A Zoho TeamInbox alternative built around the draft.
Zoho TeamInbox is a capable, inexpensive shared inbox, and if you already run on Zoho it is the obvious choice. AcornReply is the alternative for teams who are not a Zoho shop and who want the reply written for them: AI drafts grounded in your own help center, and one flat price for the whole workspace.
What Zoho TeamInbox does well.
TeamInbox gives a team shared inboxes with assignment, internal discussions, shared drafts, tags and rules, across email plus WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram. It is priced per user, it is included in Zoho One, and it sits natively beside the rest of the Zoho suite. If your CRM, your books and your desk are already Zoho, TeamInbox is the cheapest sensible way to add a shared inbox, and leaving costs you that integration. That is a real reason to stay.
Where AcornReply differs.
AI drafts are the surface, not an item in a menu.
Every inbound message in AcornReply arrives with a full reply already written in your voice, citing the help center articles it drew on. TeamInbox is a shared inbox first: the writing is still yours to do.
Flat per workspace instead of per user.
TeamInbox charges per user and meters shared channels by plan, with extra channels sold as add-ons. AcornReply is one flat price for the workspace on every paid tier, so a fourth teammate does not change the bill.
A free plan rather than a trial.
TeamInbox starts you on a 14-day trial. AcornReply Free is free forever: 20 AI drafts lifetime and 500 outbound emails a month, which is enough to judge the drafts on your own customer traffic before paying anyone.
A hosted help center comes with the inbox.
AcornReply ships a hosted help center with custom domains, a contact form at your-slug.acornreply.com/contact, and an embeddable live chat widget. Those same articles are what the AI drafts from, so writing help content makes the replies better. TeamInbox is inbound channels; you bring your own help center.
Feature comparison.
| Feature | Zoho TeamInbox | AcornReply |
|---|---|---|
Pricing model | Per user, tiered | Flat per workspace |
Starting free | 14-day trial | Free plan, capped drafts and sends |
AI drafts | Not the focus | Built-in, help-center grounded |
Channels Channel breadth is the clearest thing TeamInbox has and AcornReply does not. | Email, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram | Email, contact form, live chat |
Hosted help center | Not included | Included, custom domain supported |
Zoho suite integration If you already run on Zoho, this row is most of the decision. | Native, part of Zoho One | None |
Mobile | Native apps | PWA only |
Pricing comparison.
Zoho publishes TeamInbox plans on zoho.com/teaminbox/pricing. Both paid tiers are priced per user per month, shared channels are metered by plan, extra channels are sold as add-ons, and there is a 14-day trial rather than a free tier. AcornReply Pro is $20 per workspace per month flat and Premium is $30; neither moves when you add a teammate. At one or two users TeamInbox is very likely the smaller line item. By six or eight people answering, flat wins. Decide on the drafting, not on the difference.
Who should stay with Zoho TeamInbox.
Stay if you already run on Zoho, because the suite integration is worth more than anything on this page. Stay if WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger have to land in the same inbox as your email, which AcornReply does not do. And stay if what you want is a shared inbox that gets out of the way, rather than a product with a firm opinion about how each reply gets written.
Frequently asked questions
Is AcornReply cheaper than Zoho TeamInbox?
It depends on headcount. TeamInbox is per user and AcornReply is flat per workspace, so TeamInbox is usually the smaller number at one or two people and AcornReply is the smaller number by the time six or eight are answering. Check the current per-user rate on the Zoho pricing page against our flat workspace price.
Can I move my Zoho TeamInbox threads into AcornReply?
Most teams forward their support address to AcornReply on day one so new conversations land in the new inbox, and keep the TeamInbox archive read-only. A full export and import is manual today, with help during early access.
Does AcornReply support WhatsApp or Instagram?
No. AcornReply covers email, a hosted contact form and a live chat widget on your own site. If social messaging has to sit in the same inbox as your email, TeamInbox is the better fit and that is not a gap we are about to close.
Is Zoho TeamInbox the same thing as Zoho Desk?
No. TeamInbox is a shared inbox for team email and messaging. Zoho Desk is the full help desk, with tickets, SLAs and an agent portal. If your real comparison is against Zoho Desk, be aware that Desk is a much larger product and AcornReply is not trying to be it.