Lavender AI: the complete guide

Index

Lavender AI, what is it?

Lavender AI is a virtual assistant for sales emails that helps you write more effective emails and get more replies.

It appears as a browser extension integrating directly into your inbox (e.g., Gmail or Outlook), providing real-time coaching as you write.

Features

  • Email Coach with scoring and suggestions: Each email is analyzed by the AI and receives a quality score (ideally 90 or above) indicating the likelihood of getting a response. Lavender highlights in real time what can be improved — for example, tone, sentence length, clarity — and gives specific suggestions to increase the response rate. For instance, it alerts you if the email is too long or complex and offers corrections (even automatically via an “Apply All Fixes” button). The AI also checks for spam terms and verifies addresses (Email Verification), helping avoid spam folder placement.
  • Assisted personalization: Lavender brings recipient data directly into the email editor. When composing a message, the platform can show information about the prospect (e.g., recent news about the company, LinkedIn profile, CRM details) and even personality insights, suggesting how to introduce the email in a more targeted way. Essentially, it automates part of the research on the contact, making it faster to create personalized, relevant content for that person. For example, it can propose hooks for the opening or highlight the prospect’s interests to mention.
  • AI writing assistant: In addition to optimizing existing text, Lavender can also generate email drafts. With the “Start Your Email” feature, you can insert a few bullet points or basic notes, and the AI will produce an initial complete email draft to build upon. This helps overcome writer’s block by providing a starting text. Moreover, Lavender integrates GPT (ChatGPT) capabilities directly into the composition window: you can ask the AI to expand, research information, or rewrite portions of the text without leaving the email. You can thus use ChatGPT to generate ideas or paragraphs, then refine the message with Lavender’s tools to ensure it’s optimized and personalized.
  • Mobile optimization: About 81% of emails are opened on smartphones. Lavender helps format messages properly for mobile reading through an interactive Mobile Preview. While typing, you can enable mobile mode to see how the email will look on a phone and get warnings if paragraphs are too long or dense for a small screen. This allows you to adapt line lengths and add spacing, improving readability on mobile (and thus the chances of getting a response). You can even preview in dark mode or as a smartwatch notification for a complete view of how the recipient will see the email.
  • GIF and media library: To make communications more human and engaging, Lavender includes a feature for adding GIF images directly into the text. Without leaving the editor, you can search and insert a fun or relevant GIF. This can help add a personal touch to emails, break the ice, or create greater visual engagement. Of course, this feature should be used judiciously in professional contexts, but it can be effective for standing out among many formal emails.
  • Analytics dashboard and long-term coaching: Beyond instant coaching on a single message, Lavender offers a control panel with analytics tracking your results over time. In your personal dashboard, you can find statistics like reply rate to cold emails, number of opens, average score of your emails, sentiment, and tone usage. These data points let you understand your performance and improve over time. For sales teams, a combined dashboard shows each member’s results, highlighting who needs help and in what areas. The system also provides personalized tips (e.g., “work on the subject line” or “be more concise”) based on team trends. Essentially, Lavender acts as an email intelligence tool: it analyzes what works best and adapts suggestions accordingly, thanks to data collected and AI models trained on billions of data points.
  • Integration with existing tools: A main advantage of Lavender is that it works where you already write emails. It seamlessly integrates with major email and CRM platforms without altering your workflow. It’s available as a browser extension (Chrome, Edge, etc.) for Gmail and Outlook in the web interface, but it also supports clients like Outlook Desktop and specialized sales services: for example, Outreach, Salesloft, Apollo, Groove, HubSpot, and more. This means that a salesperson can use Lavender while writing in Salesforce (through integration with Outlook/Gmail) or in sales sequence platforms like Salesloft, keeping data in sync. Installing the extension is straightforward (only takes a few minutes), and guides are available for configuring the add-in on Outlook or other supported platforms. Additionally, with the “Lavender Anywhere” feature, you can open a pop-up of the AI assistant on any website where you type text (e.g., LinkedIn InMail, contact forms, etc.), bringing Lavender’s coaching wherever it’s needed.

