The Best Email Clients for Mac OS in 2024

The Best Email Clients for Mac OS in 2024

There are so many different email clients to choose from for Mac users. Which one is the best for you? Your search ends here.

Phoebe Brown

Phoebe Brown | Jan 1, 2024 | 12 mins read

If you’re an Apple user, Apple Mail may have been your email app of choice until now. Although it’s Apple’s default email app that seamlessly syncs between all your Apple devices, it’s not the only email client design for Mac OS. 

💡 Not exploring other options to pick the right email client for your needs may hinder you from having a better, smarter, and more efficient email experience across your Apple devices, whether it’s a Mac, an iPhone, or even an Apple Watch. 

So, in this article, we’ve reviewed the 10 best email clients for Mac (and other Apple devices) that can help MacOS users improve productivity and streamline email communication. 

Turn Your Inbox Into a Productivity Powerhouse

Supercharge your email productivity and focus on what really matters.

Try for Free

Why Do You Need an Email Client for Mac?

Think about how many emails you receive every day. Whether it’s an urgent email from your boss, a reminder about the upcoming deadline from your teammate, or yet another newsletter you don’t remember subscribing to, your inbox is likely cluttered all the time (unless you somehow manage to keep an Inbox Zero at all times). 

And now, think about how much time it takes you to open, read, and reply to emails every day. Most likely, you’ve got thousands of unopened emails cluttering your inbox because you don’t have enough time to manage all of them.  

If you’re a MacOS user, having a good email client for Mac can help you save a significant amount of time on email organization and management with features like email snooze, send later, or one-click unsubscribes. 

How to Pick the Best Email App for Mac

Choosing the best email client for Mac – especially one that can help you manage multiple email addresses – isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. Several factors come into play when sending emails. For instance, your email app for Mac should: 

  • Be intuitive and user-friendly, enabling you to navigate your inbox with ease.
  • Integrate with other apps, such as your calendar app or cloud storage provider, to allow seamless workflow across different platforms. 
  • Offer strong security features, such as message encryption and spam filters, to protect sensitive information.
  • Offer solid email organization and management features to make emailing more efficient.

And most of all, if you’re a Mac OS or iOS user, your chosen email client should be designed specifically for these operating systems.  

Top 10 Email Clients for Mac OS in 2024

With so many options, choosing the best email client for Mac can be challenging. To help you make the right choice, we’ve prepared this list of the 10 best email clients for Mac with their features, pros, and cons.

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 Email Client Overall ✅

best email clients for mac

Canary Mail is a modern email client that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to transform your email experience. What’s more, it offers a unified inbox and allows you to sync all your email accounts from various platforms, like Gmail, iCloud, Outlook, Yahoo, and ProtonMail, into one place.

Thanks to its AI-powered capabilities, Canary Mail helps you write emails, spot important messages, and manage unwanted emails by studying your email habits. What’s more, Canary Mail prioritizes security and privacy, and it doesn’t show ads or mine your data.

🛠️ 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: 

👍🏻 Pros:

👎🏻 Cons:

  • It may take time to learn 
  • Some might find the AI suggestions either too intrusive or unnecessary

💰 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

Turn Your Inbox Into a Productivity Powerhouse

Supercharge your email productivity and focus on what really matters.

Try for Free

2. Apple Mail – Best Native Email Client for Mac

email client for mac

Most Mac users prefer using Apple’s integrated email client, Apple Mail. Since it’s Apple’s native email app, it perfectly syncs across all Apple devices and integrates with other Apple apps, like iCloud, Calendar, Contacts, and Notes. In essence, Apple Mail is quite basic, with a user-friendly and straightforward layout and a clean, uncluttered design.

🛠️ 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

👍🏻 Pros:

  • Syncs across all Apple devices 
  • Integrates with all essential Apple apps 
  • Easy to use and intuitive interface 
  • Comes for free and by default with your Apple device

👎🏻 Cons:

  • May be too basic for some users
  • Lack of inbox customization options 
  • Lack of email management features like email snooze or send later

💰 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

3. Spike – Best for Chat-Like Email Experience

best-email-for-mac-1

Spike isn’t an email client, per se. Rather, it’s a team communication app that brings together various communication channels into one platform, creating an instant-messaging-like experience. 

Spike’s email app focuses on transforming your email experience from long and messy email threads into organized chat conversations. The email app is available on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and the web.

