An honest comparison
Shared mailbox vs shared inbox: what the terms actually mean
A shared mailbox is the free thing your mail host already offers: one mailbox several people can open. A shared inbox is a layer on top that adds visibility — who read it, who's replying, what's outstanding. This page is the difference in practice.
Where a built-in shared mailbox wins
- Free — included in Workspace and Microsoft 365
- No new tool, no new vendor, IT already knows it
- Enough for two people who talk all day
- Mail never leaves your tenant
Where Bosun wins
- Shows who has read each message — mailboxes show one shared read state
- Shows who’s typing before a double reply
- Needs-reply / waiting / done without anyone filing
- A name on every sent reply
| Feature | Bosun | a built-in shared mailbox |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | £39/month | Free |
| Read state | Per person, per message | One flag shared by everyone |
| Who’s handling it | Visible — presence + typing | Unknowable — ask in the group chat |
| Sent replies | Named sender, shared address | Indistinguishable — all from the mailbox |
| Audit trail | Who did what, always | None |
The left column describes shared-inbox tools generally — Front and Help Scout do this too, at different prices.
The honest bottom line.
Start with the built-in shared mailbox — honestly. The signal to upgrade is the
sentence “did anyone reply to that?” said twice in one week.