July 15, 2023

Sortd vs. DragApp: A Battle of Productivity Tools for Gmail Teams

Both Sortd and DragApp offer unique value propositions for Gmail-based teams. In this head-to-head comparison, we will see why Sortd holds the market leadership position.

Introduction

In a world overflowing with information and distractions, staying on top of our daily tasks and priorities can feel like a never ending battle. Sortd, a pioneer in the shared inbox space, is highly efficient for Google Workspace and Gmail based companies. With an appearance on Silicon Valley’s top trend watching site, Sortd is noteworthy in the shared inbox solutions space.  With DragApp being its closest competitor, this comparison article aims to explore the strengths and weaknesses of each product offering. 

In Essence…

  • Both Sortd and DragApp live inside Gmail, optimize productivity and efficiently manage daily tasks and projects. However, Sortd’s drag-and-drop features and well thought out capabilities provide a more refined user experience.
  • Sortd is the shared inbox that offers more, with CRM capabilities and sales pipelines that optimize workflow. While on DragApp these features are limited.
  • Sortd’s feature refinements and seamless transition from inbox (not just from the shared inbox) to the Kanban boards makes it  is easier for teams using Google Workspace to adopt it and to stick with.
  • Sortd’s selection for the Google own Launchpad Program speaks to the quality of its product offering. Sortd has also been voted #1 for Gmail users above Gmail products in Product Hunt and features on Techcrunch, Wired, Forbes, Fast Company etc.
  • Sortd’s adaptability features where you are able to customize card fields and add properties on a card and set deadlines, means that you can tailor it to specific business and project needs.
  • Sortd has proven to be more popular with users, according to both Google Marketplace and Chrome’s webstore.

Sortd vs Drag: Which is the better productivity tool?

With the many productivity tools on offer, it can be rather overwhelming choosing one, however, this article is here to help you do just that. If you are looking to make an informed decision about which tool may be better suited to you and your team, you’ve come to the right place. 

While both DragApp and Sortd are native to Gmail, Sortd for Gmail offers a sophisticated shared inbox that offers more, with features like shared contact management, a built-in lightweight customer relationship management (CRM) tool  with sales pipelines, shared contacts (which is not native to Gmail) and reporting to keep track of your business and team. The innovative team at Sortd is currently working on AI features with email analytics, which is indicative of Sortd’s flexibility and commitment to innovation.

While there are indeed differences between Sortd and DragApp’s offerings, they are still close competitors in the space and it can be challenging to really decide, therefore, we will discuss key aspects of each product from the features, to the user experience and the pricing approach to give an overview of each offering. 

Sortd vs DragApp: The User experience.

Sortd has widely been reviewed as the most easy-to-use product in the category. Users commonly state that it is "very natural to use" and "easy to set up". It offers a streamlined user experience that complements Gmail own features, without adding any extra complexity or clutter to Gmail. It was also the 1st product in the category to offer a simple to use drag and drop visual experience and team workspace in Gmail. Its integration with Google workspace is further simplified through the ability to switch seamlessly between your Gmail inbox and to the board view, where you can view your inbox and your boards side by side. 

Having a seamless and natural to use experience is a big deal. Not only is email a repetitive task and you quickly feel when a product is inefficient to use.  Also, not all email needs to be immediately shared but when email needs to be handed off to someone, it should be as easy as a drag and drop. That’s where Sortd wins. 

In Drag, it takes multiple steps to take an email sent to you and then to add it to the right place on a shared board and in doing so, you lose context as there is a lot of button presses and view switching. Drag is not as well refined as Sortd is and reviews mention that it can be clunky to use and that it clutters the Gmail interface with its red buttons.

DragApp’s usability is also affected by the presence of simple bugs and glitches. Unfortunately, DragApp is known to be somewhat buggy, which can negatively affect the user experience. Users may encounter issues such as lag, crashes, or features not working as expected. On the other hand, Sortd has a reputation for being more refined and better thought out, resulting in a smoother and more reliable user experience. The absence of major bugs in Sortd contributes to its overall usability advantage over DragApp.

Sortd vs DragApp: Pricing Comparison

While Sortd has many strengths, it’s  team sharing features are only available on the paid version. Sortd does has a free plan for personal use,which means you cannot collaborate with other team members. Drag allows basic collaboration with 3 users free. But don’t be fooled, this free plan is severely handicapped and if you are using it in a business context you will likely be pushed into their high cost plan and you will ultimately be paying more for Drag than Sortd.

Sortd and DragApp offer different pricing structures to cater to their target audiences. Sortd offers a Free Starter Plan priced at $0 per user, and is free forever. Starter features include a personal board, email and task management, email grouping, follow-ups and next steps as well as a day planner. The Essentials Plan is set at $12 per user a month per user, and includes all starter and essential features with a 14-day free trial. You are able to collaborate with up to 20 team members and use up to 20 boards plus shared email templates and support for Gmail mail merge. You also have access to shared mailboxes with automations. The Business Plan is priced at $18 dollars per user which includes Essentials and Business features. There is unlimited access to email sharing, team collaboration and boards, SLA response times etc. This plan also offers sales boards with CRM and revenue reports.