🛠️ Spike Features

Spike’s email app offers a conversational, chat-like email with management features like calendar, notes, and tasks. Here are some of Spike’s main features

  • Unified inbox
  • Video and audio calls
  • Search history
  • Spike Magic AI feature
  • Message read indicator
  • Voice messages
  • Available on mobile, desktop & web

👍🏻 Pros:

  • Conversational, instant-messaging-like format
  • Built-in notes and tasks within the inbox
  • Supports video and audio calls
  • AI features

👎🏻 Cons:

  • Slow syncing and occasional glitches 
  • The user interface may be confusing 
  • Limitations in search functionality

💰 Spike Pricing

Spike offers a free version with limited features. Its paid plans for email users start at $5 per user per month (billed annually).

💬 Spike Reviews

Capterra Rating: 4.7/5

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

4. Outlook for Mac – Best Email Client for Microsoft Suite Users

best mac email client

Microsoft Outlook is a versatile email client that you can use in-browser or as an email app on your Mac or Windows computer. Outlook for Mac is a native app designed for macOS. Just like the web-based version of Microsoft Outlook, the app is free to use and syncs with your Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, and IMAP email accounts.

Although some users love Outlook for Mac for its ease of use, it’s worth noting that it displays ads in your inbox if you’re not subscribed to Microsoft 365. You can subscribe to the premium version for an ad-free experience. 

🛠️ 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

👍🏻 Pros:

  • Seamless integration with the Microsoft 365 suite
  • Free forever plan for email and calendar apps
  • Supports more than one account in one inbox
  • Enterprise-grade security

👎🏻 Cons:

  • Some users may find the interface less intuitive compared to other email apps.
  • The search function could be improved, as some users report difficulties in finding specific emails.

💰 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

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

mac email client

Spark is an email client for Windows and Mac that aims to help you build better email habits and streamline your workflows. It offers a smart inbox and a ton of features that make email management and organization faster and more efficient. It also integrates with popular third-party apps like Slack, Trello, and Asana to help you streamline your task management. 

Spark is available to download for Windows, Android, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch devices. 

🛠️ 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: 

👍🏻 Pros:

  • Easy to use and intuitive interface 
  • Handy features for email organization and management
  • Integrates with task management tools like Asana and Slack
  • Includes features for team collaboration, such as shared drafts and comments.

👎🏻 Cons:

  • Slow loading at times 
  • The app may be confusing to navigate
  • May not be suitable for individual use

💰 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

6. Hey – Best Email Client for Email Organization

mail app for mac

Hey is a relatively new email client with an innovative take on email organization. Its core feature is its specially designed “imbox” that prioritizes important emails. Plus, it 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 both individuals and teams, although it may be too advanced for personal use. 

Hey is available on the Web, iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.

🛠️ 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

👍🏻 Pros:

  • A modern and user-friendly interface
  • Easy team collaboration
  • Tons of features that simplify email management
  • Integration with the Hey Calendar app

👎🏻 Cons:

  • No free forever plan (only a 14-day free trial)
  • Limited search functionality 
  • May be too expensive for individual needs

💰 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

7. Airmail – Best for Sleek Interface & Design

macintosh email applications

Airmail is an email client designed specifically for iOS, macOS, and watchOS and can be used on all Apple devices, including Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro. Its interface is indeed reminiscent of Apple’s aesthetics through its sleek design and fast speed. It even won the Apple Design Award in 2017. 

What’s more, Airmail allows its users to add and manage multiple email accounts from its app, like Gmail, iCloud Mail, Exchange, Office 365, Microsoft Outlook, IMAP, and POP3. 

🛠️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

👍🏻 Pros:

  • Works with all primary email providers
  • Security with Face and Touch ID
  • Syncs with iCloud across all Apple devices 
  • Uses Siri shortcuts to send emails
  • Integrates with apps like Todoist, OmniFocus, Fantastical, Calendar 5, Dropbox, and OneDrive

👎🏻 Cons:

  • Can only be used by Apple users 
  • Interface may not be very intuitive for some users

💰 Airmail Pricing

Airmail is generally free to use on Mac, iPhone, and iPad with 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

8. Postbox – Best for Email Productivity

email for macintosh

Postbox is a third-party email client for Mac and PC that focuses on email productivity. Although it works well on macOS and Windows, Postbox offers a set of features specifically designed for Mac. 

Because of its focus on email productivity, Postbox integrates with a variety of other email providers like Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Office 365, Outlook, Fastmail, and ProtonMail. Plus, it offers handy features that help users save time, like its advanced search function, send later, and smart folders. 

