15th Jul, 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 or even the Microsoft Outlook experience, which have become staple productivity tools 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 essential - as they spend between 28% of a workday on email, as this study reports from HBR. So, finding that tool you spend over a quarter of your working hours on is critical.
macOS email apps are typically email clients that can be used to access email and manage your Gmail, Outlook and other email providers in one place.
Tool | Top Features | Pricing |
---|---|---|
Collaborating with other people on emails | $18 per month | |
Fast and powerful email for solo users | $30 per month | |
All-around email management with inbox gatekeeping | $7.99 per month | |
AI-focused email assistant | $20 per year | |
Gmail API-powered Mac email app | $49.99 per year | |
Read receipts & tidy inbox | $49.99 per year | |
All round nature | Free | |
Quick and light | $49.99 one-off | |
Works with a range of email providers | $8 per month | |
Your own domain & productivity focus | $99 per year |
Missive is one of the most customizable, collaborative emails out there.
Strangely enough, while it is a collaborative way for your team to assign and handle emails, it offers a great way for solo users like yourself to manage their inboxes. 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 pretty good for individuals to manage their email.
The best feature people rate highly when using Missive is the ability to customize settings and personalize their account, from managing IMAP settings to aliases, and connecting apps like ChatGPT and Todoist.
Missive is one of the most interesting apps in the email space because it combines personal and team use, allowing users to collaborate on emails in a customized environment for Mac users.
I would probably say this best suits those who want to manage their productivity with more customization and want a solid email app. They are also open to expanding their team in the future or currently have a small team.
They want to collaborate on an email app. Missive is great for this if you are working in support or want to better align your team members with your external communication.
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.
It is just stunning in design, features, and powerful speed for individual users (it was recently rolled out to team members, too). Superhuman wants to handle your email fast; with speedy email loading 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 the 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.
Superhuman could be helpful for Mac users in a wide variety of ways.
The first is that it's super fast and easy to use, with keyboard shortcuts designed for Mac. Using the command bar is one of the most time-saving things when using Superhuman, so it's worth learning those commands when getting started.
Lately, the pricing has been 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 undoubtedly the best email app I've ever used for speed and function.
Spark Mail is one of those all-rounders, the ones that go unnoticed sometimes thanks to their excellent 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 there are some better ways to keep inbox noise at bay when handling emails on the go and on the Mac device.
Spark Mail is one of the best all-arounders for Mac users. It is a perfect combination of Apple Mail's functionality and the abilities of Missive and Superhuman, but in an all-around package.
From using Spark Mail, I can say that it's one of those apps that is definitely worth the upgrade if you're not sure about the price of Superhuman but 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 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 critical time, it's a real time saver. The pricing as well for the premium for Mac users is 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 I'd look at Canary Mail 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. It is perhaps 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.
Mimestream is a great email app for Mac users who use Gmail.
It uses Gmail's API to 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, which will keep the costs down, allowing you to handle all your emails through Mimestream.
If you're an avid Gmail user, Mimestream is one of the cleaner ways to use email. 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, 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 and offers tools like send later dark mode, and read receipts. The price is reasonable at $49.99 per annum.
This one is used by over 40,000 people and is a fan favorite for many due to the simple design and abilities for better managing your inbox on Mac, like the "Tidy Inbox" feature.
Newton Mail is again a great all-rounder for Mac users. The type of Mac user who would use Newton would be one who 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 connecting to 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 that help 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 elevates the email experience 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 can easily handle multiple accounts 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.Airmail is a top contender for Mac users searching for a flexible, feature-rich email client that plays well with other productivity tools. Rumour has it that 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 that 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. It caters to those who value flexibility and efficiency in their email management and has a good unified inbox.
I would probably recommend Mailspring for those who want a more advanced email app when it comes to reading 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. 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, a new domain, and a new vision for email. Yes, you get a domain with your account, and you start forwarding 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 are 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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