Find the best email app for iPhone in this curated list (instead of spending hours in the App store fruitlessly trying one worthless email app after the other).
Why the Hunt for Best Email App for iPhone Started Late
When Steve Jobs first presented iPhone in 2007, email was considered a core function.
Microsoft Outlook is the most popular email client for both home and business users. However, it comes at a huge cost ($110). There are many viable alternatives that are completely free so we have put together a list of 7 of the best of email apps that could replace Microsoft Outlook. Mailbird is inspired by a Mac email client called Sparrow. Our Founders loved the email client that was acquired for $25 Mio by Google in 2012. Our Founders loved the email client that was acquired for $25 Mio by Google in 2012.
That meant iPhone came with a built-in email app called Mail. With Mail, you could access your messages everywhere. Mail was a good email program, but it was not a great one.
If you did not like Mail, you could not, for all practical purposes, access your email anywhere: deleting the Mail app was impossible, and one could not install an alternative app for accessing email either. That, you see, would have duplicated a core function.
Too Many Choices? Start Here
Email on the iPhone has come a long way since then.
Mail is a seriously great email app, you can delete it if you want, and the App Store is awash in alternative email applications. Now, of course, the challenge is to find the best email app for your iPhone needs.
This list is sorted from best to good based on personal experience, and it should let you find the best email app for iPhone in no time. By the way, when you delete an included app on an iOS it doesn't really get deleted, but it does make itself invisible.
Outlook for iOS
What We Like
Feature-rich app.
Strong community for support.
Frequent updates.
Familiar interface, like the Mac OS version.
What We Don't Like
Can be a resource hog.
Some features cost.
Outlook for iOS is fast. It starts fast. It updates fast. It lets you read, send and file mail — fast. While many email apps for iPhone feels sluggish even with these basics, Outlook for iOS progresses beyond them — fast, and far.
You can search with near-instant results, for instance, a reasonably intelligent inbox lets you see the most important emails first (thus faster), and you can postpone emails with simple swiping. With support for Exchange and IMAP accounts, Outlook for iOS is the best email app for iPhone in an enterprise environment; POP, alas, is not supported.
Like on the desktop, Outlook for iOS comes a calendar, which is simple but functional. Unfortunately, task management is not included. Like on the desktop, you can extend functionality with add-ons, though.
Spark
What We Like
Connect many types of email accounts.
Collaboration tools.
Create email templates.
Several third-party apps.
What We Don't Like
Frequent issues with Exchange Sync.
Free version has feature limitations.
Having the best way to handle email signatures makes giving Spark a try worth it, but there is much more to like.
When you first open Spark, you are presented with an inbox grouped automatically by category (personal, notifications, newsletters and the rest). It may not be as smart as Google Inbox, but Spark's sorting is useful nonetheless. Spark is not only useful but also a pleasure to behold and use: you get one-tap replies, swiping actions (including an option to snooze email) and fast search results (which you can save as smart folders).
Some calendar integration lets you view your schedule and set up events from emails, though neither is as smooth as Spark's email program.
iOS Mail
What We Like
Supported by Apple with frequent updates.
Automatic syncing to Calendar.
Excellent Exchange integration perfect for corporate email.
What We Don't Like
Occasional syncing issues with multiple devices.
Some calendar appointments disappear when sync issues occur.
So says Aristotle. If you believe him — and who would doubt Aristotle? — then iOS Mail is the most natural email program for iPhone.
In lieu of algorithmic classifications, hashed tags and finely grained options, iOS Mail offers simple solutions that are good enough for most needs. You can sort out VIP senders (which you get to define) and file emails to folders, of course; you can compose emails using rich text and swipe to take action fast; most importantly, perhaps, you get beautifully rendered emails without clutter and just about nothing to learn, to find out or to puzzle.
Edison Mail
What We Like
Easy unsubscribe feature for email.
Responsive in syncing.
Track packages, travel, entertainment, and more.
What We Don't Like
Occasional syncing and connection issues.
Cannot mark emails as spam.
Edison Mail's email is not the digital assistant it claims to be; it is a fantastic email program that gets the important things right.
First, the 'assistant' claim: Edison Mail does not offer you the emails you need to see at any time without prompt; it does not reply to messages on its own or even suggest likely text to use. It does, however, suggest recipients based on frequency and can filter and use emails by type — bills, booking and shipment notifications as well as email subscriptions.
For the latter — and here is where the important things have already started going very right — email lets you find all messages fast (search in general is awesomely fast and useful), delete the whole bunch in an instant and unsubscribe with a single tap. When you do read newsletters and marketing emails, email lets you block read receipts. When you want to read later, email offers convenient snoozing; when you tapped Send too fast, email lets you undo.
The Snooze feature is only available for iOS users at this time. That means if you're using Edison mail on Android devices, any snooze settings you've enabled on your iOS device won't sync across platforms. The development team at Edison calls this a 'coming soon' feature, but no specific release date has been provided.
Possibly the most important thing about an email app is, of course, its speed. Edison Mail gets this one very right.
Polymail
What We Like
One tap unsubscribe feature.
Customizable swipe actions.
Schedule when emails are sent.
What We Don't Like
Doesn't work with password management tools.
Mail frequently loads slowly.
Exchange is not supported.
