10 Best Email Clients for Mac in 2025
Mac users are spoiled for choice when it comes to email clients. Seeing all the options available, choosing the best client can be overwhelming. Whether one prioritizes speed, organization, or advanced features, there’s an app that fits the bill.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of top-tier email clients designed to enhance productivity and streamline workflows.
These are the top 10 email clients for Mac in 2024.
What is an Email Client?
An email client is a software application on your computer, smartphone, or tablet that acts as a digital post office. This app helps users access, manage, and send emails. With an email client, users can connect to a mailbox provider’s email servers and retrieve messages on different devices by logging in.
Email clients are classified into these categories:
Types of email clients | What are they? |
---|---|
Desktop clients | These clients are installed on your computer (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail). |
Web-based clients | These are accessed through a web browser, such as Gmail, Yahoo Mail, or Outlook.com |
Mobile apps | Mobile clients are installed on smartphones and tablets (Gmail, Proton Mail, Apple Mail). |
How to Choose an Email Client for Mac
When choosing an email client for a Mac, consider the following factors:
- Compatibility: Ensure the email client supports the protocols (like POP3 or IMAP, or SMTP) the email provider uses.
- User interface: The design and layout of the email client should be intuitive and user-friendly. A clean, organized interface helps users manage emails more efficiently.
- Integration support: Look for an email client that integrates well with other applications/services such as calendars, task managers, or cloud storage services.
- Customization: Some email clients allow users to customize the look and feel of the interface, adjust notification settings, and create custom rules or filters for managing the inbox.
- Support for multiple email accounts: If a user has more than one email account, they should choose an email client that manages multiple accounts simultaneously.
- Search functionality: A robust search feature is essential for quickly finding specific emails or attachments.
- Offline access and sync: The ability to access emails offline is crucial, especially if the user often works in areas without internet access.
- Security: Look for features like end-to-end email encryption, secure authentication, and robust spam filters to keep emails safe.
- Customer support: Reliable customer support can be a lifesaver if technical issues occur with the email client.
- Pricing: Some email clients are free, while others require a one-time purchase or subscription. Evaluate whether the features offered by a paid client justify the cost.
- Regular updates: Choose an email client that is regularly updated to ensure compatibility with new operating system versions, email providers, and security standards.
The 10 Best Email Clients for Mac
Effective email management is essential for productivity. Mac users have a variety of email clients at their disposal, each offering unique features and capabilities.
Below, we list the best available options, highlighting their features to help users select the tool that best suits their specific needs and workflow.
We shortlisted 10 best email clients for Mac:
- Apple Mail,
- Airmail,
- Spark Mail,
- Canary Mail,
- Mimestream,
- Thunderbird,
- eM Client,
- Microsoft Outlook,
- Kiwi for Gmail,
- Mailspring.
Top 10 Email Clients for Mac: Comparison
This table highlights the key differences between the 10 best email clients for Mac.
Email Client | Apple Mail | Airmail | Spark Mail | Thunderbird | Kiwi for Gmail | MS Outlook | Mailspring | Canary Mail | Mimestream | eM Client |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price | Free | $9.99/month | $7.99/month | Free | $3/month | Free | $8/month | Free | $5/month | $19.95/year |
Color codes for multiple accounts | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Attachment Reminder | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Dark Mode | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Folders/Tags | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Email Provider Support | All | All | All | All | Gmail only | All | All | All | Gmail only | All |
Mobile app | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Filters | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Search functionality | Good | Good | Avg | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Avg |
Scheduled send | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Message preview | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Snooze | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Unified Inbox | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
One-click unsubscribe | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
Apple Mail: Apple’s Very Own Email Client
Apple Mail is the built-in email client that comes pre-installed on Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It is designed to be a simple yet powerful email management tool that supports various email services, including iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, and more.
Recently, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence, integrating advanced AI and machine learning features into its native apps, and Mail is no exception. It will receive significant improvements in search functionality and categorization, plus predictive typing and smart reply options will be added.
