Hi @VineyardPaul, I think that there must be a misunderstanding here.
As I have stated a couple of times in my previous response, there are two main features in the HubSpot Sales email extension: Log in CRM and Email Tracking.
This article explain the Log in CRM feature: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/email/how-to-log-your-email-in-the-crm-using-hubspot-sales
This article explains the Email Tracking feature: https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/email-tracking/how-to-send-a-tracked-email
When you send out an email from Gmail with the “track” box checked, your email will be tracked. When you send out an email through Gmail with the “log” box checked, your email will be logged. When you send out an email through Gmail with the “track” and “log” boxes both checked, your email will be tracked and logged.
Checking the “log” box causes a contact to be created in the CRM if they do not exist already. If this box is not checked, a contact will not be created.
Therefore, it is possible to send an email that is tracked to a contact not in the CRM, and not have that contact added to the CRM, by sending an email from Gmail and checking the “track” box but not the “log” box.
Please read this response carefully, as well as the articles I have included, and test this out in your own emails. If you encounter any issues after doing so, you can let us know.