Gone are the days when face-to-face and snail mail were the only forms of communication. With modern-day technology, we can have not only instant calls but instant messaging as well. The best part is you don’t even have to do all this on your computer anymore. Even your mobile device can manage your mail on the go.
Mobile management for email can be quite tricky, though. Having multiple email providers and accounts make the organization confusing and tedious. To help you fully utilize your time and stay productive, let’s take a look at some of the best email apps on the market.
1. Gmail
Along with its email engine, Google has provided a Google mail app to better cater to Gmail users. Some might even argue that it’s the best free email app out there. Though opinions may vary, we still put it on top of our list of the 15 best email apps.
Everyone probably already knows about Gmail. It has features like notifications, starring, tagging, and more. Organization comes as a breeze on Gmail. By default, Google automatically sorts your mail into filters like social, spam, and promotional emails. You can even categorize emails by setting up the app to put emails under a specific tag based on the sender. This comes in handy when you want your email to auto-organize itself.
Other features include undoing send (for embarrassing email mistakes), in-mail searches, and gestures for quick actions. Being a Google product, it integrates well with other Google services like Google Calendar that make it a productivity workhorse.
Compatibility:
Gmail is available on the App Store and Google Play Store. It supports a variety of IMAP, POP, and Exchange accounts. Best of all, Gmail is a free mail app that’s feature-rich and powerful enough for your needs.
2. Spike
Some people don’t entirely trust Google given that they use your data in ways you might not be aware of. Others might just want Gmail alternatives for a different experience. Coming on our list of best email apps, Spike offers a unique email messaging experience like no other.
What’s cool about Spike is that it has a chat-style interface. The app sports chat bubbles for an instant messaging-style thread. This feature alone pushes it up on our list of best email apps. It lets you send GIFs, drawings, emojis, voice notes, and even your location quite easily. Spike also marks messages as “read” like actual instant messaging. And while conventional email organizes messages by threads, Spike is organized by contact and groups for team conversations.
They also offer AES256 email encryption for those concerned with privacy and safety. It has other useful features like multiple calendar management, unified inboxes, inbox sorting, attachment previews, and an advanced search feature.
Compatibility:
Spike is available for iOS and Android. It’s compatible with Outlook, Exchange, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and IMAP accounts. Spike is free for personal use and gives you an unlimited number of email accounts and up to 10 group chat rooms.
3. Spark
Spark is modern, fast, intuitive, and more. It’s not quite like the others but still one of the best email apps, especially for power users.
By default, Spark organizes your email into personal emails, notifications, and newsletters. But what really makes it fly is customization. For example, you can set different actions for a short swipe versus a long swipe. It also features a built-in calendar so you can quickly view your schedule. Handy tools like scheduled emails and email templates make it more versatile than other options. And their natural language search helps you easily find what you’re looking for.
Spark is great for teams. It has a neat function for teams to collaborate on emails together, kind of like Google Docs but in email. Delegating tasks are a breeze on Spark so you can delegate your emails to specific people due on specific dates. Even secure links to a specific thread or email can be shared for easy collaboration.
Compatibility:
Spark is available for free on the App Store and Google Play Store. It’s compatible with Google, Exchange, Yahoo, iCloud, Outlook, and IMAP. Integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Evernote, Things, Trello, Todoist, and Asana are also available.
4. Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook has been a staple desktop workhorse for years. But realizing that people have transitioned to mobile, they created a mobile solution for Outlook. It’s a modified, stripped-down version with the tools you need.
On Outlook, your email, attachments, contacts, and calendars are all included. It has an intelligent engine based on your communications to analytically bring about your important email spanning your multiple accounts. Like many other mail apps, it has quick swipe controls to easily organize your mail. More features will roll out in the future and you’ve assured the app’s continuity given that it’s from Microsoft. This in itself puts it on our list of best email apps.
Compatibility:
Outlook on Android and iOS are both free for you to download. It works with Exchange, Office 365, Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and iCloud email.
5. ProtonMail
Free services often come for a different kind of price than we’re used to. When they’re free, even the best email apps have a hidden price tag. We unknowingly give our personal information so companies can tailor the advertisements shown to us. If you’re sick of data privacy concerns, you should consider ProtonMail.