Users will see a UI overhaul as Apple chooses a Gmail-esque look for their inbox with these tabs:
Apple Mail folders | What is it for? |
---|---|
Primary | Personal and critical emails. |
Transactions | Receipts and order confirmations. |
Updates | Social media notifications and news. |
Promotions | Marketing emails and coupons. |
Digest | Compact view of mail chain from a contact. |
Apple Mail: Features
An overview of Apple Mail functions:
- Unified inbox: Apple Mail combines multiple email accounts into a single, unified inbox, making it easier to manage emails from different accounts in one place.
- Smart Mailboxes: Users can create custom mailboxes based on specific criteria (flagged messages or messages from specific people).
- Threaded conversations: Emails related to the same subject or thread are grouped together, allowing users to follow the conversation more easily.
- Markup: The Mail app provides built-in markup tools for annotating images, PDFs, and other attachments directly within the app.
- Machine learning: Apple Mail can recognize dates, addresses, and other information within emails, offering quick actions like adding events to the calendar or opening addresses in Maps.
- Privacy: Apple Mail has enhanced privacy settings, including Mail Privacy Protection, which hides users’ IP addresses and prevents senders from knowing when an email has been opened.
Airmail: A Popular Apple Mail Alternative
Airmail is ideal for users who require more control and flexibility over their email management than what’s available in standard email clients like Apple Mail. Its integrations with third-party apps also make it a great choice for users who rely on a variety of productivity tools.
It is designed to be lightweight and fast, even when handling large volumes of email. The app is frequently updated.
Airmail Features
Airmail offers users these features:
- Customizable UI: Airmail allows users to personalize the layout, themes, and colors.
- Multi-account support: Airmail supports Gmail, iCloud, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook, and IMAP/POP3 accounts.
- Unified inbox: Similar to Apple Mail, Airmail provides a unified inbox for all accounts.
- Advanced email management: Airmail includes powerful tools for managing emails, such as snoozing messages for later, setting reminders, and using tags to categorize emails.
- Integration with popular third-party tools: Users can connect Airmail with apps like Evernote, Trello, OmniFocus, Dropbox, Google Drive, and more.
- Security: Airmail offers features like PGP encryption for secure email communication, Touch ID, and Face ID support for added security.
- Search/Filtering: Airmail’s search functionality is powerful and precise; users can search by sender, recipient, subject, date, or content within the body of the email.
- Customized notifications: Users can set custom notifications, including settings for sounds, alerts, and even specific times.
Spark Mail: Clean, Simple Email Client for Mac
Spark Mail is suited for those who value a clean, organized inbox and need features like team collaboration, smart notifications, and integration with other productivity tools. Spark is known for its sleek design, with a minimalistic interface that doesn’t overwhelm users with too many options.
Regular updates from Readdle ensure Spark stays up-to-date with new features and improvements.
Spark Mail: Features
Here’s a summary of features users get with Spark:
- Smart Inbox: Spark automatically categorizes incoming emails into different sections, such as Personal, Notifications, and Newsletters.
- Collaboration: Spark makes it easy for teams to collaborate on emails. Team members can use the internal chat function, delegate emails and tasks, and write emails collaboratively in real time.
- Smart Search: Spark’s search function is context-aware, enabling users to search using natural language queries like “emails from Susan on Monday” or “Excel attachments from John.”
- Email scheduling: Users can schedule emails to be sent later.
- Snooze: Emails can be snoozed to return to the inbox at a later time.
- Customizable interface: Users can adjust the layout, change the theme, and organize their inbox according to their workflow.
- Integrations: Spark integrates with a variety of popular productivity apps.
- Quick Replies: Spark has a set of customizable quick reply buttons, enabling users to respond to emails with a single click.
- Privacy/Security: Spark supports features such as Touch ID and Face ID to secure access to the app.
Canary Mail: A Secure Email Client for Mac
Canary Mail is an excellent choice for professionals who handle sensitive information, such as legal, financial, or healthcare data. In short, it’s a good fit for users who need to ensure their communication is secure.
Despite its advanced security features, Canary Mail remains user-friendly, allowing even the least tech-savvy to use encryption without hassle.
Canary Mail: Features
Users can enjoy these features with Canary Mail:
- End-to-end encryption: Canary Mail supports end-to-end encryption using the PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) protocol and Secure Send.
