5 of the Best Apple Mail Alternatives for Mac

Apple’s Mail is a free, native email application that ships with every Mac, making it a solid default choice for most users, especially those using iCloud. However, the Mail app is one of the least innovative Apple-made macOS apps and without a major change in quite some time.

But you can find many alternatives for Apple’s Mail. Many of those can help you become more productive and safer on the Web. Here are five amazing suggestions for you!

1. Spark

Spark is a free (in a limited form) and impressive desktop email client for Mac that not only allows you to organize inboxes automatically but also postpone emails and send one-click replies to your contacts. Its “Smart Inbox” sorting feature uses buckets like Personal, Newsletters, and Notifications to bubble important messages at the top.

You can also schedule your emails. Similarly, if you send an email and don’t receive a response, Spark can nudge you with follow-up reminders. This feature alone could be a lifesaver if you depend on email to grow your business and reach new partners and customers.

Spark for Teams is available for organizations as a shared email platform with features like collaborative composing and private commenting in small chat boxes. You can also invite teammates to collaborate and proofread your emails.

Many of the features mentioned above come free of charge, and that includes team features. However, to expand Spark’s features and get unlimited resources, you’ll need to pay $7.99 per month (per single active user).

What we like:

• As simple or as complex as you need it to be
• Highly useful Smart inbox
• Supports any email account
• Great for small and large teams

What we don’t like:

• Not the most private option
• Tech support may be slow

2. Boxy

In general, the best applications out there (of any kind) get out of your way. They’re not intrusive, and they don’t require you to spend any time learning the ropes. One such application is Boxy (full name – Boxy Suite 2). This Apple Mail alternative for Mac is focused on a single thing – letting you dive into Google services in a familiar way.

Instead of being a completely rebuilt Gmail experience, Boxy is a custom wrapper for Google’s services, styled to match macOS’s modern interface. You can count on interacting with Gmail in the way you did before and choose from standard or minimal Gmail interfaces. There’s a dark mode, quick launcher (great for G-Suite power users), email tracking detection, easy account switching, integrations with other services, a special “Reader Mode,” and plenty more.

Let’s not forget that Boxy isn’t only about Gmail. It works equally well with Calendar, Keep, and Contacts. It also receives regular updates that expand its set of features on a monthly basis. All of that is available for $29/yearly – but you get a two-week trial, which seems like a fair offer.

What we like:

• Incredibly polished interface
• Speedy performance
• Plenty of features for advanced users
• Regular updates
• You already know how to use it

What we don’t like:

• Works with Gmail only
• Isn’t free but still affordable

3. HEY

HEY is more than an email app – it’s an email service. That means you’ll need to sign up for your own @hey.com address, then download the HEY app. This is when things will start to get very interesting. The first time you receive an email from someone, a simple “YES” or “NO” will help you set up rules on who can contact you. This first phase is called “The Screener.”

After that, HEY will put emails into one of three possible places. There’s “The Imbox,” for your important stuff that you need to address as soon as possible. There’s “The Feed,” which organizes your non-urgent mail like newsletters and such. Then there’s “The Paper Trail,” for things you rarely need to see (like receipts). So if you need an Apple Mail alternative for Mac that offers something completely different – you’re looking at it!

HEY also comes with a handy “Reply Later” feature built into the app. (It’s not a clunky workaround, like in Gmail and Outlook.) You’re also free to search for files from a central place, change (rename) email subjects, set up custom reminders, and more. The only catch here: HEY is priced at $99 per year.

What we like:

• 100 percent unique
• Dozens of features you won’t find elsewhere
• Advanced email organization
• Your privacy is protected (no trackers)

What we don’t like:

• Pricey option
• You need a new email address

4. AirMail

Our list of the best Apple Mail alternatives for Mac wouldn’t be complete without an Apple-centric email client. Many of the apps featured in this article offer apps not only on macOS but also on other platforms. However, AirMail is dedicated only to Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems.

First, you should know that AirMail is a winner of Apple’s Design Award, which says a lot. Its macOS app is incredibly polished in every single way. It comes as a minimalist solution, but you can turn it into something very powerful since it offers any type of customization. Aside from unmatched customization, you get different kinds of inboxes, actions and rules, plugins that expand AirMail’s functionality, and more.

When compared to Apple’s Mail app, AirMail has a handy widget. You can use it as your inbox to check your mail without disrupting your workflow. You can also snooze email messages, send emails and replies at a later time, and protect your privacy by blocking tracking pixels and prevent images from loading.

Lastly, know that many of AirMail’s features come free of charge. However, to unblock this email app’s capabilities, you’ll need to pay $2.99 per month or $9.99 per year. As you may already guess, we think this is a fantastic deal.

What we like:

• Unparalleled customization
• Great for preserving your privacy
• Polished interface
• Works on any Apple device
• Affordable

What we don’t like:

• Not the most helpful support team
• Not the most useful built-in search functionality

5. Postbox

Postbox offers robust tools for more efficient email management and looks much better than Apple Mail. This email client lets you group your emails by topic, which is great with multiple email accounts. You can also divide your tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks for better organization.

Features like the pre-made responses set Postbox part, though it lacks essential features like Send Later and Snooze. The unique feature is the Account Groups, which lets you combine your accounts into a unified box and separates or blends your work in an organized manner. There’s also a Focus Pane from which you can filter emails quickly to find what you want.

A nifty time tracker shows the length of time you took composing emails, and word count is included as well. When you’re ready to hit “Send,” domain fencing checks that you send emails to the appropriate recipients.

Lastly, keep in mind that Postbox has a 30-day free trial and supports the most popular email service providers and protocols like SMTP, POP3, and IMAP. This email app is currently priced at $39.99 per user and brings lifetime licenses (so no subscriptions).

What we like:

• Regular and consistent updates
• Ideal for more advanced users
• Offers a 30-day trial (no limitations)
• Integrated account management

What we don’t like:

• Very similar to Apple’s Mail in terms of the UI
• Comes with a bit of a learning curve

Conclusion

These are what we have judged to be the five best Apple Mail alternatives for your Mac in 2021! However, while we still have your attention, we’d like to recommend a couple of extra resources.

First, make sure to learn how to change your Mac’s default apps (handy if you plan on changing your Mac’s default email app). You’ll also want to know how to encrypt your emails on macOS.