Comparative: among these nine competitors, who will be my next email client?

I'm an orphan.

Ninth; my father and mother are doing very well, thank you. My dismay has to do with a very different aspect of my life and if you have problems with sad stories, I recommend that you skip the following paragraphs.

The year was 2011. I was a 16 year old excited about the future and in love with my first Mac, a mini from mid-2010 that now lives under the TV, still working bravely. The tech blog that I wrote with my best friend was gaining some popularity and I needed an email address more, say, professional than bruninhosantana@hotmail. So, I did it: I switched to the iCloud email service and, with that, just looking for a good email client for (then called) OS X at that time, the native Mail didn't like me very much.

For years, I was happy with the Sparrow. It was beautiful, light and fast, both on macOS and iOS, and offered all the features I needed. Basically, he adapted to me and I adapted to him and, with the amount of emails growing every day, all the gestures were already registered in my muscular memory to answer whatever was necessary, to archive what was concluded and to delete the eventual trash. Those were good years.

All that is good, however, one day ends either by the eventual thermal death of the universe or because the technology giants, with their nervous pockets, buy everything good that they see ahead and end people's happiness. Sparrow fell on the second option when Google bought the app and basically killed it with the excuse that it was incorporating its best features into the Gmail app. I, on my side, became orphaned for the first time.

For months, I wandered aimlessly among several email clients until I chose to settle down on one of them. My first months with Mailbox they were as difficult as any adaptation phase after a major change, but I soon developed a particular affection for him. Although not as handsome as my beloved Sparrow, he had his personality, a number of very interesting features and an unparalleled integration with one of the services I use most in the virtual world, Dropbox which is perfectly understandable when you realize that the giant from the cloud bought the app in early 2013.

However, like the knife that carves the same knife that kills, my second love story was also eternal only as long as it lasted. At the end of 2015, Dropbox announced the end of its email client, citing a lot of lame excuses that, in the baboleira-portugus dictionary, would translate as “we don't have many users and we are sick of updating this application”. And, again, I was lost without a father or me.

Since then, once again I have lived in a nomadism that I don't feel like. I spend a few months loyal to one service or another, and then I move on to the next or the next, always in search of the comforts of my lost loves, never feeling full.

So, making this comparison, for me, something personal. We bring together nine of the most popular email clients in the iOS world Mail (native), Gmail, Inbox, Outlook, Airmail, Spark, Polymail, Newton and Dispatch and we test your capabilities to the last drop (both in the mobile universe and on the Mac, if applicable) to make the inevitable choice. Who will emerge as the champion of this memorable match?

Let's see below.

Mail

Let us start, of course, with the elementary. Mail has been a native Mac application since the genesis of OS X, and has been on iOS since its birth, so I imagine it is something that most of you are relatively familiar with.

Its interface is the basic of the basic in a way that does not offend, but does not inspire, remaining in a reasonably comfortable middle ground. Its resources also do not go far beyond the commonplace; one that stands out for its simplicity, Mail Drop, which takes attachments larger than 20MB and automatically sends them as an iCloud file. In iOS 11 / macOS High Sierra, it receives some important improvements, such as a renewed search system; we haven't tested these new features yet, however.

What Mail has in its favor, of course, is its ubiquity: anyone who has a Mac or iPhone / iPad / iPod touch already has the application in their palm, which makes it basically the first option for 95% of users of the ecosystem of Ma. On the other hand, if you like me also like to keep a foot on the other side of the wall, whether on Windows or Android, keep your hands fanned.

Gmail

If the world of email clients was a pizzeria, the Gmail app would be the margherita. Not as boring as the mozzarella pizza served just above, it pleases (almost) everyone without bringing big news or revolutions (besides being mostly red).

First, it is important to note that Gmail was almost out of the mix for the simple reason that, on iOS, it only supports Google's email service as opposed to Android, where accounts for basically any service can be set up. I decided to include it at the last minute due to the fact that Gmail (the service, not the app) is used by approximately 140% of the world's email users, whether as a primary or secondary account, personal or professional.

As you might imagine, the Gmail app makes beans with rice with absolute excellence: it is extremely fast, delivers new emails via push, has an organized interface, has a very efficient search and still has an enviable integration with the Google ecosystem. In addition, it brings some interesting features, such as the possibility to undo the sending of an email seconds after clicking on the “Send” button, as well as a tool based on artificial intelligence that displays the most important messages first, nothing more than that, however.

The Gmail app, obviously, free for iOS and Android, and if you want to access its features on a computer, you must access Gmail on the web, obviously.


Gmail app icon: Google email

Inbox

Like Gmail, Inbox was almost out of the mix by only offering compatibility with Google's e-mail service (and was accepted at the last moment for the same reason). Unlike his straightforward brother in life, however, Inbox intends to "revolutionize" the act of managing his messages and combining him with other important elements of digital life, such as reminders and diaries. In short, he made the group's shrimp pizza with bamboo shoots.

