Email may not be the centre of our digital lives any longer , with instant electronic messaging religious service like WhatsApp and consecrated work schmooze offer such as Slack proving more and more democratic . But there is certainly still a place for email in both our work - related and day - to - sidereal day activities .
Apple supply its Mail app free with every Mac , but if you ’re uncoerced to bet around then you ’ll see there are plenty of other email clients that get along with extra features or layout that may become your needs well than Apple ’s default program . Do n’t flummox with Mail without first arrest out some of the well option to Mail that are out there – some of which offer extra baron features or are simply easy to configure .
We ’ve rounded up the best of the best email apps for your Mac , with particular focus given to the following points :
We ’ll part by calculate at Apple ’s Mail , then we ’ll evaluate some costless email pick , and we ’ll also sport some paid services that are worthy of consideration . The ten options we ’ve found are not in ranked lodge – we advocate all these email packages – but some will be suited to more specific motivation , so we will depart it to you to evaluate which will suit you substantially .
We also have advice about thebest word processor for Macand aguide to buy Microsoft Office .
Apple Mail
pro
Cons
Like us you are credibly using the Mail app that comes with your Mac . It ’s not a bad app at all . One of the primal benefit is the unproblematic fact that there is a matching app useable for your iPhone and iPad – but there is so much more than the integration between the different twist that allows you to ‘ reach off ’ an e-mail from one machine to another and take on from where you exit off .
Mail also offers various ready to hand feature such as built - in Mark Up dick that you may employ to instance and emphasise vista of the attachment – and even total your touch . There ’s also that all important element of modern digital communicating – emoji .
you may sort your e-mail in various ways to make it easier to oversee . This include creating Smart Mailboxes ( folders ) with set rule that determine which emails are aim there . One feature of speech of Mail that we love is the alternative to differentiate between high muckamuck senders . So that emails from multitude in your VIP leaning are diverted to a separate inbox ( meaning you may ignore everything else ) .
In a standardised fashion , you’re able to choose certain Mailboxes as Favourites , and then quickly access them from the Favourites section in the Mail sidebar .
employ the Search field in the top right to find emails . chain armor use healthy hunt to determine the most probable email you are count for and also offer suggestions that might further pin down down your results .
If you take to send a big attachment ( or more ) but do n’t want to clog up your recipients inbox , Mail will automatically stack away the attachment in the cloud for them to download . There ’s no need to expend a separate app like SendBigFile , Mail does it all for you with the Mail Drop feature of speech .
Mail works with the various types of email accounts , including iCloud , Exchange and Gmail , and it ’s easy to correct up – just heart-to-heart Mail , select Mail > Add Account from the menu bar and enter your electronic mail contingent . We have perviously had a small trouble setting up Hotmail and outlook.com though .
Mail is also heavily integrated with macOS , so you could send off answer from the Notification Centre , or send an e-mail from within another app using the Share feature .
With the macOS Big Sur outlet , Apple added tab to Mail , so you may have multiple inboxes opened at once and switch between them just like check on Safari . To open a fresh tab in Mail press displacement and choose File > New Viewer Tab . With macOS Monterey Apple lend Mail Privacy Protection to aid stop senders of email gleaning anything about you from how you translate and oppose to their mail . you could quit them from seeing when the email is open up , and hide out your IP address , too .
macOS Mail is a very seemly email package that comes with lots of useful feature , and thanks to its desegregation with macOS and iOS it works seamlessly across all your gadget and all your other Apple apps . It would be very well-heeled to wedge with Mail , but if your e-mail battle are becoming unbearable , or you think that you could use some additional feature of speech such as undo send or the ability to pin important postal service , there are lots of other email client worthy of consideration .
safe tidings : In macOS Ventura and iOS 16 it will be possible tounsend and docket email in Apple Mail .
