Top 10 Apple Mail Alternatives For Mac Users in 2024

If you’re an Apple user, you’re likely using Apple Mail to send and receive emails. Although Apple’s native email app is a reliable choice for many, it’s neither the best nor the only email client for Mac users. 

In this article, we’ve reviewed some of the top Apple Mail alternatives that can help you create a smarter and more efficient email experience across your Apple devices. 

Why the Need for an Apple Mail Alternative?

(Hint: Productivity 💥)

As of January 2024, Apple holds more than half of the email client market share, with 55.47%. For comparison, Gmail is the second biggest market share holder in the email client space with 31.08%. 

Apple’s huge email client market share doesn’t come as a surprise. Most Apple users turn to Apple Mail simply because it’s Apple’s default mail app. Whether you’re using a Mac or an iPhone, you’re likely sending and receiving your emails via Apple Mail. 

Here are a few reasons why you may need an alternative to Apple Mail: 

• Apple Mail is pretty basic: Apple Mail lacks advanced email management and organization features you may need if you handle a large amount of emails. 
• Apple Mail isn’t cross-platform-friendly: You can only use Apple Mail on Apple devices. What’s more, it doesn’t integrate seamlessly with other platforms.  

Apple Mail has limited privacy features: Although Apple Mail has standard privacy and security features, users who require high email confidentiality might need to look for an alternative.

🛠️ Apple Mail Features

Being a core part of the Apple ecosystem, Apple Mail naturally integrates well with other Apple apps, creating an all-in-one experience. Here are the main features of Apple Mail: 

• Undo send
• Scheduling emails 
• Email reminders 
• Add multiple email accounts 
• Advanced search functionality
• Spam filtering 
• Hide your email address
• Change fonts and formatting

💰 Apple Mail Pricing

Apple Mail comes pre-installed with macOS and iOS for free. 

💬 Apple Mail Reviews

Capterra Rating: N/A

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

Top 10 Modern Apple Mail Alternatives in 2024

If you’re an Apple user, you don’t have to limit yourself to using Apple’s native mail app. In fact, there are plenty of alternatives to Apple Mail that offer greater functionality, improved security, and a more streamlined user experience. 

Here are the top 10 modern Apple Mail alternatives in 2024. If you don’t want or have the time to read it all, skip ahead to the comparative table at the bottom of the article.

1. Canary Mail – Best Apple Mail Alternative Overall ✅

Canary Mail is the most advanced email client for Apple devices. It offers modern features focused on email productivity and efficient management. 

For instance, Canary Mail allows you to sync all your email accounts from other email providers in one place thanks to its unified inbox feature. What’s more, Canary Mail also has AI-powered capabilities that allow users to write better emails, spot important messages, and manage unwanted emails by studying your email habits – something Apple Mail simply lacks. 

With Canary Mail, you also get handy features for email organization, such as read receipts that show you when someone opens your email, a 1-click unsubscribe option that saves time on unsubscribing from unwanted newsletters, and the snooze feature for setting emails to appear at a later time.

🛠️ Canary Mail Features

All in all, Canary Mail, as an app for all email accounts, helps you stay organized and productive while ensuring that no critical updates go unseen, thanks to the list of its unique features, such as: 

• AI-based features, including an AI email writer
• One-click unsubscribes
• Push notifications for important emails 
• Email snooze option 
• Read receipts 
• Compatible with all major email services
• Impersonation detection
• Biometric app lock

💰 Canary Mail Pricing

Canary Mail offers a free forever plan for personal use. Our paid plans start at $49 per year. 

💬 Canary Mail Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.7/5

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

2. Microsoft Outlook – Best for Microsoft Suite Users

Microsoft Outlook for Mac is a more advanced version of Apple Mail, with a lot of features that focus on email organization and management. 

For starters, Outlook for Mac features an intelligent inbox that automatically prioritizes and categorizes your emails to help you create a more efficient email experience. What’s more, Outlook for Mac is a reliable email system that seamlessly integrates with other apps from the Microsoft Office 365 suite, making it perfect for Microsoft users. 

Although it’s free to use, the free version of Outlook for Mac displays ads in users’ inboxes. If you prefer an ad-free experience, this alternative to Apple Mail may not be the right choice. 

🛠️ Outlook for Mac Features

Outlook for Mac offers the same features as other versions of Outlook, but it’s more tailored to the Mac OS and iOS experience. Here are some of its features: 

• Unified inbox
• Advanced search
• Read and delivery receipts
• Conversation view
• Attachment preview in mail messages (on the computer)
• Mark messages as read
• Delay send

💰 Outlook for Mac Pricing

Outlook for Mac is free to use. However, it has multiple plans for the Microsoft 365 subscription, starting at $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year. 

