace into a help desk. It works directly inside your inbox via a browser extension, letting you assign emails as tickets, track statuses, leave internal notes on threads, and set up automations without leaving the Gmail interface.
• Keeping – Another lightweight option built specifically to turn a shared inbox (like [email protected]) into a collaborative ticketing workflow right inside Gmail. It adds status tracking (Open, Pending, Closed) and internal collaboration notes natively to your emails with a very minimal learning curve.
• DragApp – Blends Gmail with a Kanban board view. It converts incoming emails into actionable cards/tickets that you can move through columns (To Do, Doing, Done), which is ideal if your team prefers a visual pipeline alongside their traditional inbox layout.
• Front – While it is technically its own platform rather than an absolute Gmail overlay, it is built explicitly around the familiar look and feel of an email inbox. It bridges Gmail with collaborative features like internal commenting, shared drafts, and assignment tracking if you ever think you might outgrow a pure Gmail extension.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• How many people will be answering support tickets?
• Do you need advanced features like SLA tracking, collision detection (so two people don't reply at once), or customer satisfaction ratings?

If you want simple, Gmail-first ticketing, I’d shortlist these:

• gmelius.com — probably the best fit if you want Gmail to remain the main interface. It turns a support@ inbox into a shared inbox with assignment, ticket statuses, tags, internal notes, Kanban views, automations, and SLA tracking, all inside Gmail.
• hiverhq.com — a stronger choice if you expect support to become more sophisticated. It adds shared inboxes, routing, workflows, reporting, AI, and integrations with tools such as Salesforce, Jira, Linear, and NetSuite, while staying in Gmail.

My pick

Start with Gmelius if your workflow is basically:

customer emails support@ → ticket gets assigned → agent replies → ticket becomes pending/closed

It is deliberately built around this exact Gmail-based workflow rather than making you adopt a separate help-desk interface.

If you tell me how many support agents you have and roughly how many tickets you receive per day, I can narrow it down to the simplest/cheapest option for your situation.

If you want simple + Gmail-native, I’d shortlist these:

• hiverhq.com — my top pick. It turns a shared Gmail address like support@ into a proper ticket queue. You can assign tickets, track status, use tags, automate routing, and measure response/resolution times—all from Gmail.
• gmelius.com — best if you want something very Gmail-like. It adds shared inboxes, assignments, statuses, tags, Kanban views, automation, and collaboration directly to Gmail.
• Gmail/Google Groups alone — cheapest/simple option. A Collaborative Inbox can assign and label support emails, but Gmail itself doesn't provide true ticket ownership, SLA tracking, or support analytics.

What I'd choose

For a small customer-support team handling mostly email, I'd start with Hiver. It's specifically designed around the workflow of:

customer email → ticket → assign teammate → respond → resolve

and you don't have to teach the team an entirely new help-desk interface. Hiver says most teams can get up and running the same day.

If you tell me roughly how many support emails you get per day and how many people answer them, I can narrow this down to the best 1–2 options, including current pricing.

If you want to manage customer support without forcing your team to learn a heavy, standalone help desk like Zendesk or Intercom , running a Gmail-native tool is the way to go . These tools sit right inside your Gmail interface or act as a lightweight layer over Google Workspace , adding ticket ownership, internal notes, and collision detection so two people don't reply to the same customer.

Top options that keep you inside Gmail:

• Hiver — Best for pure Gmail integration. It operates as a seamless browser extension inside Gmail , letting you assign emails as tickets , track statuses (Open, Pending, Closed), and leave internal notes without ever leaving your inbox.
• Gmelius — Best for workflow customization. It transforms Gmail into a collaboration hub by adding shared inboxes , shared labels , and Kanban boards directly to your sidebar, allowing your team to treat emails like visual project cards.
• Keeping — Best for absolute minimalism. It adds a streamlined help desk layer straight into a standard Google Workspace account , allowing you to route, assign, and resolve customer threads with almost zero learning curve or bloat.
• Drag — Best for Kanban lovers. It turns your Gmail inbox into Trello-like visual boards , making it easy to drag customer emails across columns like "To Do," "Doing," and "Done."

If you'd like, tell me:

• How many team members need access to the inbox?
• Do you need kanban boards/visual pipelines , or just simple email assignment?
• Are you looking for a free tier or open to paid plans?

I can help you narrow down which tool fits your workflow best.

If you want to handle support requests without forcing your team to learn a heavy, complex platform like Zendesk, several lightweight tools turn Gmail or Google Workspace directly into a collaborative help desk.