When you open Inbox, the application automatically separates emails into categories (and, like other competitors, it gets smart in this selection over time); relevant information for each message is already displayed in the mailing list, and the app even combines all of this with your reminders and calendar entries, of course, if you perform these tasks through the Google ecosystem.

The results of this experience will vary from person to person. The first thing I felt with Inbox is that its artificial intelligence resources handle emails in English much better than those in Portuguese or other languages ​​so if your messaging is more based on our home language, your differentials will not show up with its all out. And I don't need to say that if your whole digital life at the you’re in the Mountain View giant’s universe, you don’t enjoy all the power of Inbox.

Despite offering applications only for iOS and Android, the service has, like all Google products, a fully capable web version. He, of course, 100% free.


Sorry, app not found.

Outlook

Who knew: even competing with a series of companies / developers that were founded with design in the core, such as CloudMagic, Readdle or even Apple itself, the good old Microsoft that takes the trophy for the best interface for an email application . Outlook evolved from appalling (though powerful) software in the 1990s to an elegant, tasteful application that knows how to present the right options at the right time. Strong point for him.

But no, not only that: in addition to the well thought out interface resulting from the acquisition of Acompli, Outlook brings (understandably) an incomparable integration with the most used productivity suite in the world, Office 365. Your Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, Excel and company are always available with a touch of distance for sharing and collaboration in the email client of Big M, which gives him an important advantage over rivals.

Moreover, the competitor of Redmond fulfills its role very well without offering any great differential feature. The priority inbox serves as a good way to show the most important emails (and gets smarter over time), integrating the customer with his optimal contacts and customizable gestures and filters are a hand in the wheel for those who like to configure everything to the ultimate consequences.

Finally, Outlook fully free on all platforms where it is present: iOS (with Apple Watch support), Android and (of course) Windows. Its only flaw is in the previous sentence: Microsoft does not offer and does not appear to have plans to offer a version of its mobile application for macOS. Outlook for Ma computers is totally different software, more professional, and that requires an Office 365 subscription; therefore, it did not even enter our comparative (which, after all, focused on the casual public).


Microsoft Outlook app icon

Spark

Readdle has an entirely justified reputation for being one of the best and most capricious developers of apps for macOS and iOS; your email client, therefore, could not be different. And luckily, the same: Spark to cool, which was even recognized by Apple as one of the best apps of 2016.

What makes it so popular with Ma and its users, however? Well, simple: Spark does very well everything that is proposed, without promising any foreign differential or based on crazy theories. Its interface, in spite of not bringing any revolution, extremely neat, with small animations that go beyond Readdle's care when developing all its applications. Despite that, no animation slow enough that we have the impression that we are being slow in our activity, which is particularly important in a task as boring as dealing with emails.

Two of Spark's main features are among my favorites among all of the competitors tested here: the smart inbox, which filters your emails into categories for a simplified focus on what really matters, and the smart search, which is just in front of that offered by native iOS / macOS Mail, both in results and speed. In addition, it is possible to configure smart notifications (not every message, after all, deserves the distinction of making your phone beep) and multiple signatures, so you don't have to sign every email with the same greeting (which makes perfect sense).

Best of all, Spark charges absolutely nothing that's why, being a free app on both macOS and iOS (and also on Apple Watch). We have a strong competitor here, therefore.


Spark app icon - Readdle Email App


Spark app icon - Readdle Email App

Airmail

Airmail, as well as Spark, an Apple-lauded application, was on the list of winners of the most recent ADAs (Apple Design Awards), distributed in the last WWDC. Not least: the client has a visual accuracy one step above almost all of his competitors, except Outlook and he sees that, here, we have no example of sloppy or poorly made design; quite the contrary.

By showing its weapons, Airmail also proves itself as an extremely capable competitor. Although it does not offer any amazing resource to theoretically put itself above the others, the application perfectly fulfills its proposal to be a “center for handling emails” so that you can occupy your mind with more important things. In addition to being extremely fast, it has a number of possibilities for personalizing your workflow, as well as a quick attachment and PDF creation system (the latter, in particular, proved a hand on the wheel for me ).

Airmail is available in versions for macOS and iOS with apps for Apple Watch and iMessage and not a free app: its developers charge, respectively, $ 10 and $ 5 software.


Airmail 4 app icon


Airmail app icon - Your Mail With You

Polymail

From a purely design perspective, Polymail was the one that most awakened the memories of my lost apps. The app that most resembles Mailbox so much that I went to search to see if the team that created it had anything to do with the development of the late customer (answer: no), which means that we have a tasteful interface here, with large breathing areas that do not overload the view or make the task of taking care of your emails more boring than ever per se.