- Smart Prioritization: Similar to other modern email clients, Canary Mail organizes incoming emails into categories such as Important, Newsletters, and Social.
- Read receipts and Snooze: Canary Mail supports read receipts and also offers a snooze function, enabling users to temporarily hide emails.
- Bulk Cleaner: Wipe out emails from a specific sender easily.
- Natural language search: Like Spark, Canary Mail lets users find emails using natural language queries.
- Integration with tools: While less extensive than some other email clients, Canary Mail does offer integration with various productivity tools.
- AI features: Canary Mail has recently introduced a range of AI-driven features to help manage the inbox, highlighting important messages and providing smart notifications.
Mimestream: Gmail-Centric Email Client for Mac Users
Mimestream is ideal for macOS users who primarily use Gmail and want a more powerful, native app experience compared to using Gmail in a web browser.
Mimestream is built as a native macOS app, meaning it takes full advantage of macOS features like system notifications, Spotlight search, keyboard shortcuts, and the Touch Bar on compatible MacBooks. This results in a smoother, faster experience compared to web-based email clients or cross-platform apps.
Mimestream Features
With Mimestream, users get:
- Gmail compatibility: Mimestream uses the Gmail API and supports all of Gmail’s features, including labels, filters, keyboard shortcuts, and server-side search.
- Multiple account support: Mimestream allows users to manage multiple Gmail accounts and supports a unified inbox.
- Labels and categories: The app offers full support for Gmail’s labels and categories, allowing users to organize their emails as they would in the web version of Gmail.
- Gmail-specific features: Unlike most Mac email clients, Mimestream supports various Gmail features such as conversation view, Gmail Primary Inbox, email snoozing, and undo send.
- Offline support: Offline support is available, letting users read, search, and compose emails without an internet connection.
- Privacy: User emails are directly synced from Gmail to the device without any intermediaries, ensuring data remains private.
Thunderbird: Mozilla’s Open-Source Email Client for Apple Users
Thunderbird is an email client from the makers of Firefox and is ideal for power users, developers, and those who value open-source software.
The app lets users manage multiple email accounts and comes with advanced email filtering and organization tools. An added plus is that it packs strong encryption.
Thunderbird: Features
Thunderbird has all the features users would want in a robust email client:
- Cross-platform compatibility: Thunderbird is available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Multiple accounts: Thunderbird supports a unified inbox and allows users to manage email accounts from different providers
- RSS and feed support: Thunderbird can be used as an RSS reader, allowing users to subscribe to and read news feeds directly within the app.
- Customizable: As an open-source project, Thunderbird is highly customizable; there is a wide range of add-ons and extensions available that enhance its functionality.
- Advanced security: Thunderbird offers built-in support for encryption using S/MIME and OpenPGP. It also includes phishing protection, spam filters, and the ability to disable remote content in emails.
- Integrated calendar: Thunderbird includes a built-in calendar extension called Lightning, which provides full-featured calendar and task management.
- Search and filtering: Thunderbird’s search functionality is powerful; users can quickly find emails based on keywords, sender, subject, and other criteria.
- Tabs support: Like Firefox, Thunderbird uses a tabbed interface that allows users to open multiple emails, folders, or even different email accounts in separate tabs.
eM Client: Multiple Features, Snappy Performance
eM Client is a versatile email client that runs on both macOS and Windows. It provides integrated calendar, task, contact, and chat functionalities. The app’s customization options make it a great choice for users who want to tailor their email experience.
The email client comes with a range of custom themes as well as a built-in theme editor.
eM Client: Features
eM Client offers standard and unique features such as:
- Multi-account support: Like most of the clients here, eM Client supports multiple email providers and features a unified inbox.
- Integrated calendar and tasks: eM Client comes with a built-in calendar that syncs with email accounts, allowing users to manage schedules and tasks alongside emails.
- Contact management: The app includes an integrated contact management system.
- Built-in chat: eM Client features a built-in chat client that supports major messaging services like Google Chat and Jabber/XMPP.
- Encryption/Security: eM Client supports PGP encryption and S/MIME, and even includes password protection, ensuring emails and data remain secure.
