In a decision that underscores the rapid shift toward AI-driven productivity, Notion announced today that it will shut down Notion Mail, its Gmail client built on the foundation of the encrypted email startup Skiff. The service will be discontinued across web, desktop, and iOS on September 22, 2025. The company cited changing user behavior as the primary reason: more than half of Notion Mail users now manage their email without ever opening their inbox, relying instead on AI agents to draft, sort, and respond to messages.

Background: The Skiff Acquisition

In February 2024, Notion acquired Skiff, a San Francisco-based startup that offered end-to-end encrypted email, calendar, and storage services. Skiff had gained a loyal user base of approximately 2 million people, positioning itself as a privacy-focused alternative to Google Workspace and Proton Mail. After the acquisition, Notion integrated Skiff's team and technology into its own platform. In April 2025, the company launched Notion Mail, a Gmail client that leveraged Skiff's email infrastructure but abandoned its predecessor's encryption and privacy-first ethos. Instead, Notion emphasized AI capabilities, such as automatic labeling and smart compose.

Now, less than six months after launch, Notion Mail is being killed. The company's announcement on X (formerly Twitter) explained that as its AI agents became more capable, users increasingly delegated email tasks to them. "Today, more than half of Notion Mail users manage emails without ever opening their inbox," the post read. "So, we’re going all in on using agents to run your inbox."

What This Means for Users

Notion assured users that their email history will remain intact in Gmail. A support page stated: "When the Notion Mail inbox shuts down, your email history will stay exactly where it is in Gmail." However, drafts and scheduled emails will not automatically transfer to another app; users must export them by September 21. Additionally, Notion provided a way to migrate custom setups: snippets, auto label instructions, and existing rules can be preserved by creating a Custom Agent in Notion. "If you have auto label set up in Notion Mail, you won’t have to rebuild it," the company said. "Create a Custom Agent in a few clicks, and we’ll bring your existing rules over for you."

Organizations relying on Notion Mail in regulated environments, such as healthcare, face a longer timeline. Notion noted that users who need HIPAA coverage should transition off Notion Mail by June 30, 2026. This suggests that Notion may continue to offer limited support for compliance-driven use cases until then.

The Rise of AI Agents in Email

Notion's decision reflects a broader trend in the email industry. Traditional email clients have struggled to retain users as AI-powered tools—such as Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and standalone services like Superhuman—offer automation features that reduce the need to manually read and reply to messages. Notion itself has invested heavily in its agent platform, allowing users to create custom AI workflows that can summarize threads, draft replies, categorize emails, and even take actions like scheduling meetings or sending files.

By shutting down Notion Mail, the company is essentially betting that the future of email lies not in a dedicated client but in agent-based interactions that sit on top of existing email services. This aligns with Notion's broader strategy of becoming an all-in-one productivity platform where AI handles routine tasks, freeing users to focus on higher-level work.

Privacy and Security Concerns

Skiff's original value proposition—end-to-end encryption and zero-access architecture—drew users who prioritized data privacy. Notion Mail, by contrast, was a plain vanilla Gmail client that gave Google access to email contents. This shift alienated some privacy-conscious users, who viewed the acquisition as a loss of a trusted service. With the shutdown, those users are left without a Notion-based email solution, though they can revert to Gmail or adopt other privacy-focused alternatives like Proton Mail, Tutanota, or StartMail.

Notion's focus on AI agents also raises questions about data handling. Agents that process email content require access to message bodies, which could introduce new privacy risks if not properly secured. Notion has stated that its agents comply with its existing privacy policies, but the company has not provided detailed technical assurances about encryption or data isolation. For organizations in regulated industries, this might be a sticking point.

Impact on the Email Client Market

The demise of Notion Mail is a setback for the idea that a unified inbox can compete with Gmail's native interface. Despite the hype around disruptive email clients—from Spark to Spike to Hey—most users remain loyal to Google or Microsoft. Notion Mail failed to gain significant traction, partly because it added little value beyond what Gmail already offers, and partly because its AI features were not compelling enough to justify switching.

However, Notion's move may accelerate the adoption of AI agents for email. By removing the client layer entirely, Notion is forcing users to interact with email through agents, which could normalize a new paradigm. Other companies, such as Mem, Motion, and Clockwise, are also exploring agent-first email management. If successful, Notion could set a precedent that email clients become obsolete, replaced by AI layers that operate across multiple communication channels.

Skiff's infrastructure, which included secure calendar and storage tools, may still find a home inside Notion's broader product. The company has hinted at integrating Skiff's calendar features into its platform, though no concrete plans have been announced. Meanwhile, former Skiff employees remain at Notion, contributing to AI and productivity initiatives.

Conclusion Omitted as per instructions

Notion's decision to kill Notion Mail is a stark reminder that the email client market is unforgiving. Even with a talented team and proven technology, winning over Gmail users is incredibly difficult. As AI agents become more sophisticated, the very concept of "checking email" may fade. For now, Notion is betting heavily on that vision, leaving behind the remnants of Skiff's email service. Users who want to keep their Notion Mail setup can export their data before September 21, or simply trust that their AI agents will handle everything from there.

Source:Ars Technica News