Spark
It ’s relatively easy to determine up , although there are a few hoop to derail through when it add up to iCloud . To set this up in Spark you ’ll need to bring forth an app specific word , and to do so you ’ll postulate Two - Factor Authentication to be tune on . This is more a security measures feature from Apple rather than a restriction with Spark .
open up an email and you ’ll see an option to Pin – which is similar to choosing to ease up an e-mail in Mail , but more in observe with the direction you may immobilise a bill in Notes or a webpage in Safari . It ’s an leisurely manner to separate out crucial emails so you could discover them quickly – just do n’t pin everything . If only Mail could do this too !
You also have a snooze option , which we think is a cracking idea . We tend to ‘ manage ’ our email by opening night emails , glancing at them to see if we need to fulfill anything immediately , and then Mark as Unread with a view to going back to it afterwards . With Spark we can choose to put over an email until later today , tomorrow , next week , someday , or beak a date .
You ’ll see another keen feature if you scroll to the bottom of an email . Here you ’ll see button to Reply , Forward and Quick Reply . Quick Reply is a little like the path you could respond to text substance or societal media posts with a Like or Love , with the addition of answer such as Great Idea or Call Me . We like the idea , but these variety of reply probably are n’t appropriate for work email .
There are some handy swiping action that you could employ to quickly superintend your e-mail . A forgetful swipe from impart to right changes from Read to Unread . A long swipe from left to right archive an electronic mail . A short swipe from the correct Pins an email . And a long swipe form the right will delete . We were a little worried we ’d accidentally delete something we require to Pin . you’re able to in reality convert the swipe natural action in the preferences , making it even more utilitarian .
Templates is another handy feature article . If you often institutionalise superposable or likewise phrase emails you may lay in it in Templates and call it up when need .
If you frequently find yourself checking your electronic mail late at night and turn back yourself replying there and then because you do n’t want your e-mail to be missed or because you do n’t want that individual to feel they have to reply to you at 11 post-mortem , then send out Later is for you . This allows you to schedule when an e-mail is sent , so you’re able to choose to send later today , this evening or tomorrow , or pick a particular date on the calendar .
There ’s also the option to typeset a reminder – so if a reply has n’t been receive in , say , a workweek , you could get an alerting reminding you to prompt them to get a move on . This could be really utile .
The app has a ramp up in calendar that works with iCloud and Gmail . It suffer iCloud , Google , Yahoo , Exchange , Outlook , and IMAP .
Spark is free , but you’re able to give a monthly per - exploiter fee for various team focused features and extra data file storage . The app is brilliant and you should definitely give it go , plus there ’s also an iOS app that ’s equally hefty .
eM Client for Mac
eM clienthas been a free email client for Windows for some meter but a Mac edition was introduced back in 2019 and has since raise into a powerful alternative to Mail . Sadly there are no iOS or iPadOS apps available .
While the base version is free , the vast legal age of the cleverer ( and more useful ) features are reserved for the Pro level . At the time of writing this cost $ 49.95/£44.95 , although that ’s a one - off payment for the permission on a single machine . A 30 - day liberal trial is usable so you could see if you deem it money well spent .
We had the common issue setting up our iCloud account , as outlined in the Spark section above , but once that was done we were off .
The free version of eM Client restricts you to two e-mail business relationship , so if you were hop to draw in in multiple ones then you ’ll be better off with Mail or Spark .
A clean layout and selection of colour schemes makes eM Client easy to use and pleasant to look at while you sieve through your messages . There ’s reenforcement for multiple type of email provider ( IMAP , POP3 , Exchange and AirSync ) and the app gives you the option to write in code your messages if you need additional levels of security .
As we mentioned sooner , the majority of the more forward-looking feature , such as snoozing emails , scheduling messages , instant translation of foreign language text , and the Watch for Reply prick that alerts you if a particular soul responds ( pure for when you ’re waiting for that crucial email ) , are all locked away in the Pro tier .
These are join by the Notes section , that allows you to create elaborate documents and share them via Exchange , Microsoft365 or IceWarp .
gratefully there are some things you may do on the innocent version , admit using the integrated calendar and reminders instrument that connect up with your Google and Apple accounts , among others .
The calendar is automatically populated with all the naming and effect you ’ve sum up already in your write up , plus you ’ll also have access to your Contacts , replete with their cards .
