30th Apr, 2024
Mac users love optimising their productivity, let's tuck into some email apps to use on macOS if you're in hunt to manage email more effectively.
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Email apps are super common on mac users as many people aren't fully happy with the Apple Mail experience or even the Microsoft Outlook experience that have become staple tools of productivity for many desktop users.
Mac email apps help us speed through email, clear that inbox and converse with change-makers. So for many, getting the right email app is important - as they tend to spend between 28% of a workday on email as this study reports from HBR. So finding that tool that you spend over a quarter of your working hours on is key.
We've put together a list of the best email apps for macOS in an effort to keep you refreshed and updated on the best ones for using on MacBooks or Macs.
For our selection, we've chosen the following email apps that meet these criteria:
Here's all the tools we recommended, reviewed & curated for you:
Missive is one of the most customizable, collaborative emails out there.
Strangely enough, whilst it is a collaborative way for your team to assign and handle emails, it offers a great way for solo users like yourself to use it for managing the inbox. Connecting with a wide range of integrations, fast and good email sync and a highly customizable layout for whatever you want this collaboration app is actually pretty good for individuals for managing their email.
The best feature that people rate highly when using Missive is the ability to customise settings and personalize their account from managing IMAP settings to aliases, connecting apps like ChatGPT and Todoist.
Missive is one of the most interesting apps in the email space because it combines personal use as well as team use, collaborating on emails in a really customized environment for Mac users.
I would probably say this best suits those who are looking to manage their productivity with more customization and want a solid email app to do that but also open to expand their team in the future or currently have a small team. They want to collaborate on an email app together. This is perfect if you are working in support or you want to better align your team members to the external communication that you have, so Missive is great for that.
One of the more premium, luxury email apps on the market in 2024
Availability: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Superhuman is one of, if not, the most beautiful mac email app on the market.
Just stunning in the design, features and the powerful speed for individual users (recently rolling out to team members too). Superhuman wants to handle your email fast, with speedy loading of email and a command bar to teach you the speed of Superhuman, you're in for a treat if you've always just used Gmail.
When we refer to QOL features, we mean the speedy features across this application that allow you to pop emails open in thread, create calendar events without leaving the keyboard, and create snippets (templates) so that you can come back to them again.
There's just a general build quality with Superhuman that is notable.
There are a wide variety of ways that Superhuman could be helpful for Mac users.
The first is that it's super fast and super easy to use, with keyboard shortcuts that are designed for Mac. Using the command bar is one of the most time-saving things that you can do when using Superhuman, so it's worth learning those commands when getting started.
Lately, the pricing is much more premium at $30 per user per month, but if you're looking for a speedy way to do email on Mac, this is no doubt the best email app I've ever used on Mac for speed and function.
Spark Mail is one of those all-rounders, the ones that go unnoticed sometimes thanks to their good array of features, lower costs and general availability.
Spark for macOS is a good experience with abilities like snooze emails, smart inbox and powerful search - with other abilities that can be bolted on like team collaboration and power features in settings that people can use to further customize their account. It isn't as power hungry as apps like Missive and Superhuman, but it is the Toyota of the productivity world, reliable and functional for the needs, but not as powerful as say the Ferrari.
Features like Gatekeeper are locked under pro, but some of the better ways to keep inbox noise at bay when handling emails, both on the go and on the mac device.
Spark Mail is one of the best all-rounders for Mac users. It is a perfect combination between the functionality of Apple Mail and the abilities that you can get with Missive and Superhuman, but in an all-around package.
From using Spark Mail, it's probably one of those apps that are definitely worth the upgrade if you're not sure about the price of Superhuman, but you are sure about upgrading your email and have a small budget in mind. I rate Spark Mail as just one of those great all-around experiences.
Canary Mail is relatively new on the market but is growing as a popular solution for an email app for Mac users. It replicates a lot of the basics, like being able to use email to collaborate with others, but largely the abilities go beyond with the artificial intelligence side of things.
With a chatbot that can help you communicate with your emails and bring the most relevant emails to the top at the most important time, it's a real time saver. The pricing as well for the premium for Mac users is definitely not massively huge, which makes, I think, this one of the best email AI apps for Mac.
If you're looking to jump into AI and email, then if you're not willing to pay the pricing of Superhuman, which is probably advancing AI the most at the moment in the email space, then I'd look at Canary Mail. It is probably the most suitable one as an all-around email AI experience and is growing for Mac users as a way to use it both on iOS and Mac too.
Mimestream is a great email app for mac users who use Gmail.
It uses Gmail's API to better give you the best gmail experience out there, with categories, labels, filters, calendar invite management and more, this is the perfect native mac experience for Gmail users. The app is priced reasonably at $4.99 per month that will keep the costs down allowing you to handle all your email through the likes of Mimestream.