Polymail's biggest differential, however, is in its deep creation, tracking and scheduling tools so much that just take a look at the client's official website and see that its priority focus is the business public, from micro-entrepreneurs to large companies with gigantic teams. This does not mean, of course, that ordinary users cannot take advantage of the app's resources, which are many: from the already common gestures to the possibility of obtaining reading receipts, reply reminders and sender profiles, as well as a powerful search.

For now, Polymail is available in apps for iOS and for macOS, with versions for Android and Windows promised soon. Both software are free, but the service is only unlocked if you pay for it. The verse free brings basic email tracking, scheduling and the option to undo sending; paid plans (from $ 10 / ms) will add features like unlimited tracking, campaigns (suitable, for example, for email marketing), analytical tools and more.


Polymail app icon


Sorry, app not found.

Newton

Open Newton for the first time and you'll notice, right off the bat, your Zen approach to the tedious task of handling emails. While other competitors tested here try to face this problem with dozens of elements in the interface, buttons and gestures for all sides and color systems for message subdivisions, Newton has a calming gray appearance, with no photos or flashy colors just a list continuous messaging so you can focus on what really matters, which is the content. If this is a logic that works, it depends on each one; in my case, it was really refreshing.

Don't let the Spartan interface fool you, however: behind the harmless gray, Newton has a number of very powerful features for an email client, thanks to the experience of its developer, the famous CloudMagic. The main one has to do with reading receipts with the app, it is possible to configure your emails sent with a small tracker that will notify you when the recipient reads the message. In addition, it allows you to schedule the sending of emails for another time and also has a very useful feature for you to undo the sending of a message a few seconds after clicking on Send.

There's more: Newton has touch ID authentication, sender profiles and customizable gestures, among other features. I also really like the fact that you simply create an account at Newton and, with it, you can access all your emails from all services whenever you sign in to the app from anywhere, so it is not necessary to configure each account separately every time you format your computer, for example.

If there is a negative point in Newton, the price he charges. The app works on a subscription basis, charging $ 50 per year it is very salty, especially considering that other competitors do almost (?) everything he does without demanding a penny for it. It is available on iOS (with Apple Watch support), Mac and Android.


Newton Mail - Email App app icon


Newton app icon - Supercharged emailing

Dispatch

In my research to prepare this comparison, I found many loyal users of Dispatch who swear that the app is the best email client ever produced. If you fall into this category, I will have to apologize: although it is not an app that I would not recommend right away, it simply lagged behind its competitors in a number of key aspects.

Why? Well, Dispatch simply doesn't offer some basic features offered by all of its competitors. It does not support POP3 accounts (so Exchange email users are out of the game, and other services like Office 365 also go wrong with the customer), attaches only images and does not offer notifications push (the checks are made sporadically, in a period configured by the user, as in 2010). Its interface, although not exactly bad, is not Brastemp, for example, due to the lack of intuitiveness and very small icons, which confuse the user.

Despite this, Dispatch has excellent stability and integrates with a number of applications, such as Evernote, Pocket and 1Password. An interesting feature is that it suggests automatic responses based on your history, for example, if a customer sends you a question, the other times this question is asked, it will be recognized and your answer will be there, suggested.

Dispatch is available for iOS (with Apple Watch support) for $ 7.


Sorry, app not found.

· • ·

Verdict

For the first time, among all the comparisons I have already made for this simple website, there is no clear winner among the applications tested by me. Taking the Mail, extremely spartan, the Inbox, which tries to be many things at the same time and ends up not being very good at any of them, and the Dispatch, who presented some impermissible omissions, any of the competitors could be cited as the best in the class without major injustices.

That said, the choice is up to some key factors depending on the user. For my part, I already made the choice: the Spark He will be my email client for the foreseeable future and, I hope, go many years without being bought by a technology giant and later discontinued the good that Readdle itself is investing in experts in the field, so his future looks promising.

O Outlook it came very, very close to being declared my personal champion; It just wasn't because its messy Mac software is very different from what it offers for mobile environments. J o Gmail sin for simplicity, but remain client n1 on my Android smartphone, where unbeatable.

The other three Airmail, Newton and Polymail they are strong rivals, discarded with regret for me for the simple fact of charging for their uses, when all the resources I need are in the free apps. If any of the three offers a killer tool for your type of use, however, do not hesitate: be a very well invested money after all, how many times a day do we need to deal with that immense amount of emails? In this logic, anything that allows us to have a little more peaceful life is priceless.

And you, what do you have to add in relation to this? Leave your comments below, in the comments and see you next time, with yet another peak fight for our delight!

comparative developed from the suggestion of Alex Rodrigues