Email is sorted by 24-hour interval , so you could see at a glance which electronic mail have come in since midnight . Like Mail you’re able to mark emails with a dissimilar colouring material flag , except that you’re able to change the name of the Flag , so essentially make your own tagging system .
We lie with the Agenda that appears on the correct bridge player side of the central e-mail pane of glass . Here you will see a compounding of your calendar events and reminders , as well as any emails you have swag . This is so useful that on see it we determine that we really could switch from Mail to using eM Client – although we ’d lack Mail ’s VIP arrangement that essentially means we can pull emails from important masses into a separate folder and only ever look at that .
eM Client has a spacious mountain range of impressive puppet if you ’re happy to devote for the Pro tier . For those who do n’t want to take that road , we ca n’t advocate it over the likes of Spark or Mail .
Thunderbird
Mozillais likely best known as the developer behind Firefox , but for many years it has also made an email client – Thunderbird . However , for a while it look like the project would fade away , with ontogeny of the app ‘ uncoupled ’ from Firefox in 2016 . But , since then , the residential district of users have donated money and time , to the gunpoint where in 2020 it was announced that the project would move to MZLA Technologies Corporation ( a subsidiary of Mozilla ) and ontogeny would continue with yearly releases .
This is sound news show , as the open source nature of Thunderbird make it indeed a rare skirt on the Mac .
As with all third - party electronic mail client , you ’ll demand to generate an app specific password for iCloud , but other POP3 and IMAP history work fine .
Thunderbird ’s design feels a slight retro , but there are some modern appointments that make life well-fixed . For instance , Tags is a useful feature that lets you mark e-mail as Important , Personal , Work , ToDo , or subsequently , and then view all your tail emails , or just those in a certain category . you may also create your own Tags , so you could add project sharpen Tags , and you may assign more than one to an email .
If , like us , you employ Tags around macOS to help you locate project related files , you ’ll find yourself wondering why Apple has n’t implemented it in Mail . The closest you get to Tags in Mail is dissimilar coloured flag ( flag in Mail would be a whole pot promiscuous if you could assign names rather than Red , Yellow , etc ) .
tag is n’t the only feature to make situate particular emails easier . Below the Search field is a ‘ Filter these messages ’ theater which work a small other than to Search . Type a full term into the Search landing field and a raw check will open up which shows the text of every e-mail in your inbox that cite the Book . But if you use the Filter field you ’ll just see the email claim .
We love the melodic theme of Tabs , which , like Tabs on Firefox , mean you could have more than one e-mail open at a time and not have a cluttered covert . This is bully if you are dipping in and out of particular emails as you’re able to keep them heart-to-heart . In fact , Apple tally the same feature to Mail in Big Sur .
You ’ll notice that image do n’t appear in your emails by default . This is for privacy and security reasons – by not display image the sender is n’t being alarm to the fact that you are viewing the email . This survey can make graze electronic mail a minuscule boring so you could call on it back on if you require .
Thunderbird offer an integrated Calendar and chaffer features . You require to set up a chat history , and can do so using Twitter , Google Talk , IRC or XMPP ( Jabber ) . you could also use Mailfence straight in Thunderbird , thanks to a partnership with the encrypted electronic mail serving . While Mailfence offers a free level , it is limited to messages of 500 MB in size . So if you require to take full advantage of Thunderbird , then signing up to one of the various tier would be a good mind . Alternatively , you’re able to habituate the new OpenPGP encoding feature that ’s build up - in to Thunderbird .
The feature - set can be extended even further by using MBD - ons and extensions available from the Thunderbird stock , just like with Firefox .
The only real trouble with Thunderbird is that it ’s not all that intuitive to use . There are some powerful features , but you first need to see they are there and then get hold out how to use them . If you want a simple to use email computer program this is n’t really it , but if you ’re willing to put in a little oeuvre ( there are plenty of video recording demonstration on YouTube ) then it ’s a great option .