On the other hand, DragApp’s Starter plan is available at $10 a month per user, with unlimited users, unlimited workspaces and integrations, with a three month reporting window. While the Plus plan available at $18 per month per user allows you to merge cards (available free on all Sortd plans) and has a 12 month reporting window. Lastly, DragApp’s Pro Plan is set at $26 a month per user and allows for custom fields, but also has an unlimited reporting window. Therefore, depending on user and team needs, and their budget, users are able to make informed decisions about DragApp or Sortd’s pricing.

Sortd vs DragApp: Features

Both product pack in a lot of the core features that you would expect, a powerful Shared Inbox, Collaboration, workflow and task management etc.  Sortd philosophy is that the product should adapt to your company’s needs, rather than the company adapting to Sortd.  You can start with one of it’s easy to use templates but you can also tailor it suit your needs (with powerful customer properties and automations). DragApp falls short in this aspect, lacking workflow customizations, CRM-style capabilities (companies and contacts), and spreadsheet style views.

Shared inboxes  are one of Sortd and DragApp’s most prominent features, however, Sortd emerges as the more refined choice because of its simplicity and practicality. In Sortd dragging and dropping an email onto a board, or assigning it to a member of the team, the process is seamless. 

Each product has a few extra add-on features of their own but the ones that you will use every day as similar and are designed with to save you time and and make your team more productive.

Sortd vs Drag: Team adoption

Having a product that is easier to use means that chances of it being adopted by a team are higher because it feels more natural to use. It is vital to consider that the app you select needs to be embraced by your team. Many software products have all the bells and whistles within features, but fail to win favor with a team. Sortd prioritizes team adoption and is invested in customer success. DragApp, seemingly does not reference this kind of thinking. Sortd has also been the recipient of many former Drag clients who have since switched over to Sortd, stating that DragApp is complex for the average team member.

Sortd also supports both the Chrome and Microsoft Edge web browsers and Drag only supports Chrome.

Sortd vs. Drag: Customer Support

Sortd has better customer support, where both chat and email support is available to customers. In addition to this, Sortd uses it’s own products for support and is also using a beta version of its AI oversight tool (in beta) to ensure that that the team ensure that no stone is left unturned with follow-up emails, which significantly improves customer service.

Sortd vs DragApp: Which is more popular?

Sortd is substantially more popular with users, according to both Google Marketplace and Chrome’s webstore publicly accessible user counts. The Chrome Webstore Sortd has 60,000+ users vs Drags 20,000+ users, both with a 4 star rating and 400+ reviews.  On the Google Marketplace, Sortd has 759k downloads (1332 reviews) vs. 24k downloads (26 reviews).  These numbers are the clearest indication of popularity. 

On Product Hunt, Silicon Valley leading trend watching site,  Sortd was with Winner of Product of the Week, Product of the Day, and number two Product of the Month the 3,692 upvotes.

Sortd vs. DragApp: Which product (and team) is more innovative

Sortd emerges more innovative with a team.  Sortd was the 1st in this category and originally pioneered a shared collaboration workspace within the Gmail experience.  Sortd is currently also well ahead at developing new AI features and developing email insights to analyze customer responses to sales to services and account management. 

This innovation is evidence of Sortd’s weight in the collaborative inbox category and its ability to remain at the forefront of these spaces despite the emergence of similar tools in the market.

DragApp is a late entrant in this category and is a follower of the Sortd approach having replicated Sortd’s product approach and mimicked many of Sortd core features.

Sortd has also been recognized for numerous achievements being the winner of Demo, selected by Google for Google Launchpad, winner at SeedStars and voted highly by Silicon Valley trendwatchers and early adopters on  Product Hunt. These credentials are evidence of Sortd’s sophisticated and pleasant user experience, and that perhaps innovation is sometimes better than mimicking core features of a product that already works well.

Conclusion

In the productivity tools space, both Sortd and DragApp offer unique value propositions for teams utilizing Gmail. However, when it comes to a head-to-head comparison, Sortd appears to hold an edge over DragApp. This is due to its well-thought-out features, user-friendly interface, and a more comprehensive suite of tools that go beyond just shared inboxes to include CRM capabilities, sales pipelines, and customizability.

Sortd's commitment to continuous innovation, evidenced by the development of AI features, and its recognition on prestigious platforms, further cement its position as a leader in the shared inbox solutions space. Moreover, the focus on user experience and team adoption are indicative of Sortd's customer-centric approach, which has translated into a more refined product and a higher level of user satisfaction.

While DragApp offers some strengths, including a basic level of free team collaboration, it falls short in terms of user experience, feature richness, and overall smoothness of operation. This is reflected in user feedback and market response.

In conclusion, for teams seeking a robust, efficient, and user-friendly productivity tool within the Gmail environment, Sortd comes out ahead. However, as with any tool, the ultimate choice will depend on specific team needs, workflows, and budget considerations. The aim is to choose a tool that enhances productivity, facilitates collaboration, and ultimately contributes to achieving business goals. Based on our analysis, Sortd seems better equipped to meet these criteria, making it the preferred choice in this comparison.

[Updated July 2, 2024]

Written by
Rodney Kuhn