ProtonMail’s main selling point is security. It has end-to-end encryption and even the developers cannot decrypt your emails and read them. And don’t worry, third parties won’t ever be able to access your data through ProtonMail. In addition, no personal information is even needed to create an account which shows that they prioritize your privacy.
One cool feature that the others don’t have is setting an expiration for your message measured in days and hours. Talk about the ultimate privacy setting!
Compatibility:
ProtonMail is available for free on iOS and Android and signing up for an account is free. Though keep in mind that if you might have to subscribe to a premium version if you want the other features.
6. Tutanota
Tutatona is an encrypted email service for mobile and webmail clients — great for users with privacy and safety concerns. It uses AES 128 and RSA 2048 in its end-to-end encryption system. Tutanota also allows for Two-factor authentication for an additional layer of security. Email messages and attachments are also all encrypted but if you don’t need it, there’s an option to disable encryption. Tutanota’s concern for safety even requires you to create a strong password to complete the setup. And downloading it on your device requires a password as well.
Compatibility:
Tutanota is available on both Android and iOS, but if you already have a webmail or email provider you won’t be able to use them. They won’t sync with Tutanota. But if you do want Tutanota, creating an email address is free with 1 GB of encrypted storage included. The free version has limited search capabilities but more features exist on the paid version. Features like inbox rules, aliases, filters, and unlimited search are all available on the paid version that costs $1.34 monthly or $13.42 yearly.
7. Blue Mail
Blue Mail’s numerous features make it one of the best email apps on our list. It’s easy to use as it has a well-designed user interface. Email is rarely as customizable but Blue Mail adapts to your needs specifically. It has configurable menus, customizable notifications, and a timed lock screen for added privacy. If you really want it tailored, you can set different notification formats for each of your accounts. And without opening the app, you can already mark a preview as “read” or even delete it.
Most emails have a feature for signatures, but Blue Mail has a rich text signature that allows for some diversity. You can add stylized text or even images to your signatures. It even has a dark mode which is always a welcome addition.
Compatibility:
Blue Mail is available on Android and iOS. It works with Gmail, Yahoo, Office 365, iCloud, Outlook, and more. Support for IMAP, POP3, MS Exchange, and even Android Wear are all available.
8. Yahoo Mail
Yahoo Mail might not seem like it’s one of the best email apps because it looks like it’s only for Yahoo users. Surprisingly though, it supports multiple email service providers while giving you the basic necessities for organizing mail.
What’s great about Yahoo is that it gives you a whopping 1,000 GB of free storage so you literally won’t have to worry about running out. If you worry about attaching too many files with large sizes, this app might be good for you.
Compatibility:
Yahoo Mail is free and works on iOS and Android. You can use it with Outlook, Gmail, AOL, and many other providers. It’s also able to connect to Google Drive and Dropbox.
9. K-9 Mail
K-9 is an open-source mail app developed by an open-source community. It supports multiple accounts, search, IMAP push email, a unified inbox, attachments, flagging, signatures, and many other features.
Encryption is also a neat feature on K-9. The add-on application “OpenKeychain: Easy PGP” enables you to encrypt your email. Even though you need to install it separately, it’s a good addition if you want to ensure your emails’ privacy and safety.
The interface looks old and outdated but it’s still an app that’s full of features you need for productivity. Moreover, since it’s community-developed, you can be sure that it can roll out more features as long as the community stays alive. You might even opt to modify it yourself if you so choose.
Compatibility:
It supports IMAP, POP3, and Exchange 2003/2007 (with WebDAV). It’s only available on Android and is totally free to use.
10. Nine
The best email apps are simple and easy to navigate. Nine is an app that is the exact perfect example. It easily syncs to your calendar and contacts and has features to add tasks and notes. If you need something simple just to get through your email, Nine might be a good choice. But that doesn’t mean it lacks other useful features.
