There are three ways to connect Gmail and Salesforce. Salesforce’s own Gmail integration (the Salesforce Chrome extension) shows Salesforce records next to your email and lets you log emails by hand. Einstein Activity Capture logs your emails and calendar events to Salesforce automatically, and Standard Einstein Activity Capture comes with most Salesforce editions. A tool that works inside Gmail, like Mixmax, logs your email to Salesforce too, and also sends your follow-ups from Gmail and stops them when someone replies. If you only need emails logged, start with what Salesforce includes. If your team also sends follow-ups to a lot of people, a tool inside Gmail does both jobs in one place.
Here’s what each option does, how to set it up, and how to pick.
Option 1: The Salesforce Chrome extension (Salesforce’s Gmail integration)
Salesforce calls this the Gmail integration. It’s a panel inside Gmail that shows the Salesforce contacts, leads, accounts and opportunities related to the email you’re reading.
What it does without an extra license, according to Salesforce: log emails to Salesforce records and track email opens. Scheduling, send-later and text shortcuts need an extra license (Inbox, Sales Cloud Einstein or Sales Engagement). (Salesforce Help: Gmail integration features)
The old Salesforce Inbox Chrome extension has been retired. Its features now run inside the one Salesforce Chrome extension. (Salesforce Help: Salesforce Inbox)
How to set it up:
- Turn it on in Salesforce. In Setup, search for “Gmail Integration and Sync” and turn on the Gmail integration. An admin needs to do this.
- Install the extension. Each person installs the Salesforce extension from the Chrome Web Store and pins it.
- Sign in from Gmail. Open an email, open the Salesforce panel and log in with your Salesforce account.
- Log a test email. Open a thread with someone who’s already in Salesforce, log it, and check it shows up on their record.
Best for: people who want to see Salesforce while they read email, and who log the important emails themselves.
The catch: logging by hand depends on people remembering to do it. That’s why most teams add automatic capture.
Option 2: Einstein Activity Capture
Einstein Activity Capture (often shortened to EAC) connects each person’s Google account to Salesforce. It captures their emails and calendar events onto the related Salesforce records automatically, and it can sync contacts and events between Google and Salesforce. (Salesforce Help: Einstein Activity Capture limitations)
It changed in 2025. Captured emails used to live outside Salesforce, so they didn’t show up in standard reports. Since Summer ‘25, new setups store captured emails as real Salesforce records (a Task plus an Email Message), and they work in reports, flows and the API. Older setups are being moved over, and Salesforce migrates any org that doesn’t do it by its date. (Salesforce Help: considerations for syncing email as activity, migrating to Sync Email as Salesforce Activity)
What to know before you turn it on:
- Standard EAC comes with Starter, Pro Suite, Professional and Enterprise. Unlimited and the higher editions include the full version. (Salesforce Help: Standard vs. full Einstein Activity Capture)
- Emails only log if they match a record. If the person you emailed isn’t a contact or lead yet, the email isn’t stored.
- Synced emails count against your Salesforce data storage.
- Attachments don’t sync, and only each person’s main email address is captured, not aliases.
- Logging by hand on top of EAC can create duplicates, so pick one way per team.
For a deeper look, see Einstein Activity Capture for Gmail: what it logs and when to add a tool.
Best for: teams that want every email and meeting on the Salesforce record without anyone remembering to log it, and that send email the normal way, one at a time.
Option 3: A tool that works inside Gmail and logs to Salesforce
The first two options log the email you send. They don’t send anything for you. If your team follows up with a lot of people, the work that slips is the follow-up itself: the second and third email to someone who went quiet.
That’s what Mixmax is for. It’s a lightweight outreach tool inside Gmail that syncs with Salesforce:
- Your emails, replies and follow-ups log to Salesforce automatically as activities on the record, along with opens and clicks. Meetings booked through Mixmax log too.
- Follow-ups send from your own Gmail. Write a sequence once, and each follow-up goes out as a reply in the same thread. When someone replies, their follow-ups stop.
- People can come straight from Salesforce. Add a list of leads or contacts to a sequence without exporting a spreadsheet. If someone you email isn’t in Salesforce yet, you can choose to create them as a lead or a contact.
- Salesforce changes can start a sequence. A rule can add someone to a sequence when a lead is created or an opportunity changes stage, or notify the owner when a deal sits still.
- You can update Salesforce fields from the Gmail sidebar, so the record stays current without switching tabs.
Salesforce stays the record of who’s who. One customer, Veraset, moved from Outreach for this reason: “Switching to Mixmax, the data syncing problem with Salesforce evaporated overnight.” (Veraset case study)
Best for: teams of a few people up to a few hundred who live in Gmail, run Salesforce, and send follow-ups to many people at once.
Salesforce Gmail integration options, side by side
| Salesforce’s own (extension + EAC) | Mixmax | |
|---|---|---|
| See Salesforce records in Gmail | Yes, with the extension | Yes |
| Log emails automatically | Yes, with EAC, if the person is already in Salesforce | Yes, and it can create the lead or contact |
| Send follow-ups, and stop when they reply | No | Yes |
| Start emails from Salesforce changes | No | Yes, with rules |
| Cost | Included. Standard EAC comes with most editions | Separate plans (pricing) |
Common problems
- The Salesforce panel doesn’t load in Gmail. Check the integration is turned on in Setup, the extension is pinned, and third-party cookies aren’t blocked for Salesforce.
- Emails aren’t showing on the record. The person usually isn’t in Salesforce as a contact or lead, or their email address on the record doesn’t match the one you emailed.
- Duplicate emails on a record. Someone is logging by hand on top of automatic capture.
More fixes: Salesforce Gmail integration not working? 6 fixes.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Salesforce Gmail integration free?
The Chrome extension and logging emails by hand come with Salesforce. Some extras, like send-later and scheduling, need a paid add-on license. Standard Einstein Activity Capture comes with most editions.
Does Salesforce log Gmail emails automatically?
Only with Einstein Activity Capture (or a third-party tool) turned on. The Chrome extension on its own logs the emails you choose.
Can I see Einstein Activity Capture emails in Salesforce reports?
Yes, once your org uses “Sync Email as Salesforce Activity”, which stores captured emails as Salesforce records. Setups from before Summer ‘25 are being moved to it.
Do I need Einstein Activity Capture if I use Mixmax?
No. Mixmax logs the emails it sends and the replies to Salesforce. Some teams run both: EAC for everyday email, and Mixmax for follow-ups. If you do, check how the two log the same email so you don’t get duplicates.
Does Mixmax replace Salesforce?
No. Salesforce stays your CRM. Mixmax works in Gmail and keeps Salesforce up to date.
Does this work with HubSpot too?
Mixmax syncs with HubSpot as well. See the HubSpot integration.
The next step
Pick the smallest option that covers what your team does. If people mostly read and log email, turn on what Salesforce includes. If they also chase a lot of replies, try Mixmax free with your Google account and connect Salesforce from settings.
Keep reading: Explore more on Mixmax sequences.
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