User guide

Below is a practical guide on how to access and use Lavender AI:

  • Sign-up and installation: To start, you need to create an account on the official Lavender website (a basic free plan is available). Installing the Lavender extension for Chrome or Edge through the Chrome Web Store is recommended. Alternatively, for Outlook there is a dedicated add-in. After adding the extension, log in by connecting your work email — you can sign in with Google (Gmail) or Microsoft (Outlook) — so that Lavender integrates with your inbox. During initial setup, it’s good to complete your user profile in the Lavender dashboard, for instance by adding your name, role, company, and other relevant details: this information helps the AI personalize intros in generated emails (“Start Your Email”). (For example, the tool can automatically include your signature or company reference in generative drafts if it knows this data.)
  • Configuration on Outlook (if applicable): If you use Outlook desktop as your email client, follow Lavender’s additional instructions to enable integration. The Lavender knowledge base provides a step-by-step guide to install the add-in on Outlook Desktop and Outlook for Mac. Typically, you grant permission to the Lavender add-in from Microsoft AppSource. Once enabled, Lavender appears as a sidebar panel when composing a new message in Outlook.
  • Composing emails with Lavender: At this point, open your inbox (Gmail, Outlook web, etc.) and start writing a new email as usual. Lavender will automatically activate in the editor: in Gmail, for instance, a purple sidebar will appear showing the email’s score and real-time improvement suggestions. You can proceed in two ways: either freely type your message and watch how Lavender evaluates its quality, or immediately leverage AI for a first draft. For the latter, click on “Start My Email”: a field appears where you enter some key points or the email’s goal, then confirm so the AI generates a complete sales email draft. For example, by providing 2-3 bullet points (e.g., quick introduction, value proposition, call-to-action), Lavender creates a structured sales email you can then edit. If you prefer to start from your own draft, Lavender will begin analyzing it sentence by sentence.
  • Real-time analysis and improvement: As you type, Lavender assigns a score (usually shown at the top, e.g., “Email Score: 84”) and below lists observations by category. These can include notes on: total length (word count), sentences that are too long, overly formal or informal tone, excessive usage of “I” vs. “you,” presence of clichés or vague phrases, clarity level, mobile formatting, etc. Each critical element is highlighted. For example, if a paragraph is very long, Lavender might suggest “Break this text into shorter paragraphs.” If the email contains too many passive constructions, an alert will advise using more active voice. You can click on each alert to see explanations and specific suggestions for fixing the issue.
  • Final personalization: Before sending the email, it’s wise to leverage the personalization features to maximize effectiveness. For example, in the Lavender panel, you can click on the recipient’s name or company to quickly access contextual information (recent news, LinkedIn posts, etc.) to include as a hook in the opening. Lavender may also show a DISC personality profile for the prospect or other insights, useful for calibrating the tone (e.g., more analytical vs. empathetic, depending on the profile). Adding references specifically to the recipient greatly increases the chance of a reply. If suitable, you can add a GIF or an image by clicking the dedicated GIF library icon. This can make the email more friendly — some SDRs insert a playful GIF at the end to stand out, but it’s optional and context-dependent.
  • Mobile optimization and final check: A last recommended step is to use Lavender’s Mobile Preview. Just click on the phone icon in the panel: the editor will show how the email appears on a small screen. Check that paragraphs do not exceed 3-4 lines and that there’s enough white space — Lavender may already have flagged these issues, but the preview ensures readability. You can also simulate dark mode (clicking the moon icon) or even a smartwatch preview (the watch icon) to understand all possible reading scenarios. Finally, read the entire email to ensure it’s natural and correct. If everything looks good (no typos, correct recipient name, functioning links) and the Lavender score is high (indicating it follows best practices), go ahead and send.
  • Tracking results: After sending, Lavender remains useful by providing performance analytics. In your dashboard, over the following days, you’ll see metrics for that email (if the system is connected to a CRM or if open tracking is enabled): for example, open rate, any received reply, etc., which will update your overall statistics. For those with a Team account, managers can see the outcomes for all SDRs: Lavender highlights who is getting the highest reply rates and who needs more help, aiding in understanding what works best and sharing winning tactics across the organization.

