Group test

Reviewed by ALEX BLAKE

Despite repeated warnings of its imminent demise, email is still very much alive – in fact, it’s almost ubiquitous in most of our daily lives. Plenty of us still need a good app that manages our multitudinous mail messages, whether we’re aiming for inbox zero or just want to make it through another day of spam.

Fortunately, there’s a battery of excellent email clients all battling for a spot on your Mac. While some focus on nailing the basics, others are experimenting with new ideas and unusual additions. With so many to choose from, finding your way is not always easy.

To sort the wheat from the chaff, we’ve put six of the best Mac email apps head-to-head to find the new mail master. There are five strong third-party options, plus Apple’s own stalwart Mail, which is a popular choice since it comes with your Mac.

Only one can be crowned the winner, though. Which one will be starred, and which will go straight to the trash folder? Read on to find out whether they all made it through our spam filter.

How we tested

Reviewing this suite of Mac email apps did not require any particularly outlandish testing methodology — we just used all the apps as we normally would. We imported our email accounts (or, in the case of HEY, set up a new account and created some redirect rules), checked our inboxes, replied to new emails, and tried to organise our messages. We also installed the apps on an iPhone and an Apple Watch to test their functionality on Apple’s other devices.