Lots of teams come across this debate when it comes to managing team emails - Should we use Shared Inboxes or Google Groups?

The goal of this article is to support these teams in their decision on what set up to go for.

What are Shared Inboxes and Google Groups?

They seem to be the same at a first glance, starting with info@, support@, etc. The biggest difference is the way they handle incoming emails.

• Shared Inboxes are real inboxes (that you login with a password), and are set up as "users" in your Google Workspace account.
• Google Groups work like email distribution lists. When an email is sent to a Google Group, a copy of that email is sent individually to all users inside that particular Group. Google Groups do not count as users in your Google Workspace account.

What is the difference between using Drag with Shared Inboxes and Google Groups?

There are a few differences between using Shared Inbox or Google Groups on Drag boards.

Profile Picture

• With a Shared Inbox, you can assign a profile picture to your team inbox, for example your company logo, giving a more professional look to your emails.
• Google Groups do not support profile pictures. You have the options to either reply to emails from your own individual account (with your own profile picture) or send emails from the Google Group address but without a profile picture.

Data Security

• If you are using a Shared Inbox and remove a particular user from your Shared Inbox board, that user immediately looses access to all historical emails in that inbox.
• If you are using a Google Group and remove a particular user from your Google Group board (and from the Google Group in your Google Workspace account), that user will loose access to all future emails, but will still have access to all historical emails from that Group (because email copies would have been sent to his/her individual email address as well).

Pricing

• Because Shared Inboxes require extra users in Google Workspace, Shared Inboxes require an extra licence in Google Workspace and in Drag.
• **Google Groups do not require extra licences. **

Which one is the right for me?

When Shared Inboxes are recommended - Understanding Google Groups limitations

Google Groups act as distribution lists, which means every time an email is sent to a Group, each member receives their own individual copy of that email.

When you connect a Google Group to a Drag board, Drag uses the board owner’s copy as the single source of truth. That copy is routed into the shared board, while the copies in other members’ inboxes are auto-archived.

In practice, your team is collaborating on the emails received by the board owner. We use this approach because it’s the safest and most reliable way to avoid duplicate emails across multiple inboxes.

However, because of how Google Groups behave, the following scenarios aren’t supported:

1. The board owner can’t send emails to the Google Group board.

Gmail automatically archives these messages because a user is sending an email to a Group they are part of.

👉 What to do instead:

If the board owner needs to move an existing conversation into a Google Group board, simply move the email to that board (drag it or use the Move to button in the top bar).

2. Emails can’t be forwarded from a Google Group board back to the board owner’s inbox

Gmail treats this as a duplicate of an email already received by the board owner and auto-archives it.

👉 What to do instead:

If you need the board owner’s attention, use @mentions on the card rather than forwarding the email.

3. Emails can’t be sent to two Google Group boards with the same owner

If an email is addressed to multiple Google Groups connected to Drag and both boards share the same owner, the email will only appear in one of them.

This is because there is only one “original” copy of the email, and a single email can only live on one shared board at a time.

👉 What to do instead:

If your workflow requires emails to land in two Google Group boards, make sure each board has a different owner.

When Google Groups are recommended

Google Groups are recommended for teams with budget or company policy constraints.

1. Google Groups can receive emails without needing a paid Google Workspace user

Shared inboxes require a real Gmail account (a paid seat). Google Groups don’t, they’re free and don’t count as users. This is helpful for companies with strict limits on Workspace licenses.

2. Easier IT approval in large organizations

Some companies block shared inboxes or aliases due to internal rules, but allow, Google Groups, organizational mailing lists or role-based distribution lists. So Groups can be approved where Shared Inboxes aren’t.

3. Message retention can be controlled per user

Since each user gets their own copy, they can label, search or apply rules independently.

Shared inboxes centralize everything into one shared mailbox, which is better for collaboration, but less flexible for individual workflows.

Still need help? Our Support Team will love to help at support@dragapp.com.

Updated on: 19/11/2025