I use Google Workspace to run my email and use Google Docs often for personal projects and to write my contributions for Opensource.com.

Every so often, I go back to take a spin through the Google Workspace Marketplace to see the latest and greatest add-ons available. Google has taken some positive steps when Google Workspace was still called Google Apps to offer add-ons that enable simple code-free integrations between their applications such as Gmail and third-party SaaS applications.

While I have mixed emotions about the Gmail web interface, I give them full props for their available add-ons, including:

1. Slack for Gmail, according to the marketplace entry, “enables you to send emails into Slack so you can discuss them with teammates.”
2. Microsoft Teams Meeting lets you schedule Microsoft Teams meetings directly from Google Workspace. I like it when competitors such as Microsoft and Google offer integrations with each other SaaS applications because it shows mature marketing thinking.
3. Evernote for Google Gmail shows that Evernote is trying to get back in the game after some industry setbacks and missteps. This integration lets you save messages, attachments, and content from your inbox into Evernote.
4. Trello for Gmail lets you create Trello cards from emails you receive in your Gmail inbox. I would undoubtedly use this integration if I ever work in an environment where Google Workspace and Trello are standards for the sake of convenience.
5. Todoist for Gmail is an add-on I use to save emails as tasks and reminders to follow up. Doist – the company behind Todoist – is very forward looking about remote work and collaboration

The current pandemic-stoked remote and hybrid work world is the ultimate use case for these integrations and others. I’ve been following the Google Workspace strategy during the pandemic. In some ways, they seem to be pursuing solutions for this new way of working with more enthusiasm than Microsoft. While I’m a big proponent of these add-ons and the Google Workspace platform model, I still wonder about these adoptions in some more cloud cautious and security wary enterprises. Hopefully, in the future, the Google Workspace team will publish case studies and best practices guides about the usage of add-ons in enterprise environments.

What are your favorite Gmail add-ons?