Polymail comes with a host of features from email (and attachment) tracking to scheduling delivery to message templates. If you cannot tell already, Polymail is geared toward the professional. Consequently, some of the features are limited to a subscription service.
Unfortunately, Polymail does not work with Exchange accounts directly yet and supports IMAP only.
No matter the edition and account, Polymail lets you postpone emails for later reading. This, like a few other oft-used function is accessible using a swipe menu whose actions you can customize. The Polymail inbox is always a plain list of emails sorted by date, though: you can filter it to show only unread emails but it never organizes or groups itself.
Airmail
What We Like
Sync across multiple devices.
Easy to configure interface.
Helpful technical support.
What We Don't Like
Email searches are clunky and inaccurate.
Flaky performance with Exchange.
Airmail does everything, it seems, and then some (seriously, try it if you don't believe me). Here's what I mean:
- Turn emails into to-do items or add them to the calendar? At your service!
- Schedule an email to be sent later? Of course (using Exchange and Gmail).
- Organize with folders and labels as you like? Sure.
- Block a sender? Right in the app.
- Undo send? Airmail has you covered for a few seconds.
- Snooze an email? For how long would you like to postpone it?
- Pick actions available from new mail notifications? You bet.
- Add files from cloud storage as attachments? Here you go.
- See an email's full source code? In Courier.
- Lock your email with Touch ID? Thumbs up from Airmail.
In this manner, it goes on and on. Of course, so do menus and options and buttons in Airmail. There is much to do, a lot to tap and plenty to configure. Not everything is as obvious, unfortunately, and there is little explanation to be found. Also, while Airmail does include a smart, filtered inbox, its implementation is not the most elegant, search is unstructured and not all that smart, and Airmail could help more with smart email templates or text snippets.
Yahoo! Mail
What We Like
Works with different email accounts.
Interface is easily to customize.
Coupon feature, easy access to savings.
What We Don't Like
Security issues in the past.
Pay for premium features.
Names and titles can be deceiving at first. Yahoo! Mail is for Yahoo! Mail accounts — and for a few others, too (Gmail, Outlook.com). What is not deceiving about the Yahoo! Mail app for iPhone is the friendly, simple face it presents at first.
Without confusing through a multitude of options and actions, Yahoo! Mail lets you star mail to highlight it, file it in folders, search fast and get your inbox filtered by a handful of useful categories (including people, social updates, and those important travel emails). For sending email, Yahoo! Mail shines with impressive image sending and attachment support as well as its unique and colorful email stationery.
Yahoo! Mail supports Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, and Outlook Mail on the Web.
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 examine its free alternatives. Here are the best free email clients available for macOS. Give them a try.
MacOS Mail
What We Like
Included in the Mac operating system.
Supports smart folders and robust filters.
Markup tools for annotating photos or PDFs email attachments.
VIP user notifications.
What We Don't Like
Basic design that lacks customization features.
No option to snooze emails.
Hasn't had a major design upgrade in years.
The Mail application that ships with macOS and OS X is solid, feature-rich and spam-eliminating software that is also an easy-to-use email client. Optimized to work on the Mac, the Mail app is trouble free and full featured. It can handle all your email accounts in one place.
Spark
What We Like
Clean, modern design.
Quick Replies feature for sending short, templated responses.
Smart mailboxes.
Supports multiple email accounts.
What We Don't Like
Slow tech support.
Questionable privacy policy.
Doesn't support many services.
Spark is an impressive email program that auto-organizes your inboxes and lets you postpone email easily as well as send quick one-click replies. Spark's 'Smart Inbox' bubbles messages that are important to you to the top, and uses categories of Personal, Notifications, and Newsletters.
Spark's scheduling feature allows you to assign a time period during which it will send a particular message. Select from times later today, in the evening, tomorrow, or on any date.
Mailspring
What We Like
Integrates with Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, Outlook, and Yahoo
Supports snoozing.
CPU and battery efficient.
What We Don't Like
Some features limited to paid subscription.
Doesn't support Exchange accounts.
Mandatory Mailspring ID.
Aimed at the professional email user, Mailspring boasts mail merge, reminders, and the option to schedule mail—all available in a pro edition.
With the free version, you get a clean, highly productive and expandable email program that includes thrills such as link and open tracking, quick reply templates, and undo send. However, the free edition is limited to 10 accounts.
Free Email Client For Mac
Mozilla Thunderbird
What We Like
Flexible filtering system.
Many available plug-ins.
Tabs for navigation.
Easy to configure.
Add Account Outlook For Mac
What We Don't Like
Rudimentary design.
Not as user friendly as other clients.
No longer in development.
Mozilla Thunderbird is a full-featured, secure, and functional email client. It lets you handle mail efficiently and filters away junk mail. Thunderbird is no longer in active development except for security updates, but it supplies a streamlined interface and a powerful email package.
Outlook For Mac Account Settings
Mozilla SeaMonkey
What We Like
All-in-one internet suite that includes email.
Customizable toolbars.
What We Don't Like
Outdated interface.
Some features not intuitive.
No mobile device support.
Never underestimate Mozilla. The company built SeaMonkey, the email component of its open source browser, on the same Mozilla platform as Firefox 51. It delivers HTML5, hardware acceleration, and improved JavaScript speed. It is a solid performer, full featured and usable.