Advantages and disadvantages

As with any software, it has both strengths and some limitations. Let’s look at the main advantages:

  • Improves email quality and response rates: Lavender’s main benefit is very tangible — it helps craft better emails that get more replies. Many users report a significant increase in responses since using the tool. For instance, the CMO of Clari mentioned that his sales team doubled their response rates and wrote emails in half the time thanks to Lavender. The software provides objective feedback (score) guiding you toward more effective messages, eliminating common mistakes that lower reply probability. Essentially, it allows you to optimize each message before sending, which can lead to 2-3 times more positive replies according to the site and reviews.
  • Speed and productivity: Lavender saves time in writing emails. The auto-writing feature and AI suggestions drastically cut down the time needed to produce a professional message. An account development manager notes that, thanks to Lavender’s analysis, he stopped wasting time endlessly perfecting and rewriting emails: now he relies on the tool’s score to know when an email is “good enough” to send. Also, direct inbox integration means zero additional steps — no repeated window switching or manual checks, everything happens in real time as you type.
  • Continuous training and improved writing skills: Unlike other tools that might write text for you, Lavender takes a coaching-based approach. It teaches best practices in writing while you use it. Immediate feedback (e.g., “this sentence is too long” or “tone is too formal”) helps you gradually internalize effective communication techniques. One user mentions that Lavender “reinforces best practices for prospecting emails” instead of merely automating everything. Over time, using Lavender amounts to writing training: you learn to be clearer, more concise, and more recipient-oriented. Many appreciate this educational aspect, saying Lavender made them better overall email writers.
  • Detailed, personalized feedback: Lavender provides a wide range of analyses, from text structure to emotional tone. Users praise receiving immediate and specific feedback on all key aspects: for example, how the email looks on mobile, or how many times a certain word is used. The system also highlights metrics like the “I:You” ratio (how often you talk about yourself vs. the customer) and clarity (readability level), crucial in sales emails but tricky to assess alone. This granular advice helps refine every detail.
  • Easy to use and integrate into workflows: Lavender’s learning curve is relatively low because it integrates with tools you already use. Users find the interface intuitive and straightforward, with a clean, understandable sidebar. Installation takes minutes, and the extension slots right into Gmail/Outlook naturally. One account executive states: “It’s easy to use, integrates well with existing sales platforms, and helps me write better emails faster!” Also, compatibility with multiple systems (CRM, email sequencing tools) means you can adopt Lavender without changing your procedures. There’s little impact on existing technical processes.
  • Personalization and data-driven approach: Lavender elevates email personalization to a higher level by smartly leveraging data. It automatically incorporates info from the CRM and the web, reducing manual research effort. This allows a salesperson to focus on the message, knowing that contextual details are readily provided. Meanwhile, the analytics dashboard is a major perk for teams and managers: they can measure each salesperson’s results, identify what works best, and apply those insights across the organization. In short, Lavender transforms email writing from an instinctive art into a scientific, data-based process, offering a long-term competitive advantage.
  • Consistent scaling and data security: For growing teams, Lavender scales well, offering enterprise-focused features (shared analytics, content curation, etc.). Moreover, it places importance on security and privacy — crucial when dealing with sensitive communication data: the platform is SOC 2 certified and GDPR-compliant, ensuring high standards of information protection. This reassures companies adopting it at scale that their clients’ data and emails remain secure.