💬 Outlook for Mac Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.5/5

G2 Rating: 4.5/5

3. Spark – Best for a Smart & Collaborative Email Experience

Spark is a collaborative email app that offers a modern and intuitive approach to email management. It’s designed to simplify your experience with features like a smart inbox, email follow-up reminders, and integrations with the third-party app you might already be using. 

Spark’s core strength is its collaborative nature, which Apple Mail lacks. Although it’s great for personal individual use, it also offers a collaborative inbox that can be accessed by multiple team members. 

🛠️ Spark Features

Spark’s core feature is its smart inbox that automatically places new emails into personal, newsletter, and notification categories. Here are some of Spark’s main features for easy email management: 

• Smart inbox 
• AI-powered email assistant
• A unified inbox for multiple email accounts
• Smart search
• Accept or block incoming email accounts
• Group by sender
• Done marker for completed emails
• Mute threads
• Snooze emails
• Follow-up reminders 

💰 Spark Pricing

Spark is free for personal use with limited features. Its paid plans start at $4.99 per month (billed annually).

💬 Spark Reviews

Capterra Rating: 5/5

G2 Rating: N/A

4. Airmail – Best for Sleek Interface & Design

Airmail is an email client designed specifically for iOS, macOS, and watchOS and can be used on all Apple devices. Its interface is indeed reminiscent of Apple’s aesthetics through its sleek design and fast speed. 

Unlike Apple Mail, Airmail offers extensive customization options, allowing users greater control over their email experience. What’s more, Airmail allows users to add and manage multiple email accounts, like Gmail, iCloud Mail, Exchange, Microsoft Outlook, IMAP, and POP3, and it integrates with various productivity and task management apps.

🛠️Airmail Features

Airmail boasts a range of powerful features, including: 

• A unified inbox
• Smart folders for efficient organization
• Customizable swipe actions
• Integrations with popular productivity apps 
• Undo send function
• Email snooze function
• A built-in calendar
• Automatic newsletter filtering
• Privacy mode

💰 Airmail Pricing

Airmail is generally free to use on Mac, iPhone, and iPad, but it has limited features. If you want access to more advanced features, Airmail Pro subscription for $9.99 monthly or $29.99 yearly. Prices may vary based on your region. 

💬 Airmail Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.6/5

G2 Rating: 3.6/5

5. Postbox – Best for Email Productivity

Postbox is a third-party email client for Mac and PC that focuses on email productivity. Although it’s similar to Apple Mail in appearance, it offers modern email management features that Apple Mail lacks. What’s more, Postbox integrates with other email providers like Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Office 365, Outlook, Fastmail, and ProtonMail. 

While Postbox offers handy features that help users save time, like its advanced search function, send later, and smart folders, it doesn’t offer anything other popular email apps like Spark or Airmail don’t already have. 

🛠️ Postbox Features

Postbox’s features zero in on email organization, management, and composition. Here are some of its main features: 

• Email tracking
• Send later
• Built-in calendar
• Real-time message filtering 
• Swipe gestures on macOS
• Mailing list unsubscribe
• One-click archive
• Smart folders  

💰 Postbox Pricing

Postbox offers a free 30-day trial available for Mac and Windows. After your 30-day trial expires, you can purchase Postbox’s lifetime license for a one-time fee of $49 per user. 

💬 Postbox Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.8/5

G2 Rating: 3.5/5

6. Thunderbird – Best Open-Source Alternative

Thunderbird is an open-source email client developed by Mozilla. Although it offers many of the same features that Apple Mail does, and its interface looks a bit outdated, Thunderbird can be a great Apple Mail alternative due to the high level of customization and control it offers its users. 

What’s more, Thunderbird is also known for its strong commitment to privacy and security, which Apple Mail lacks. 

🛠️ Thunderbird Features

Thunderbird offers a range of features, such as: 

• An integrated calendar
• Task management options
• A large library of add-ons for additional functionality
• Tag feature for easy organization
• A unified inbox to manage multiple email accounts

💰 Thunderbird Pricing

Thunderbird is free to download and use, being an open-source project. While the app is free forever, users can donate a desired amount to its creators.

💬 Thunderbird Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.5/5

G2 Rating: 4.3/5 

7. eM Client – Best for an Abundance of Features

eM Client is a powerful email application available on both Windows and Mac. eM Client offers a range of features to organize and manage your emails, such as a snooze emails option, email templates, and advanced email rules and filters. It also offers advanced security features, including end-to-end encryption and spam filtering. 

Unline Apple Mail, eM Client comes with an integrated calendar, task manager, and contacts app. However, it doesn’t support any third-party plugins.