Top options that run inside or closely mimic Gmail:

• Hiver — The gold standard for keeping everything inside Gmail . It turns labels, threads, and emails into assignable tickets with status tracking, collision detection (so two people don't reply at once), SLA tracking, and analytics, all natively embedded in the Gmail interface.
• Gmelius — Another powerful Google Workspace add-on that transforms Gmail into a help desk. It adds Kanban project boards, shared labels, email tracking, and automation rules right inside your normal inbox view.
• Keeping — A simpler, highly streamlined tool built specifically to manage customer support workflows right inside a Gmail or Google Workspace environment via an integrated extension, avoiding bloated features.
• Help Scout — While it uses its own clean web interface rather than sitting physically inside Gmail, it is built to feel just like an email inbox . It is lightweight, incredibly fast to set up, and features a shared inbox alongside a simple knowledge base.

To help narrow down the best fit, let me know:

• How many team members will be answering tickets?
• Do you need advanced features like collision detection, automation rules, or CSAT surveys?

If you want simple, Gmail-first ticketing, I’d shortlist these:

1. Gmelius — best fit for “just make Gmail work like a help desk.”
   It turns a support@ address into a shared inbox inside Gmail, with assignment, statuses, tags, internal notes, workflows, and ticket views. You don't need to move agents into a separate help-desk UI.

2. Hiver — best if you expect support to get more sophisticated.
   It adds shared inboxes, ticket ownership, workflows, collaboration, and AI to Gmail. It's a more full-featured customer-support platform, though potentially more than you need if your requirements are basic.

3. Drag — worth considering for a small Gmail team.
   It's another Gmail-native shared-inbox approach and is positioned as a lower-cost alternative to Hiver/Gmelius.

My pick

For a small team where customer emails are essentially the tickets, I'd start with Gmelius. The basic workflow is straightforward:

Customer emails support@ → ticket appears in Gmail → assign to teammate → work/reply → mark pending/closed.

Gmelius explicitly supports this ticket lifecycle and shared-inbox model.

If you tell me how many support agents you have and roughly how many tickets you receive per day, I can narrow it down to the best 1–2 options and compare their current pricing/features.

If you want simple + Gmail-native, I’d shortlist these:

1. Hiver — my top pick

   • Turns a support@ Gmail inbox into a ticketing system.
   • Assign tickets to specific teammates, track status, add internal notes, and automate routing.
   • There’s currently a free plan, with paid plans starting at $25/user/month when billed annually.
   • Best if you want your team to continue working inside Gmail rather than learn a separate help desk.

2. Gmelius — good lightweight alternative

   • Also works directly in Gmail with shared inboxes, assignment, ticket statuses, tags, automations, and templates.
   • Worth considering if you want more workflow/collaboration features around Gmail.

3. Help Scout — best if Gmail doesn't have to be the interface

   • Very clean, email-first support experience, but it uses its own help-desk interface rather than essentially turning Gmail into the ticketing system. Community feedback often highlights its simplicity.

What I'd choose

For a small team receiving customer requests at something like [email protected], I'd start with Hiver. It gives you the basic ticket mechanics—owner, status, history, internal collaboration—without forcing everyone to abandon Gmail. Hiver says most teams can get running quickly, and its current free tier includes shared-inbox ticketing.

If you tell me how many people will handle support and roughly how many tickets you get per day, I can narrow it down to the cheapest/simplest option for your situation.

If you want to keep your customer support workflow inside Gmail without moving to a heavy, enterprise-style helpdesk like Zendesk, a Gmail-native shared inbox extension is your best bet. These tools turn your normal [email protected] inbox into a collaborative space with assignments, internal notes, and status tracking.

Top simple, Gmail-based options include:

• Hiver - Runs directly inside Gmail and adds email tracking, assignment tags, shared drafts, and collision detection (so two people don't reply to the same customer). It feels entirely native to Google Workspace.
• Gmelius - Transforms your Gmail inbox into a collaborative workspace with Kanban boards, shared labels, and automation rules without forcing you out of the standard Gmail interface.
• Drag App - Turns your Gmail screen into a Trello-style visual board, making it very easy to drag and drop support emails through stages like "To Do," "Waiting," and "Done."
• Keeping - A minimalist shared inbox built specifically for Gmail and Google Workspace. It adds basic ticket assignment and status (Open/Closed) with almost zero learning curve.

If you'd like to narrow this down, let me know:

• How many team members will be replying to tickets?
• Do you need Kanban boards/visual tracking or just a clean way to assign and track emails?