You send an important email. A proposal, a follow-up, a pitch. Then you wait. And wait. Did they read it? Did it land in spam? Should you follow up or give them more time?
This is exactly the problem email trackers solve. They tell you when someone opens your email and clicks your links — so you can stop guessing and start making informed decisions about your follow-ups.
But not all email trackers are created equal. Some are bloated with features you don't need. Others slap their branding on your emails. And a surprising number of them report "opens" that never actually happened, thanks to email security scanners and bots triggering false positives.
We tested the six most popular email trackers for Gmail to find out which ones are actually worth using in 2026. Here's what we found.
What We Looked For
Before jumping into individual tools, here are the criteria we used to evaluate each tracker:
- Accuracy — Does it correctly detect real opens, or does it flood you with false positives from security scanners?
- Free tier — What can you actually do without paying? Are there limits? Is branding added?
- Privacy — Does the tracker respect your data? Is it GDPR-compliant?
- Ease of use — How quickly can you install it and start tracking?
- Performance — Does the extension slow down Gmail?
- Extra features — Click tracking, scheduling, bulk sending, analytics.
With that framework in mind, let's look at each tool.
1. Trackable
Trackable is a free email tracker for Gmail that focuses on accuracy and simplicity. It's a Chrome extension that integrates directly into the Gmail compose window — no separate app, no CRM, no dashboard you have to switch to.
What stands out
The biggest differentiator is accuracy. Most email trackers use a standard tracking pixel approach, and they report every single pixel load as an "open." The problem? Email security scanners (used by companies like Microsoft, Google, and most enterprise email providers) automatically load images in emails before they even reach the recipient's inbox. This creates ghost opens — notifications that someone read your email when really it was just a bot.
Trackable filters these out. Their system distinguishes between bot-triggered pixel loads and genuine human opens by analyzing timing patterns, request headers, and behavioral signals. In our testing, this made a noticeable difference — we saw about 30-40% fewer false positives compared to other trackers.
Pricing
The free tier includes unlimited tracked emails, real-time notifications, link click tracking, email scheduling, and access to the analytics dashboard. No branding is added to your emails on the free plan.
The Pro plan at $6/month (billed yearly) adds bulk email sending, automated follow-ups, and AI-powered follow-up suggestions.
Pros
- Most accurate tracking we tested (ghost open filtering)
- Generous free tier with no branding
- Lightweight — doesn't slow down Gmail
- Clean, modern analytics dashboard
- Real-time desktop notifications
Cons
- Gmail only (no Outlook support yet)
- Newer product, smaller user base
- No CRM integration (though many users see this as a plus — it keeps things simple)
2. Mailtrack
Mailtrack is one of the oldest and most popular email trackers for Gmail. It's been around since 2014 and has millions of users. It uses the classic double-checkmark approach (similar to WhatsApp) to show you read status.
What stands out
The double-checkmark UI is clean and immediately understandable. One grey check means sent, two blue checks mean opened. It integrates directly into the Gmail interface in a familiar way.
Pricing
This is where Mailtrack gets tricky. The free plan adds a "Sent with Mailtrack" signature to every email you send. This is a dealbreaker for many professionals — it looks unprofessional and also tips off the recipient that they're being tracked. Removing the signature requires the Pro plan starting at $4.99/month.
Pros
- Well-established, large user base
- Intuitive checkmark UI
- Daily email reports
Cons
- "Sent with Mailtrack" branding on free plan — major downside
- No ghost open filtering — false positives are common
- Limited analytics on the free plan
- Can feel sluggish in Gmail with large threads
3. Streak
Streak is not just an email tracker — it's a full CRM that lives inside Gmail. Email tracking is one feature within a much larger product. If you need a CRM and email tracking in one tool, Streak is worth considering.
What stands out
The CRM integration is genuinely useful for sales teams. You can manage pipelines, track deals, and monitor email engagement all within Gmail. The tracking itself shows you who opened your email and how many times.
Pricing
The free plan includes basic email tracking for up to 500 tracked emails per month. The paid plans start at $15/month and focus on the CRM features.
Pros
- Built-in CRM is powerful for sales teams
- Mail merge capabilities
- Shared pipelines for teams
Cons
- Heavy — significantly slows down Gmail, especially with large inboxes
- Overkill if you just want email tracking
- 500 tracked emails/month limit on free plan
- No ghost open filtering
- Steep learning curve for the CRM features
4. Yesware
Yesware is a sales engagement platform that includes email tracking as part of its toolkit. It's aimed squarely at B2B sales teams and integrates with Salesforce.
What stands out
The Salesforce integration is Yesware's killer feature. If your team lives in Salesforce, having tracking data automatically sync there is valuable. The email templates and multi-touch campaigns are also solid.