🛠️ eM Client Features

eM Client is a great choice for users who want a feature-rich email client that supports a wide range of email services, like Gmail, Exchange, iCloud, and Outlook. Some of the features eM Client offers are: 

• An integrated chat
• Advanced email rules and filters
• A built-in calendar and tasks module
• Message encryption for increased safety
• Snooze emails 
• Schedule emails
• Undo send
• Built-in translation tools and spell-checker
• Secure communication protocols like SSL/TLS email encryption

💰 eM Client Pricing

eM Client is free for personal and non-commercial use. There are two pro versions, starting at $29.95 (one-time payment per device).

💬 eM Client Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.2/5

G2 Rating: 4.0/5

8. HEY – Best for Email Organization

Hey is a unique alternative to Apple Mail with an out-of-the-box approach to email organization. It offers a set of very unique features that you won’t be able to find with any other email client. 

Its core feature – the Imbox – automatically prioritizes important emails to show up first in your inbox. Another of Hey’s special features allows you to screen your emails and set rules on who can contact you to filter out unwanted messages.

Unlike Apple Mail, Hey makes keeping track of your emails and tasks easy with features like adding sticky notes to email threads and its calendar app. It’s great for individuals and teams, although it may be too advanced for personal use. 

🛠️ Hey Features

Hey’s core feature is its Imbox. No, that’s not a typo – “Imbox” stands for “important inbox,” and its job is to prioritize new and important emails. Here are some of Hey’s main features:

• Email screening
• Approve or disapprove senders
• Hey Calendar app 
• The “Speakeasy code” 
• Add personal sticky notes to emails 
• Publish your emails to the web 
• Track emails through stages
• Add private “notes to self” to any email

💰 Hey Pricing

Hey offers a free 14-day trial. After that, you’ll need to subscribe to one of their paid plans starting at $99 per year if you use a @hey.com email address or $12 per month if you use a custom email domain name. 

💬 Hey Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.4/5

G2 Rating: 3.9/5

9. Boxy Suite – Best for Gmail Users

Boxy Suite 2 is a Mac app for Gmail users that unifies Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Keep, and Google Contacts into one focused environment. Although it may seem so, Boxy Suite isn’t a complete redesign of Gmail. Instead, it’s a customized wrapper for Google’s services. 

Essentially, the goal behind Boxy Suite is to simplify your Gmail experience on your Mac to help you become more productive. 

🛠️ Boxy Features

Boxy Suite focuses on building a more streamlined and productive Gmail experience for MacOS users. Here are some of its main features: 

• Minimal Gmail mode 
• Auto dark mode 
• Quick launcher 
• Email tracking detection 
• Intelligent account switching 
• Keyboard shortcuts 
• Distraction-free reader mode 
• Advanced search and email filters 
• Customizable filters and rules

💰 Boxy Pricing

Boxy Suite offers a two-week trial. Then, you can purchase the app for just $49 per year.

💬 Boxy Reviews

Capterra Rating: N/A

G2 Rating: 4.1/5

10. Twobird – Best for Inbox-Zero

Twobird is a great Apple Mail alternative for Inbox-Zero fans and those looking for a way to keep track of their email conversations. 

Twobird offers a set of productivity-oriented features that allow users to manage emails, jot down notes, organize tasks, and keep track of appointments by integrating email, tasks, notes, and calendar functionalities into one app.

🛠️ Twobird Features

Twobird’s set of features focuses on helping its users clear the clutter and focus on the most important emails and tasks. Here are some of Twobird’s features: 

• Low priority emails 
• Follow-up reminders 
• Smart notifications 
• Quick unsubscribe feature
• Integrated to-do list, chat, and calendar 

💰 Twobird Pricing

Twobird is completely free to download and use.

💬 Twobird Reviews

Capterra Rating: N/A

G2 Rating: N/A

Apple Mail Alternatives, a Comparison Table

Features	Canary Mail	Microsoft Outlook	Spark	Airmail	Post Box	Thunderbird	Hey	eM  Client	Boxy	Two  Bird
Free Version
Storage	–	15GB	5GB	–	–	–	–	–
Pricing	Canary Mail pricing page	$1.99/month	$4.99/month	$9.99/month	$49/lifetime	Free	$12/month	$29.95/device	$49/year	Free
AI
Read Receipts
Snooze Option
Biometric App Lock
Push Notification for Important Emails

Apple Mail Alternatives, the Bottom Line

While Apple Mail is a popular email client for Mac users, there are a variety of alternatives available that offer unique features and improved functionality. It’s worth exploring these options to find the one that best suits your needs and preferences.

Whether you’re looking for a more efficient way to manage your inbox, better organization tools, or advanced security features, the alternatives to Apple Mail provide a range of options to enhance your email experience on your Mac.

Best Apple Mail Alternative, the FAQs