Disadvantages

  • Bugs and stability issues: Although powerful, Lavender can experience some technical instability. Various users report occasional bugs, crashes, and slowdowns in daily use. For example, sometimes the extension freezes or certain Gmail buttons become unresponsive, requiring a page reload. Performance issues can be frustrating, especially under tight deadlines. Some reviewers note that the development team is quick to release fixes, but reliability is not yet 100%. In short, there’s room to improve the experience to be smoother and glitch-free.
  • Customer support could be improved: Lavender’s support service has received mixed feedback, with some users satisfied and others not. Some report slow or unhelpful responses. For instance, one user said a billing error ticket went unanswered for nearly a week. Another felt the support communications had a somewhat “condescending” tone, focusing more on basic email marketing concepts than solving the problem. Others, however, praise Lavender’s team for being responsive to feedback and quick to fix reported bugs, so experiences vary. Generally, for a professional tool, highly responsive support is expected: Lavender may need to expand its customer success team to fully meet all users’ needs, particularly enterprise clients paying for higher tiers.
  • Free plan limitations: While Lavender offers a free version, it’s heavily restricted. The free plan allows only 5 emails per month to be analyzed and personalized — a very low volume, basically just for testing or infrequent use. Anyone needing steady usage (e.g., an SDR sending dozens of weekly emails) must upgrade to a paid plan. Additionally, some advanced features and integrations are unavailable on the free tier. This might be a downside for those hoping for a more generous free plan; on the other hand, it’s understandable given it’s a sophisticated commercial product, and the most powerful features (unlimited AI writer, team dashboards, etc.) are reserved for paying customers.
  • Cost of advanced plans: Related to the above, some consider Lavender’s prices relatively high for an individual user compared to simpler tools. Premium plans range from about $25 up to $45 per month (billed annually) for single users, and can reach $80-90/month per seat for enterprise. While the ROI in terms of sales can justify the investment (even one extra meeting secured via Lavender might offset the subscription cost), freelancers or small teams on tight budgets may find it steep. Especially those who already pay for CRM, email sequencers, and other sales enablement software might hesitate to add another monthly expense. Although annual discounts and a free trial are available, overall Lavender represents a not-insignificant financial commitment, which must be weighed against specific needs.
  • Sometimes shallow suggestions: Though Lavender offers useful tips, advanced users note it sometimes focuses on superficial text elements. For instance, one SDR commented that Lavender often criticizes sentence length without providing deeper guidance on strategy or content. In some cases, the auto-suggestions (especially in early versions) can seem trivial or out of context — such as recommending splitting an already clear sentence just to raise the score. Furthermore, some feel Lavender’s AI rewriting isn’t as powerful as directly using ChatGPT: the tool tends to make small incremental edits instead of overhauling the message when necessary. These observations indicate that Lavender excels at “micro-copy” (fine-tuning the form) but may not replace human ability to craft truly persuasive messages on a strategic level. In practice, the seller’s input remains vital for substantive content; Lavender assists with form and best practices but can’t guarantee 100% effective emails if the core value proposition is lacking.
  • Limited language support: Currently, Lavender fully supports only English (as it was developed primarily for English-speaking SDRs). That means clarity, tone analysis, and AI suggestions work best for emails in English. For emails in Italian (or other languages), functionalities may be limited or less accurate — for example, the readability score calibrated on US grade levels won’t apply to Italian. So, for the Italian market, Lavender can still help with structure and length, but many advanced features (text-based personality insights, tone detection) might not properly activate. Those needing to optimize emails in other languages may have to wait for multilingual support in the future.

Costs and payment models

Lavender AI uses a freemium model with multiple subscription tiers based on needs. In short: there’s a free plan with basic features and strict limits, plus monthly paid plans (with annual discounts) that unlock extra functions and unlimited usage. Here are the plan details and pricing:

  • Lavender Basic – Free: a forever-free plan that lets you use Lavender in a limited manner. It includes analysis and personalization for up to 5 emails per month, with access to basic scoring and suggestions, plus Gmail/Outlook integration (so the extension works in major clients). Ideal for testing or very occasional usage. However, it doesn’t support unlimited AI writing or advanced integrations. (Lavender also extends this free plan to certain categories: students, job seekers, or pre-revenue startups can request free usage until they begin earning — an interesting initiative to help newcomers.)
  • Lavender Starter – ~$27/month: the first paid tier, intended for individual professionals. Costs about $27/month per user (if paid annually) (around 25-30€); slightly higher with monthly billing. This plan removes free plan limits: you get unlimited analysis and personalization for as many emails as you want, plus all basic Lavender features. Specifically, it unlocks unlimited AI email writer, mobile optimization, multiple inbox connections (multi-account), and standard CRM integrations like HubSpot, Outreach, etc. It also includes live chat support for issues. It’s ideal for an individual salesperson or sales professional wanting to maximize outbound emails.
  • Lavender Individual Pro – ~$45/month: the advanced plan for single “power users.” Costs about $45/month per user (annual). It includes everything in the Starter plan plus some extras: for instance, all available integrations (even premium ones with special tools) and priority support. Pro users get faster assistance response times and often a dedicated customer success manager to help them make the most of the platform. Essentially, it’s meant for anyone heavily relying on Lavender and wanting top-notch service.
  • Lavender Teams – ~$49+ per user/month: aimed at sales teams and companies. Pricing starts around $49/month per user (some Enterprise plans with additional features can go to ~$89/user/month, depending on deals and number of licenses). Lavender Teams includes all Pro features for each user (unlimited usage, AI, complete integrations) plus collaborative and managerial capabilities: access to a team dashboard with aggregated analytics, customizable scoring models tailored to the company, shared content (e.g., an internal library of templates and best practices), plus proactive support from Lavender (team onboarding, coaching sessions, etc.). Managers can monitor every seller’s email performance, see who needs extra training, and set custom guidelines. Usually, you need to contact Lavender for a custom quote if you have many users, and you can negotiate additional enterprise functionalities.