🛠️ 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  

👍🏻 Pros:

  • A visually appealing and intuitive interface
  • Supports numerous third-party integrations
  • Features a powerful search function
  • Works with any IMAP or POP account

👎🏻 Cons:

  • Lacks some critical functionalities
  • No AI features

💰 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

9. MailMate – Best for Keyboard Control

best free email client for mac

MailMate is an IMAP email client for macOS with a particular focus. Its feature suite is very niche, focusing on extensive keyboard control, Markdown email composition, and advanced search capabilities. Unlike other email clients that may prioritize visual aesthetics or a plethora of features, MailMate’s focus lies in functionality and simplicity.

Overall, MailMate caters to users who prefer keyboard shortcuts and efficiency in their email management over fancy design. If you’re seeking a modern email client with lots of handy features, MailMate isn’t right for you. 

🛠️ MailMate Features

MailMate has a rather limited set of features. Here they are: 

  • Extensive keyboard control 
  • Markdown-integrated email composition
  • Advanced search functionality 
  • Drill-down search links
  • Advanced smart mailboxes
  • Automatic signature handling
  • Cryptographic encryption, signing, and tagging 
  • Multiple notification methods
  • Alternative message viewer layouts

👍🏻 Pros:

  • Extensive keyboard shortcuts
  • Facilitates plain text email authoring
  • Advanced search conditions

👎🏻 Cons:

  • Limited visual appeal 
  • Outdated interface 
  • Lacks modern features 
  • No free version

💰 MailMate Pricing

Available at $49.99 for a single-user license.

💬 MailMate Reviews

Capterra Rating: N/A

G2 Rating: N/A

10. Twobird – Best for Inbox Zero

email client mac

Twobird is an all-in-one email client that focuses on the Inbox Zero method. Its features 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 only supports Google and Microsoft accounts. It’s available to download for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android. 

🛠️ 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 

👍🏻 Pros:

  • All-in-one platform for email, tasks, calendar, and chat
  • Helps to reduce context-switching
  • Promoted a focused inbox 
  • Easy to use and intuitive interface 
  • Completely free to download and use 

👎🏻 Cons:

  • Mobile apps can be buggy
  • Core concept only works for Inbox Zero
  • Only supports Google and Microsoft accounts  

💰 Twobird Pricing

Twobird is completely free to download and use.

💬 Twobird Reviews

Capterra Rating: N/A

G2 Rating: N/A

Best Email App for Mac, a Comparative Table

Features  Canary  Mail Apple Mail Spike  Outlook  Spark  Hey   Airmail   Postbox   MailMate    Two  bird 
Free Version
Storage 1GB 15GB 5GB
Pricing Canary Mail pricing page Free $5/month  $1.99/month   $4.99/month   $12/month   $9.99/month   $49/lifetime 

 $49.99/lifetime 

 Free
AI                  
Read Receipts                  
Snooze Option      
Biometric App Lock                       
Push Notification for Important Emails

Best Mac Email Client, the Bottom Line

Choosing the best email client for Mac OS depends on your needs and preferences. Apple Mail might be the best choice if you value simplicity and seamless integration with your Mac. However, if you need advanced features and integrations, other email clients might better align with your needs.  

Ultimately, the best email client for you is the one that helps you improve your productivity, streamline your workflows, and make email management easier. If you’re looking for a modern email client that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to help you create a smarter email experience, give Canary Mail a try.

Best Email Client for Mac, the FAQs

❓ What factors should I consider when choosing an email client for Mac?

As the article suggests, you can consider factors such as the user interface, integration capabilities, security, and privacy features. Also, cost and special features like calendar integration or task management.

❓ Are there any free email clients for Mac?

Yes, several email clients listed in the article offer free versions. That includes Apple Mail, Gmail for Mac, Spike, Outlook, Spark, TwoBird, and Canary Mail. However, some of these clients also offer paid versions with additional features.

❓  What are the pros and cons of using Apple Mail as an email client?

The pros of using Apple Mail include seamless integration with Mac OS, support for all primary email services, and a simple and user-friendly interface. The cons are that it lacks advanced features and may not be ideal for power users.

❓  Are there any email clients that focus on security and privacy?

Canary Mail emphasizes security and privacy with features like secure encryption, impersonation detection, biometric app lock, and data loss prevention. It also follows a privacy-first approach with no ads or data mining.

❓  What are some email clients that offer AI-powered features?

Canary Mail is one email client that offers AI-powered features. It can write emails, prioritize your inbox based on your email habits, silence spam, and much more.

Phoebe Brown
Phoebe Brown

As a British writer and productivity coach, I’m passionate about unraveling the intricacies of email, SaaS, and artificial intelligence. With a knack for making the complex simple, my work empowers individuals and teams to harness these tools for maximum impact.

All of your Emails, in One Place

Switching between inboxes is a waste of time. Streamline your communication with our unified inbox.

Try our Unified Inbox
All of your Emails, in One Place