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Gemini and Claude have their own strong suits, but for assistance in writing emails, there is only one clear winner.
Three years ago, I started using Help Me Write, one of Google's first attempts at applied AI. The writing assistant is built into Google offerings like Docs and Gmail, and I found it could draft whole emails from scratch -- all I had to do was sign off on them. As much as I like Help Me Write, I've noticed the Gemini LLM underpinnings powering it somehow deliver even better results through Google's standalone AI app.
Since I was feeding Gemini my email threads for drafting responses, I decided to compare Claude's performance. After a week's worth of testing, I surprisingly found Anthropic's tools write messages a lot as I would.
These rival LLMs offer multiple models, but I'm sticking to Gemini 3.5 Flash for speedy response times, accessed through a Pro account. However, it's available for free, with liberal usage limits. Importantly, I've switched on Google Labs' Personal Intelligence toggle under Attachments > More Tools > Personal Intelligence. It pulls actionable stylistic cues and information from my prior Gemini chats, adding a personal flair to the current responses. As for Anthropic's tool, I leveled the playing field with the free Claude Sonnet 4.6 model, and Effort set to High. It strikes a balance between speed like Gemini Flash, and all-important factual accuracy. Additionally, I dictate my prompts to save time, and Claude's speech-to-text engine is leagues ahead of Gemini, especially if you have an accent.
Also: I let Gemini Flows organize my Gmail, and it effectively filtered my inbox (with one sneaky catch) For every email, I outline the draft's objective, then follow with two standard instructions. They personalize results consistently and prevent token wastage. First, I ask the AI to suspend immediate responses and refrain from follow-up questions seeking details missing from the initial prompt. Second, I command the LLM to imitate my tone from the email thread. You'll need these to expect a workable response.
To illustrate, I'll use an email following up on shipment delays and a missing tracking number for a product I plan to review.
"Draft a response for the following email thread and request a shipment tracking number once again, explaining that since I will be traveling in mid-July, we need to put a timeline on this product review to ensure it is done before I travel. Do not respond immediately. Ask me any questions to draft a proper response. Imitate my semiformal tone seen in the thread. "<Email chain pasted/attached as PDFs>""