How to set up auto reply for Gmail? 4 ways compared

1. Gmail vacation responder, for time away from your inbox

2. Templates with filters, for one repeated question

3. Gemini, Smart Reply, and addons, for faster manual replies

4. A virtual email assistant address, for replies that answer the question and land in your Google Form

The vacation responder is Gmail's only built-in auto reply. Every sender gets the same message while it is switched on.

Setup:
• Open Gmail and click Settings > See all settings > General.
• Scroll to Vacation responder and select Vacation responder on.
• Set the first day, an optional last day, a subject, and the message body.
• Click Save Changes at the bottom of the page.

Pros: Free and built into every Gmail account. Takes under a minute to switch on and off. Works on mobile through the Gmail app settings.

Cons: Sends at most one reply to the same sender every 4 days, so a customer who follows up gets silence. One fixed message for everyone. No conditions, and Gmail suppresses it for mailing lists and spam.

Templates let you save a written reply and send it automatically when an incoming email matches a filter. This is as close as Gmail gets to reply rules without an addon.

Setup:
• Enable templates first: Settings > See all settings > Advanced > Templates > Enable, then Save Changes.
• Write the reply in a new compose window, then click the three-dot menu > Templates > Save draft as template.
• Click Show search options in the Gmail search bar and enter your criteria, such as the subject line "pricing" or a specific sender domain.
• Click Create filter, check Send template, pick your saved template, and click Create filter again.

Pros: Free, and the reply goes out without you touching the email. Several filters, each with its own template. No 4-day limit.

Cons: Each filter sends one fixed reply with no comprehension of what the customer asked. Filters match on keywords, so they misfire. Nothing is recorded anywhere, the enquiry stays buried in your inbox.

Gemini's Help me write and Gmail's Smart Reply draft contextual replies for you. The catch is that neither one sends anything on its own. You review and press send on every email, and there are no triggers or rules to automate that last step.

If you want rules on top of canned replies, the Google Workspace Marketplace has addons such as Auto Reply Pro, which sends rule-based canned replies, and Gmelius, a shared inbox tool with AI reply drafting for teams.

Pros: Replies fit the actual question, unlike a fixed template. Smart Reply is free, and Gemini is included on many Workspace plans.

Cons: Gemini and Smart Reply never send on their own. Auto Reply Pro is back to canned text. Gmelius is priced per user and built for teams.

With Promptrepo you create a business address such as yourbusiness@near.tl, share it with customers, and the assistant handles what arrives. It does three things:

• Answers customers' queries by email: A customer emails "Do you deliver on Sundays?" and the assistant replies with the answer based on the business details you gave it.

• Fills your Google Form from the email: Set up a form for each topic, such as a lead form, a support form, a contact form, and a billing form. The assistant reads each email and routes it to the right form. An email that says "I need a quote for 20 office chairs, delivered to Austin by Friday" becomes a lead response with the product, quantity, location, and deadline filled in. If a required detail is missing, the assistant emails the customer back and asks for it.

• Books appointments: A client asks for a Tuesday slot and the assistant records the booking as a form response in Google Forms and Sheets.

Pros: Replies answer the question instead of repeating one fixed message. Every enquiry becomes a row in your form responses. No filters to maintain and no 4-day cap.

Cons: Replies come from yourbusiness@near.tl, not your existing Gmail address. Review the form it fills during the first days. Paid plans apply beyond the free tier.

Step 1: Go to promptrepo.com/virtual-email-assistant and describe what the assistant should handle, for example a sales inquiry form for your catering business.
Step 2: Sign in with your Google account when prompted.
Step 3: Enter your business name. This becomes your assistant address, such as yourbusiness@near.tl.
Step 4: Review the Google Form the assistant will fill. Rename or remove fields so they match the details you actually want from customers.
Step 5: Share the assistant address on your website, Google Business Profile, and social pages. Emails sent to it are answered, and the enquiry details appear in your form responses.

Use the vacation responder for time away, templates with filters for one repeated question, and Gemini or Smart Reply to write manual replies faster. If replies must go out on their own and every enquiry should land in your forms without you, a virtual email assistant address is the option built for that job. The honest tradeoff is that it uses a new address for your business rather than your personal Gmail.