Pricing
Yesware starts at $15/user/month with a 14-day free trial. There's no permanent free tier, which immediately disqualifies it for casual users or freelancers.
Pros
- Excellent Salesforce integration
- Team-oriented features (shared templates, analytics)
- Multi-channel campaigns
Cons
- No free tier — 14-day trial only
- Expensive for individuals
- Designed for large sales teams, not individual users
- Requires Outlook or Gmail
5. Boomerang for Gmail
Boomerang is primarily known for email scheduling ("send this email tomorrow at 9am") and the "boomerang" feature (bring this email back to your inbox if no one replies in 3 days). Tracking is a secondary feature.
What stands out
The scheduling and follow-up reminder features are genuinely best-in-class. If your main need is "send later" with some basic read receipts, Boomerang covers both well.
Pricing
The free plan allows 10 messages per month (for all features combined, not just tracking). That's extremely limited. Paid plans start at $4.99/month.
Pros
- Best email scheduling on the market
- Smart "respondable" feature rates your email's likelihood of getting a reply
- Follow-up reminders are excellent
Cons
- Only 10 messages/month on the free plan — unusable for most people
- Tracking is basic — no detailed analytics
- No click tracking on lower plans
- The extension can feel bloated
6. Mixmax
Mixmax is a sales engagement platform that bundles email tracking with sequences, calendar scheduling, and workflow automation. It's designed for revenue teams.
What stands out
The email sequences are powerful. You can create multi-step outreach campaigns with automatic follow-ups triggered by recipient behavior (opened but didn't reply, clicked a link, etc.). The calendar integration for meeting scheduling is also smooth.
Pricing
The free plan was discontinued in 2024. Plans now start at $29/user/month, making Mixmax the most expensive option on this list by a significant margin.
Pros
- Powerful email sequences
- Built-in meeting scheduler
- Workflow automation
Cons
- No free tier — expensive starting at $29/month
- Overkill for basic email tracking needs
- Gmail only
- Can be overwhelming to set up
Comparison Table
| Feature | Trackable | Mailtrack | Streak | Yesware | Boomerang | Mixmax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Unlimited | With branding | 500/month | Trial only | 10/month | None |
| Ghost open filter | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| Click tracking | Yes (free) | Paid only | Yes | Yes | Paid only | Yes |
| Email branding | None | Free plan | None | None | None | None |
| Paid price | $6/mo | $5/mo | $15/mo | $15/mo | $5/mo | $29/mo |
| Bulk emails | Yes (Pro) | No | Yes (paid) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Best for | Everyone | Casual use | Sales teams | Enterprise | Scheduling | Revenue teams |
So Which One Should You Use?
It depends on what you're trying to do. Here's our take:
If you just need reliable email tracking — go with Trackable. It's free, it doesn't add branding, and the ghost open filtering means you can actually trust the data. For the vast majority of people who send emails and want to know if they were read, this is the right choice.
If you need a full CRM inside Gmail — Streak is worth trying, despite its performance issues. The pipeline management is solid if you can live with a slower Gmail experience.
If your team is on Salesforce — Yesware makes sense as it syncs tracking data directly to Salesforce without any extra steps.
If email scheduling is your primary need — Boomerang is the specialist here, though Trackable also offers scheduling on the free plan.
If you're running large-scale sales sequences — Mixmax is powerful but expensive. Consider whether you really need all those automation features.
For most Gmail users — freelancers, small business owners, salespeople, recruiters, or anyone who sends emails that matter — a dedicated, accurate email tracker like Trackable is the most practical choice. You get the data you need without the bloat, the branding, or the subscription costs.
Getting Started
If you want to try email tracking yourself, check out our step-by-step setup guide to get up and running in under a minute. And if you want to understand the technology behind email tracking, our guide to how email tracking works explains everything you need to know.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are email trackers for Gmail safe to use?
Yes. Reputable email trackers like Trackable don't store the content of your emails. They only track whether the email was opened and which links were clicked. Always check the privacy policy of any tracker you use to understand how your data is handled.
Can the recipient see that I'm tracking my email?
Generally, no. Email trackers use an invisible 1x1 pixel image that's not visible to the recipient. However, some email clients (like Apple Mail with Mail Privacy Protection) can interfere with tracking. Mailtrack's free plan adds a visible "Sent with Mailtrack" footer, which does reveal tracking to the recipient.
Why do I get false "opened" notifications?
Email security scanners and proxy servers often pre-load images in emails to check for malicious content. This triggers the tracking pixel even though no human opened the email. This is a known problem with most email trackers — and the main reason Trackable built ghost open filtering.
Do email trackers work on mobile?
The tracking itself works regardless of how the recipient opens the email — desktop, mobile, tablet. You'll still get notified. However, the Chrome extension for composing tracked emails requires a desktop browser with Gmail.