Mailspring
It supports all the major email provider , including iCloud ( one you ’ve generated a password ) , Gmail , Yahoo , IMAP and Office 365 accounts , plus you may of course have multiple account setup . These can be view either separately or through the universal inbox , allowing you to decide which you favor .
Among the features usable for complimentary are the advanced search , which allows you to embark terminus , such as in : ( for a folder or recording label ) to narrate the hunt locomotive engine where specifically to appear . If you keep your emails well unionise this can make come up them a doddle .
There ’s also email guide , so you’re able to respond quickly to steady case of messages , signature can be go down up for stock signoffs , plus there ’s swipe gestures like the ones found on Spark , making it easygoing to quickly deal with e-mail .
Move up to the paid level , which costs $ 8/£6p / m , and you get schedule electronic mail , snooze , undo send , reminders for substance that need follow up , plus the very helpful Pre - send Checks that monish you if you ’ve left of attachments or made other plebeian email errors .
One dealbreaker for some will be that there is n’t an iOS app to accompany the Mac interpretation .
Polymail
Polymailis standardized to Spark and offers just about everything you ’d want within a single app . It used to be that there was a barren reading of the app that includes most of the feature – but those twenty-four hours are gone , now pricing start at$10 / approx £ 8p / mfor the Basic reading ( if you pay up annually , otherwise it ’s $ 13 / approx £ 11p / m ) . There ’s still a 7 - solar day trial run variation at least .
The app , available for both iOS and Mac , offers a range of forward-looking productivity tools including email tracking , send after and register afterwards , all from a hefty interface . you may get in - depth insights such as the number of times the email has been read , and when . It ’ll also provide handy info let in if / when adhesion were downloaded , as well as blocking any trailing feature in emails you receive .
You ’ll find Contact Profiles , which seem alongside email , and display all the information it can find on that soul online – LinkedIn bio , Twitter hold , photo , current problem , etc . cerebrate of it as Facebook , but for e-mail . It ’ll also bring up any old encounters you ’ve had with that person , and any data file you ’ve partake in .
Oh , and it countenance you un - send emails once you ’ve send them ( for several seconds , anyway ) . It ’s a shame that the free tier up has gone away , but if you ’re willing to spend the money then Polymail has plenty to extend .
Airmail 3
Airmail 3is a democratic Mac email node , and provides the same experience whether being used with a single e-mail account , or many – ideal for those of us with multiple electronic mail addresses for work and act as . It has an Apple Design Award - winning , forward-looking looking interface , that ’s leisurely to get to adhesive friction with .
Like the default Mail app , the app also gasconade a high muckamuck feature of speech , which lets you filter out emails by certain people , meaning you ’ll never escape an authoritative email from a colleague again . There ’s also the power to create principle for Smart Inboxes , so Airmail will automatically sort any incoming messages to your preferences .
you could snooze emails to deal with later , “ immediate reply ” , or choose to send an electronic mail at a later clock time or day of the month . And good of all you’re able to utilise the Undo Send characteristic – although this only work out if you have rig up your email to transport after a delay .
Airmail is quite customisable , both in term of its esthetics and purpose , plus there are great apps for iOS and iPadOS that sync up perfectly with the preferences you create on the Mac .
Most of the features outlined above are available in the liberal version , but with the Pro tier only costing £ 7.25/$9.99 per year , we think it ’s well worth considering investing a chip in the app , as it ’s one we want to beat around . It ’s usable on theMac App Store .
Newton
Newtonis another app , like Thunderbird , that seemed to be on the R-2 a few age back . Now , it ’s back in active developing and seems to be produce well .
away from the 14 - day trial run , there ’s no free tier usable , so if you do n’t want to make up , just discontinue reading . Otherwise , it ’s a flat $ 49.99/£48.99 per year .
For that you get apps for iOS / iPadOS and macOS ( both M1 and Intel ) , plus a range of premium feature .
These include record reception , user profile , scheduled emails , templet and quick admittance shortsighted versions called snip , the power to share emails via links complete with expiry dates , plus modern search potentiality and more .
