TL;DR (At-a-glance)
- Lindy is best for:
- Users who need a general-purpose agent platform for broad automation.
- Building custom workflows that require explicit triggers or multi-step logic.
- Tasks that fall outside the primary email and calendar scope.
- Teams that prefer a prompt-driven interface for ad-hoc requests.
- Jace is best for:
- Founders who want an agent that works directly on top of their existing Gmail or Outlook.
- Reducing decision fatigue through label-triggered drafting (e.g., "Needs Reply").
- Managing complex threads with deep context from history and attachments (PDFs, docs).
- Closing loops automatically with the "Waiting" label and follow-up drafts.
- Who should choose what:
- Choose Lindy if you are looking for a general automation platform to build custom, prompt-driven workflows across various apps.
- Choose Jace if your primary bottleneck is email overload and you need a proactive agent to handle thread context, drafting, and scheduling.
The Real Inbox Problem
Imagine you are a founder on a Thursday afternoon. Your inbox is a graveyard of half-finished decisions.
There is a high-stakes sales thread where a lead just sent a redlined proposal PDF. They have three objections buried in the text, and you need to check your previous notes before replying. In another tab, a support escalation is heating up; a long-time client is frustrated, and the thread is now 15 messages deep with multiple CCs. Meanwhile, a vendor is asking for a signature on a contract you haven't had time to read, and three other threads are "open loops" where you're waiting for a response that might never come.
This is email overload. It isn't just about the volume of messages; it's about the cognitive weight of the decisions required for each one. Without a system, things slip. You forget to nudge the lead. You miss the nuance in the support thread. You spend your evening drafting replies instead of building your company.
Core Thesis
A prompt-driven assistant responds when you ask; an inbox agent reduces decisions per thread through labels, rules, and deep context.
While platforms like Lindy offer a broad canvas for building custom AI workflows across hundreds of apps, Jace is built for the founder whose primary work happens inside the inbox. It doesn't ask you what to do; it looks at your labels and your history to prepare the work for your review.
The Inbox Agent Philosophy (Jace)
Jace operates on a "Review-First" model. It doesn't replace your email client; it lives on top of it. By using label triggers like "Needs Reply," you signal to Jace that a thread requires action. Jace then analyzes the entire thread history, opens relevant attachments, and drafts a response that mirrors your writing style.
The goal is to move from "What do I say to this?" to "Is this draft correct?" This shift in perspective significantly reduces the mental energy required to clear an inbox.
The Prompt-Driven Assistant Philosophy (Lindy)
Lindy is designed as a versatile agent platform. It excels when you need to build specific, multi-step automations that might span across different software tools. It is a powerful choice for teams that want to construct their own AI employees for varied tasks, from social media management to complex data entry.
However, for the specific task of managing a high-volume inbox, the prompt-driven nature means you are often still the one initiating the work.
How to Choose
If you need a Swiss Army knife for general business automation and enjoy building custom workflows, Lindy is a strong contender.
If you are a founder drowning in email and need a specialist to handle the heavy lifting of thread context and drafting so you can focus on high-level decisions, Jace is the tool for you.
