Thunderbird, Mail and Calendar, and Microsoft Outlook are probably your best bets out of the 22 options considered. 'Free and open-source' is the primary reason people pick Thunderbird over the competition. This page is powered by a knowledgeable community that helps you make an informed decision. Oct 16, 2018 - A free email client comes installed and ready for use with macOS, and macOS Mail is not a bad program at all. However, you might want to.

The Mac’s default Mail application (also referred to as “Mail.app” or “Apple Mail”) has a somewhat checkered past. While Mail.app provides a free, full-featured email client on every Mac that is sold and has pioneered some innovative features over the years (like VIP and Handoff), it’s definitely not for everyone. It can be buggy and lacks some more advanced features that are present (and have been present for years) in other third-party email clients. If you use plug-ins to extend Mail.app’s functionality, Apple has a history of making changes that cause developers to re-write their plugins, resulting in a broken email workflow while you wait for updates.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of superb third-party email clients that aim to fix Mail.app’s shortcomings. In this article, we’ll take a look at several of the more popular options and introduce you to our favorite:. Featured Download The Airmail Checklist. Get the most out of Airmail (and tackle your email inbox while you’re at it) with this quick-start checklist. Criteria for the Best Email App In selecting the best email app for macOS, we used the following criteria in selecting the winner: • Overall Design — Dealing with email can be annoying, and using a poorly-designed email client can compound the frustration factor.

The email client you decide to use should provide you with a well-designed user interface that aids you in your quest for Inbox Zero. • Ease of use — The email client you use should give you the tools you need to get the job done while staying out of the way as much as possible. Adobe flash. You want to focus on reading and responding to email, not navigating complex menus or trying to figure out basic functions. • Support for Multiple Account Types — The best third-party email clients are flexible enough to offer support for many different types of accounts, such as Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange, IMAP, etc. If an email client doesn’t support your email provider, then it’s just not an option for you — no matter how awesome it looks. • Support for Gmail-Style Shortcuts — If you’ve ever used Gmail keyboard shortcuts, you probably can’t imagine not using them since they can drastically reduce the amount of time you spend in your email client. For example, to archive a message in Gmail, you just have to press the “e” key, compared to using “Shift + Command + A” in Mail.app (you can view a complete list of Gmail keyboard shortcuts by pressing “?” in Gmail).

These shortcuts can be a game-changer for how you read and respond to email, so it’s important that the best third-party email client for Mac supports these. • Update Schedule — The email client you use should have a track record of being well-supported to minimize the risk of it suddenly disappearing, forcing you to figure out a new tool for your email workflow. • Integration with Other Apps/Services — Email doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Many emails you receive have a task associated with them or a file you need to save for later, so it makes sense that you should be able to link that email message to your task management system (i.e. Things 3, ) or cloud storage solution, like Dropbox or Google Drive. • Customization/Widgets — A good email client is flexible enough to support customization. Email is personal, and some email clients allow you to install widgets or plugins that can extend the core functionality, enabling you to create a very custom application that meets your specific email needs on any device.