After feedback, Simplify Gmail v2 has a simple pricing structure that looks great

Simplify Gmail v2 is interesting to many users, it would seem. I posted about the service just a few days ago and the interest has been through the roof. That made me feel a tad bit sad, honestly. I’ve been using Simplify Gmail for quite some time and only mentioned it in passing in an article from April 2019 (yikes!) as Inbox was being shut down. As I settled into the cleaner look of Gmail over the past couple years using Simplify, I never gave it much thought and really should have shared how much it improved Gmail in its original state. So, my apologies for neglecting to get the word out before now.

Anyway, it seems that many of you are very interested in Simplify Gmail at this point, and the creator hit us up on Twitter to let us know that after considering quite a bit of feedback on how to move forward with pricing (upkeep on something this complex isn’t easy and will only get more time consuming), he’s come up with a plan that is fair, easy to understand and flexible enough to support multiple ways of using Simplify Gmail. I love this approach and I love the openness Michael Leggett is willing to have with existing and potential users of his fantastic creation.

Here is the promised update on coming changes to Simplify Gmail and pricing to it more fair, easy to understand, and flexible: https://t.co/c2XKsrTebb

— Michael Leggett (@leggett) February 25, 2021

Heading over to the On Simplify blog, the upcoming pricing setup is laid out clearly and I think it is incredibly reasonable for what you are getting not only now, but with all the updates coming along the way. Don’t forget, the creator of Simplify Gmail knows Google’s mail systems inside and out, so many more improvements will come with this service. Though, I must admit, I’d be willing to pay these small prices for the product as-is right now and absolutely plan on doing so.

First up, accounts will be on a per-person basis with up to 10 separate email accounts that can be added. Michael is even saying that if you need more, you can simply contact him. I know I have 3 I use on a regular basis, so I could see some users needing up to 10 or more. Again, it is awesome that he’s willing to simply add those in the event that users actually need them.

Second, the pricing looks to be pretty, erm…simplified. The breakdown is $2/mo. per user when paid annually and an additional $1/mo. for additional users on the same plan. Though I’m unsure how that will work and how you’ll tie users and email addresses into a given plan, I think these rates are more than fair. I wouldn’t bat an eye at paying $2 each month for all the benefit this extension provides and I’d assume many others won’t, either. There will be an optional auto-renewal, but not a forced one, and the pricing has also been streamlined for Gmail only right now. Future Simplify products will have their own pricing or bundles down the road as they become ready. He’s apparently already working on Simplify for YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Chrome down the road, so be on the lookout for those.

Finally, there might end up still being a way to get all this for free. Everyone likes free, right? Well, for Simplify Gmail, it could come in the form of referral credits. In what the developer calls a way around Facebook ads, referrals could give users the ability to earn free months of Simplify Gmail, though he didn’t go into great detail about exactly how that will work. Instead, those details will be in a follow-up newsletter.

Will this be worth it for everyone? No way. For many users, the current Gmail interface is fine or they use an email client they are both familiar and happy with. If that sounds like you, I wouldn’t be looking into this at all. But for those of you who like the simplicity of web-based Gmail, loved Inbox, and don’t want to bother with an email client, this extension is such an awesome tool. I said it in my original post and I’ll say it again: Simplify Gmail v2 has made me hate my inbox far, far less. I think it will do the same for many of you, too, and I hope getting some attention pointed to it only helps the development accelerate and give us – the end users – a better email experience.