- Touch Bar support: For Mac users with older MacBook Pros, eM Client offers Touch Bar integration.
- Customizable interface: The interface of eM Client is highly customizable, with options to change themes, layouts, and colors.
- Instant translation: eM Client includes an automatic translation feature that detects and translates emails written in foreign languages.
- Localization: eM Client supports 20 different languages.
Microsoft Outlook: Works as Well as the Windows Version
Outlook for Mac is ideal for users who are deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem, especially those using Microsoft 365, Teams, and other Office apps. In recent years, Microsoft introduced a “New Outlook” — this version brought a more modern interface, improved performance, and new features.
Microsoft made Outlook for Mac completely free in 2023.
Outlook for Mac: Features
The Mac version of Outlook offers the same features as the Windows version:
- Unified inbox: Outlook for Mac features a unified inbox, allowing users to view emails from all their accounts in one place.
- Enhanced search: The search functionality is powered by Microsoft Search, which provides suggestions as you type and includes recent searches and suggested queries.
- Integration with Microsoft Teams: Users can schedule and join Teams meetings directly from the Outlook calendar and access Teams chat and files from within the app.
- My Day Feature: The “My Day” feature provides a quick view of your daily schedule, tasks, and emails in a side panel.
- Swipe gestures: Outlook for Mac allows users to customize swipe gestures for actions like delete, archive, mark as read, or flag, just like smartphones
Kiwi for Gmail: Mac Email Client for Gmail Users
Kiwi for Gmail is suitable for users who rely heavily on Gmail and Google Workspace for their day-to-day work. It’s useful for those who need a more powerful, unified solution than what a browser can offer.
The app is great for users who prefer the desktop experience but don’t want to lose access to the full range of Gmail and Google Workspace features.
Kiwi for Gmail: Features
Kiwi offers a lot of the same features as the web version of Gmail:
- Native Gmail experience: Kiwi for Gmail replicates the full Gmail web interface; it supports Gmail features like labels, filters, categories, and Gmail-specific keyboard shortcuts.
- Multiple Gmail account support: Kiwi allows users to manage multiple Gmail and Google Workspace accounts within the same app.
- Google Workspace integration: Kiwi for Gmail offers deep integration with Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides.
- Focus-Filtered Inbox: Kiwi’s Focus feature minimizes distractions by hiding less important emails and reducing notification noise.
- Windows and tabs: Kiwi allows users to open multiple windows and tabs within the app, like a web browser.
- Customizable UI: Kiwi lets users change layout views and color schemes, and tweak how accounts and emails are displayed.
Mailspring: Open-Source and Highly Customizable
For users who value transparency and the ability to contribute to or modify the software, Mailspring is an open-source email client that runs on Mac, Linux, and Windows. It is a good choice for users who work across different operating systems.
The app is lightweight and fast, with an emphasis on a smooth user experience.
Mailspring: Features
Mailspring’s feature list includes:
- Support for multiple accounts: Mailspring allows users to manage multiple email accounts from various providers.
- Advanced search: Mailspring’s search function supports advanced queries, filters, and the ability to search within attachments.
- Email snoozing: Users can snooze emails, temporarily removing them from the inbox and bringing them back at a specified time.
- Send Later: Mailspring includes an email scheduling feature that allows users to schedule emails to be sent at a later time.
- Read receipts and link-tracking: Mailspring supports both read receipts and link tracking, allowing users to know when their emails have been opened and when links within the emails have been clicked.
- Contact management: The app includes a unified contact management system that aggregates contacts from all your accounts.
- Multi-language support: Mailspring supports multiple languages, making it accessible to a global user base.
- Undo Send: Mailspring includes an “Undo Send” feature that allows users to recall an email within a few seconds of sending it.
Campaign Refinery: Your Key to Inbox Placement!
As an email marketer, the email clients used by your audience should be the least of your concerns.
There are far more serious questions to ask here:
- How can you improve the chances of your emails reaching the inbox — aka email deliverability?
- Does your ESP have a good reputation with popular mail providers?
- How good is the technical infrastructure?
- How dependable is the customer support?
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