All paid Lavender plans include at least an initial free trial. Typically, there’s a 7-day trial of the full version so individuals or companies can test how the tool impacts their emails before committing. Contracts are monthly SaaS subscriptions, so you can cancel any time or switch plans if needs change. Paying annually gives a discount (the quoted $27/$45/$89 are monthly rates with annual payment, corresponding to roughly $29/$49/$99 if paid month to month).

Security and privacy management

When adopting a platform like Lavender AI, it’s important to consider how it handles data and the level of support it provides to customers. Here’s what we know about these aspects:

  • Data security: Lavender deals with potentially sensitive information (email content, prospect data, CRM integration), so it has implemented enterprise-grade security measures. Notably, Lavender is SOC 2 Type II certified and GDPR-compliant. SOC 2 certification confirms rigorous controls in terms of security, availability, and confidentiality of data. GDPR compliance ensures adherence to European regulations on personal data protection. Additionally, sources indicate that Lavender uses encryption protocols and state-of-the-art safeguards to protect users’ communications. The website mentions a Privacy Center detailing data handling (e.g., email content analyzed by AI isn’t shared with third parties and is used only to provide the service). Lavender states it takes user privacy seriously and can provide relevant documentation upon request (useful for corporate IT teams evaluating adoption). Overall, under the hood, Lavender implements security standards similar to enterprise-grade software, ensuring that information stays protected while using the platform.
  • Reliability and uptime: Besides security, reliability (uptime, latency, etc.) is also crucial. We don’t have specific published SLA data, but users rarely mention prolonged downtime or slowness. Since Lavender is partly a local extension, some basic functions (like preloaded suggestions) may continue offline, but AI and analytics rely on the cloud. The team maintains a status site and presumably monitors uptime. So far, there have been no major extended outages reported by users, so the service can be considered fairly stable operationally (though the reported issues were more about app bugs than system downtime).
  • Customer support and assistance: Lavender provides various support channels, with service levels differing by plan. Free users mainly rely on the online Knowledge Base (guides and FAQs) and a community/forum for sharing tips. Paid Starter users get live chat support within the app (during business hours) for quick queries or bug reports. Individual Pro customers get priority support, meaning their requests are handled first in the queue and can schedule dedicated sessions with a customer success manager. Teams/Enterprise customers receive proactive support and coaching programs: e.g., guided onboarding for the team, periodic best practices workshops, and a dedicated contact who oversees adoption and helps configure the platform optimally. Additionally, Lavender regularly hosts Office Hours (live webinars) where users can ask questions and get training on new features.
  • Privacy compliance and user controls: From a privacy perspective, it’s worth noting that Lavender allows users to manage certain aspects. For instance, you can opt to exclude sensitive emails from analysis or not include your signature in the score calculation (so as not to affect the rating with fixed content). You can also connect or disconnect email accounts from your Lavender profile anytime, and delete your data if you decide to stop using the service. The company states that it does not sell or share email content with third parties. All AI-based analysis is automated, and data are aggregated to provide internal benchmarks. For those working in regulated fields, Lavender can supply additional compliance documents (e.g., GDPR statements, Data Processing Addendums).
  • Updates and roadmap: Lastly, support also extends to development speed. Lavender frequently releases updates, introducing new features (e.g., new CRM integrations, improved AI models, etc.). Users can suggest features and vote on the public roadmap. This ongoing development is part of “support” in the broader sense: the company shows it invests in evolving the product based on real user needs.

In conclusion, regarding security, Lavender offers strong guarantees (certifications and compliance) comparable to what mid-size and large enterprises require. As for customer support, despite a few isolated negative experiences, the company seems committed to providing quality assistance and listening to user feedback. As a user, it’s advisable to leverage the extensive knowledge base and self-help resources initially, and contact live support if specific issues arise. So far, Lavender has demonstrated concern for both data security and user success — two essential aspects for a tool aimed at professionals and businesses.