If you're an avid Gmail user, then Mimestream is one of the cleaner ways to take advantage of email, and it uses the Gmail API to still bring in brilliant features like categories, labels, and more. For those who don't want to use the web browser or some forced version of Gmail, then this is probably the ultimate Gmail experience for Mac users.
Newton is one of the best email apps for a simple yet powerful email experience. Perfect for mac users, it handles many different providers, offers tools like send later, dark mode and read receipts whilst keeping the price reasonable at $49.99 per annum.
This one is used by over 40,000 people and is a fan favourite for many, due the simple design and abilities for better managing your inbox on mac like "Tidy Inbox" feature.
Newton Mail is again a great all-rounder for Mac users, and the type of Mac user that would use Newton would be one that doesn't want the complexities of other applications but wants an alternative to something like Spark Mail because I'd say the functionality is very similar in nature.
However, there is no freemium pricing that Spark Mail offers inside of the Newton Mail app, so you are needing to pay to get access to it. But largely, the app is well-built and comes with a bunch of really awesome features for collaborating with others.
Well, first and foremost Apple Mail is already installed for Mac users and is a go-to choice for Mac users, seamlessly connects into the macOS ecosystem.
It is really a straightforward, user-friendly interface, making email fairly easy to get on with for both newcomers and seasoned users. It has a good integration with other Apple apps and services, like Calendar and Contacts.
There are smart abilities in Apple Mail like Smart Mailboxes and VIPs helps you prioritize important messages, ensuring you keep things in order and organized, but very manual. Apple Mail is a solid choice for those invested in the macOS ecosystem.
Airmail takes the email experience up a notch for Mac users with its highly customizable interface and powerful features designed for productivity.
It is sort of like Apple Mail, but more customizable. It's known for its speed and it can handle multiple accounts with ease across iCloud, Gmail, and other IMAP services. Airmail shines with its extensive integration options, connecting with a wide range of third-party apps like Dropbox, Evernote, and Todoist, enabling a more focused workflow.
Its user-friendly design allows you to tailor the app to your specific needs, from customized swipes to smart filters that work well on both macOS and iOS.For Mac users in search of a flexible, feature-rich email client that plays well with other productivity tools, Airmail is a top contender. Rumour has it Airmail is coming to Vision Pro by Apple too.
Airmail is just an upgraded version of the Apple Mail application. It does have some customization and great ways to bring in multiple accounts, but for those Mac users looking to use it, it's probably just a slight upgrade from what you've already got on Apple Mail, with a few more refined design aspects in there.
Mailspring is an open-source email application, which is available on Mac, Linux, and Windows, and it has become very popular with those who want to have a unified inbox and some of the multiple account features like IMAP and Office 365. It comes with a wide variety of advanced search, signatures, translation, spellcheck, and some more advanced abilities. There's a bunch of them as well, and on the side of Mailspring Pro, there are some abilities like managing your busy inbox with read receipts, link tracking, quick email replies, and insights, which is priced at eight dollars per month.
With its open-source foundation, MailSpring promises continuous improvements and a customizable experience, catering to those who value flexibility and efficiency in their email management. MailSpring also has a good unified inbox too.
I would probably recommend Mailspring for those who want a more advanced email app when it comes to read receipts and functions very similar in nature to Newton Mail. This application is just an upgraded version of Apple Mail with an open-source focused experience, and if you're looking to get a more accurate email experience when it comes to link tracking and insights, then that's something you might pay for an upgraded experience.
With HEY! you get a new email. New domain and new vision for email. Yes, you get a domain with your account and you start forwarding in emails from other providers.
For Mac users who value a clean, organized inbox and are willing to explore a new email philosophy, Hey Email presents a compelling choice because it goes against the grain of other emails by teaching you how to do email the right way, we love that. Whether you're a productivity enthusiast or someone looking to reclaim control over your email, Hey Email offers a fresh, engaging approach that aligns well with the needs and values of Mac users seeking efficiency and simplicity in their digital communication.
The newly launched HEY! Calendar is also packed into the $99 per year membership.
Hey email is one of those apps for Mac that really does deliver a very focused experience. If you are looking to upgrade your email communication style and manage everything in one inbox, then I would probably say Hey email is the best on the market for that. It does take a while to get your head around it, but largely, the application is impressive and something that I have used for a couple of years and was very impressed by.
Here's some of the best recommendations for your mac and using the right email client:
These are the all-rounders with the best fit for everyone:
These are the ones you can use gen-AI to your advanced inside of your email:
These email clients for mac handle Gmail and Google Workspace the best:
A clean, distraction-free inbox, in under 5 minutes
SaneBox clears the clutter, so you can focus on your highest priorities and get more done.
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