Alternatives to Apple Mail

The email app built into macOS, iOS and iPadOS for reading mail from several providers. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

  • Apple Mail

    The email app built into macOS, iOS and iPadOS for reading mail from several providers.

    FreeProprietarymacOSiOS

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Apple Mail.

  • Microsoft Outlook

    Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts app for desktop, mobile and the web.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOSWeb

    Microsoft Outlook runs on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and the web with integrated calendar and contacts, but is closed source, tied to Microsoft services, and some features need a paid plan.

  • Thunderbird

    Mozilla’s desktop mail client, with calendar, contacts and a unified inbox, funded by donations rather than ads.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Thunderbird is open source and free on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, adding calendar, tasks, add-ons and built-in OpenPGP, though it has no iOS app.

  • Spark Mail

    Smart email client that auto-sorts inboxes and drafts AI-powered replies.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

    Spark Mail adds automatic inbox categorization and AI-drafted replies on Mac, iOS, Windows and Android, with AI and team features on a paid plan.

  • Canary Mail

    Encrypted email client with AI features across desktop and mobile.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

    Canary Mail adds built-in encryption and AI triage across Mac, iOS, Windows and Android, but the full feature set requires a paid subscription and AI uses cloud processing.

  • eM Client

    A polished commercial mail, calendar and contacts client for Windows and Mac, with a free tier capped at two accounts.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

    eM Client brings mail, calendar, tasks, notes and PGP and S/MIME encryption to Mac and Windows, with a free tier capped at two accounts and no commercial use.

  • Mailspring

    A desktop mail client with a unified inbox, snooze and send later, whose paid tier adds read receipts.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Mailspring is an open source Electron client for macOS, Windows and Linux with snooze, send later and templates free, while read receipts sit on a paid tier.

  • BlueMail

    Cross-platform email and calendar client with a unified inbox.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    BlueMail offers one unified inbox with shared settings across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, but some features are paid and its credential handling has drawn criticism.

  • Mailbird

    Desktop email client for Windows and macOS with a unified inbox.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOS

    Mailbird is a paid unified-inbox client for Windows and macOS with app integrations, and has no iPhone or iPad version listed.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Apple Mail as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • Airmail

    A customisable email client for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.

    FreemiumProprietarymacOSiOS

    Apple Mail is free and preinstalled on Mac, iPhone and iPad, supports iCloud and other providers, and works with iCloud+ Hide My Email addresses.

  • Edison Mail

    A multi-account email app that combines all your inboxes into one place, without ads.

    FreeProprietarymacOSAndroidiOS

    Apple Mail is free and preinstalled on Mac, iPhone and iPad, but offers no Android version.

  • MailMate

    A keyboard-driven IMAP email client for macOS with Markdown composition and advanced search.

    FreemiumProprietarymacOS

    Apple Mail is free and preinstalled on Mac, iPhone and iPad, but lacks MailMate's Markdown composition and extensive keyboard control.

  • Microsoft Outlook for iOS and Android

    Microsoft's Outlook mobile app for email, calendar and contacts on iPhone, iPad and Android.

    FreemiumProprietaryAndroidiOS

    Apple Mail is free and preinstalled on iPhone and iPad with iCloud Hide My Email support, but has no Android version and no calendar in the same app.

  • Mimestream

    A native macOS email client built specifically for Gmail using the Gmail API.

    PaidProprietarymacOS

    Apple Mail is free and preinstalled on the Mac and supports Gmail among other providers, but lacks Mimestream's full Gmail label and category handling.

  • Nine

    An Android and iOS email app built on Exchange ActiveSync for mail, calendar, contacts and tasks.

    PaidProprietaryAndroidiOS

    Apple Mail is free and preinstalled on iPhone and iPad with support for several providers, but it has no Android version or MDM-focused enterprise edition.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.