The best email apps for Mac
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Image credit: Apple Inc
Group test
Reviewed by DAVID CROOKES
ON TEST…
> Canary Mail
> Mail
> Microsoft Outlook
> Spark +AI
> Spike
> Thunderbird
Email doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. Indeed, figures suggest that we’re sending and receiving more emails each year than ever before (according to Statistica, 347 million were sent last year and 2024 looks set to surpass that number). With that in mind, it’s crucial we’re using the correct tools to manage our overflowing inboxes. One thing’s for sure, we’re not short of choices.
As you’ll discover in this head-to-head of six email apps for Mac, there are some exciting approaches to this age-old method of communication. As well as Apple Mail itself, which we include as a benchmark of sorts because it’s the default on macOS, there is a strong line-up of apps from thirdparty developers. These include familiar names – we’re looking at you Microsoft and Mozilla – but there’s younger blood in there too.
So let’s take a look at what’s available and see which of these email apps is going to get pinned to the top of our list. Is it worth paying for an email client or can you do just as much with a free one?
How we tested
The first test with each app was to check how easily email accounts could be imported. Once up and running, it was then a simple case of using the apps as part of our daily lives, regularly checking for new emails, performing searches, writing and replying to messages, and looking at each client’s organisational features. It was important to test the apps on an iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch and to get to grips with an app’s novel functions such as AI.