Nine provides multiple widgets like unread badges, shortcuts, email lists, task lists, and calendar agendas. It also syncs with notes for Exchange 2010 and higher. Unlike most, it’s not a cloud-based application so passwords and messages are stored locally on your device. Nine directly connects to your provider’s servers for the mail without its own server to store data. That means you have no worries about data security breaches from Nine itself.
Compatibility:
Nine has an automatic setup for many email services like Gmail, Office 365, Hotmail, Outlook, iCloud, Exchange, and others. It is available on both Android and iOS and comes with a two-week free trial. After the free trial, you have limited functionality unless you opt to buy the paid version for $14.99.
11. Airmail
Airmail is comprehensive and provides many features. All your emails will be under a single, unified banner that allows you to send emails to calendar events or to-dos. Blocking senders, snoozing emails, locking them, and undoing your sent mail are just some of its features.
Airmail supports gestures to help you easily navigate your mobile device. It has single and threaded viewing, labeling, and filter search features. And if you’re within the Apple ecosystem and care about multi-platform syncing, this app might be right for you.
Compatibility:
Airmail is available on iOS and Android for $5 and supports Gmail, Exchange EWS, IMAP, and POP3 systems. It also works well with other providers supporting OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox document importations. In addition, Airmail integrates with Trello, Evernote, and Pocket making it super convenient if you use those applications.
12. Aqua Mail
Aqua Mail sports an intuitive and easy navigation system. Selecting multiple emails is easy! Just swipe down on the left-hand side of the screen. It also organizes your mail with a color-coded labeling system. Customizing the display of your messages and message lists is also a cool feature if you want it suited to your tastes. The app does this by allowing you to change the color of the mail separators and even the font size.
Aqua Mail comes with various widgets and per-account signature customizations to tailor your experience. They can also sync your calendar for Exchange and Office 365 if you have them.
Compatibility:
Aqua Mail is easily compatible with email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Office 365, Hotmail, and Exchange. It also has support for IMAP, POP3, and SMTP. You can backup and restore data as well with many external platforms like Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, or Google Drive. It’s even compatible with Android Wear. The free version comes with ads and a lot of its useful features are hidden behind a paywall of $19.99. The downside is it’s only available on Android.
13. MyMail
MyMail can manage all your email accounts across different platforms. It has customizable notifications, data compression for emailing, and has smart search functionalities. It’s basic, but still quite good for an email app. Complete with push notifications, unique signatures, file browsing, and searching, you have all your basic useful features.
A feature sometimes overlooked for email apps is the user interface. The best email apps come not only with functionality but also good design. This helps users focus more on the task at hand rather than navigating their email. What’s great about MyMail is that it’s clean and clutter-free so you can focus without distractions.
Compatibility:
MyMail is free on Android and iOS and is compatible with Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, iCloud, Live, and Exchange. It offers support for IMAP, POP3, and SMTP. Support for ActiveSync is also available which is a bonus.
14. TypeApp
TypeApp is a useful and beautiful app that is customizable, easy to use, and intuitive. It supports basic functionalities like push notifications, a unified inbox, rich text editing, and others. But what even the best email apps do not always offer is support for Wear OS and dark mode. It’s simple to use and does what it needs for email.
Compatibility:
This app is free to use and can be paid for up to $6.99 on Android and iOS. It supports Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, Hotmail, Outlook, Apple, and more.
15. Edison Mail
Edison Mail is a simple and minimal mobile app that can support many different email providers. It’s fast and helps you quickly get through email. Absent from other options, Edison Mail’s smart assistant helps you manage your email. Reconfigurable swipe controls and categorical auto-sorting are some of its useful features. It also has a bonus feature that lets you bulk unsubscribe to mailing lists you never even really read. Travel notifications are also a useful feature to help inform you of real-time changes. Be it travel delays, changes, or any other information you might need, you’ll be covered.
Compatibility:
Edison Mail is free on iOS and Android and supports Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Exchange, Outlook, Office 365, Hotmail, AOL, and IMAP.
Takeaway
The best email apps are always better than your default email apps on your mobile or PC. Start organizing your mails and stay tidy and productive with these apps. You’ll never regret it.
Meanwhile, here are the best productivity apps you should check out for better focus.