It also comes with a range of SuperChargers that aim to enhance your electronic mail experience , one of which is Recap . This brings conversations that have n’t concluded yet back to the top of your inbox , so hopefully you wo n’t leave alone that task hanging .
As well as offering an impressive suite of email - concenter feature , Newton also offer integration with several service provider including Salesforce , Trello , OneNote and Evernote , allowing substance abuser to save content from emails directly to the other services . bewilder a link you require to check out later ? easy impart it to your Pocket account without leave the app .
It ’s not free or even cheap for an email client , but it is good .
Outlook
Despite the constant on / off relationship between Microsoft and Apple , Outlook persist one of the fine email clients you’re able to feel on Mac , iPhone , or iPad .
That ’s partially because it ’s more than just an electronic mail app , of course of instruction ; Outlook offers a comprehensive organizational software program including first-class calendar consolidation , and if you ( or your workplace ) are already hooked into the likes of Word , Excel , OneDrive and Teams then you ’ll feel right at home – and have admission to a lot of integrations between each .
Outlook is also firm , experience smooth on the Mac , and break away great on M1 Macs . If you discontinue using Outlook a few year ago because it was such a poor experience note that this variant is a far shout from the resourcefulness - intensive variation of a dyad of year ago . It may well be clip to hark back .
It ’s incessantly customisable , with a variety of toolbar options . Perhaps the biggest boon for substance abuser switch over from Apple Mail , though , is the raw nomenclature supporting – explore is fast , and you may practice raw words to find what you desire or need .
prefer for the subscription package also opens up access to 1 TB storage in OneDrive , which is great for users that require to apportion large files that wo n’t fit in a received e-mail .
Microsoft Outlook knead with IMAP , POP , and iCloud , Gmail , Yahoo and plenty of other email services .
Hey
Heymade headline in 2020 following its rejection from the App Store over its use of its own payment site ( Apple takes a percentage of profits for App Store subscription ) , but it ’s available through the App Store on iPhone and iPad with a Mac version available directly from the developer .
The app prides itself on a unique approach to email , and it ’s laborious to disagree ; Hey users get their own “ hey.com ” electronic mail address , and everything you receive can be screened with a simple yes or no . Choose the latter , and you ’ll never hear from that address again .
The idea is that The Imbox is full of emails you actually want or require to understand . From here , you’re able to reply or act upon the e-mail as desire , and take vantage of powerful feature like “ Reply Later ” which stacks e-mail for you to fly through response on your schedule .
Attachments are also save in their own subroutine library , so you could grab file cabinet whenever they ’re needed , while you could also rename those irritating yarn that appear as “ RE : vacuous ” .
All of this utility does do at a price , however . After a loose trial for two weeks , you ’ll require to spend$99 per year(around £ 80 ) to keep these welfare , with no monthly option unless you ’re paying for a Hey account to use with a custom domain . That ’ll cost you $ 12 a month ( around £ 9.60 / calendar month ) .
That may make Hey a little expensive for many , but it ’ll be fascinating to see how it raise in the coming month – peculiarly since it ’s got such an telling feature solidifying .
Mimestream
A proportional fledgling to the email conversation ( pun absolutely intended),Mimestreamis actually still in genus Beta . From the outside , it also only works with Gmail accounts , meaning it ’s a picayune limited for anyone not using either Google ’s email or a Google work .
So , why does it get a mention here ? Simply put , if you ’re using Gmail , there is nothing quicker on macOS . Mimestream is a no - thrill email guest in a mountain of path – you get your e-mail , you get your folders , and you get any tags that you ’ve got within Gmail . In a slew of ways , it ’s just like the web web browser - based version , just tidied up and looking great on Mac .
That means you get features like Google ’s Categorized Inbox , multiple score , and label direction . It ’s lightning - tight , M1 optimized ( but runs great on Intel machines , too ) , and adds sync for signatures , one - dawn unsubscribing , and put up keyboard shortcut from Gmail or Apple Mail .
It ’s loose to connect right now , but there ’s no warranty it ’ll be free once it hit full release . Still , if you ’re shut up into Gmail , it ’s definitely worth a try .
