Unlike other stock apps like Notes and Safari for iOS, the Apple Mail app hasn’t seen vast improvements over the years. The lack of intuitive interface and smart inbox management prevents the email app from offering a simplified experience. Moreover, the app is quite limited when it comes to working with other popular services. But bother not, there are some of the best alternative email apps for iPhone and iPad that can fill the void – making the task of email management a painless exercise. So, if you have decided to look beyond Apple Mail for professional or personal needs, now is the perfect time to explore the most loved email clients for iOS and iPadOS in 2020.
Best Apple Mail Alternatives for iPhone and iPad in 2020
Wondering which email clients can fit your needs better? Well, we have picked out third-party email apps based on multiple factors like customization, integration with other services, and security. So, depending on what suits your taste, you can narrow down your search to find a more practical app. While exploring the features and weighing your options, do watch out for those designed to boost productivity by keeping the chaos away from your workflow. With that said, let’s head into the roundup!
1. Spark
If you want to keep the clutter away from your ever-loading inbox, look no further than Spark. Probably the best part about this app is the highly intuitive user-interface that makes the process of managing emails pretty easy, unlike Apple Mail. The smart inbox highlights all of your important emails and keeps the unnecessary ones out of sight. Moreover, it also categories emails into three main categories including personal, notifications, and newsletters so that it’s much easier for you to take a quick glance at the updates.
One of my favorite features of this app is the ability to invite colleagues to discuss specific emails and threads privately. It helps me communicate in a professional environment with privacy. Another feature that I love using is creating emails together. Times when it’s necessary to take everyone’s opinion the collaboration feature comes in super handy. Additionally, the integration with several services such as Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Box ensures you have a smooth email managing experience. Long story short, Spark is one of the best alternative emails apps for iPhone for taking control of emails.
As for price, Spark is free to use for individual users on any number of devices. However, if you want team features like inline messages and email collaboration, you have to subscribe to their premium plan.
Install: Free ($7.99/month/user)
2. Outlook
No lineup of the top email apps can be complete without Microsoft’s Outlook. Though the app has always been feature-rich, it’s not the variety of tools that make it stand out. To me, it’s the neat user-interface coupled with the more pragmatic email organizing features that put it ahead of many other rivals including Apple’s Mail app. For starters, you can connect this app with all of your email accounts and calendars to manage everything right from one stop. So, no more hopping from one app to the other just to keep yourself in the loop!
The inbox offers you the desired flexibility to sort between messages. Thus, you can easily access the emails that are essential to you and prevent the unnecessary ones from cluttering your inbox. As someone who likes using quick gestures for managing emails, I have found the swipe gestures to quickly archive unwanted messages, schedule emails, and delete redundant stuff quite helpful. Not to mention, Outlook also works with several popular apps (i.e Facebook, Trello, and Evernote) and allows you to view and attach files from OneDrive, Dropbox and other cloud storage services as well. If your email management means business, you would be hard-pressed to find a more versatile tool than this one.
Install: Free
3. Gmail
If simplicity and ease of use are what you are looking for in an Apple Mail alternative, Google’s Gmail would be a better pick for you. What gives it a clear edge over many other email apps across the platforms is the seamless integration with Google apps including Calendar, Drive, Docs, and more. Plus, it comes with a whole host of tools for managing emails without any pain. For instance, you can use swipe gestures to archive or delete emails and quickly manage your inbox.
Those who have multiple accounts and switch between them frequently would find the intuitive option to switch between multiple accounts quite handy. Besides, there is also a feature to undo send to prevent awkward mistakes from spoiling your impression. Personally, I like the smart compose suggestions that allow me to respond to emails quickly. With the security filter on offer, Gmail also ensures I don’t fall prey to the trap of spammers. There are several other Gmail features that I love and use on a daily basis. In a nutshell, I consider Google Gmail as probably the most productive alternative email app for iPhone.
Install: Free
4. Edison
Granted, the Edison email app is nowhere near as popular as Gmail and Outlook. Nor does it boast the seamless integration with Microsoft/Google’s suite of apps. So, why would you even consider it? Well, if I were to pick an email app based on smooth and snappier performance, it can easily outsmart everyone else including these famed rivals. Besides, it comes with a range of helpful features that can appeal to both professional and personal users.
The email client categorizes emails so that you can keep track of things like your upcoming events and bills due without having to dive deep into the inbox. Furthermore, it also provides unsubscribe suggestions to stop receiving unnecessary emails. As a user, I have found the option to automatically block read receipts, bulk delete emails, and block senders very helpful. But what has caught my eyes the most is the timely price alert that ensures I never miss out on any hot deals. If you want a faster and snappier email app, Edison can be a better contender for your needs.
Install: Free
5. Blue Mail
Blue Mail is yet another email client that aims at providing a more simplified email management experience. And from what I can tell after taking a close look at its features, it does live up to the claim. One of the major highlights of this app is that it works with many services including iCloud, Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook, Office 365, AOL and more. And with the support for IMAP, POP3, and Exchange protocols, it has got you fully covered – both in personal and professional environments. Moreover, you also get the flexibility to sync multiple inboxes from several providers for hassle-free email management.
One of my top picks of this email client is the ability to organize similar emails together which helps me prevent the inbox from looking messed up. Another feature that impressed me a lot is the spam management which allows me to easily block senders and domains. Not to mention the iMessage extension, widget, and the support for Siri which further enhances its reputation as one of the coolest email apps for iPhone.
Install: Free
6. Zoho Mail
Should you want to go for a productivity-centric email client, I would recommend you to try out Zoho Mail. Agreed, it doesn’t have an intuitive interface and also warrants some learning curve to get a good hang of all the notable features. However, it can go a long way in helping you take control of your emails. Features like the multiple accounts support and collaboration can prove to be immensely helpful for professionals.
Furthermore, Zoho Mail is ideally optimized for iPad. So, you can use the quick swipe gestures to move, archive, and delete emails. And yes, it also takes full advantage of Apple Pencil, allowing you to scribble, annotate on photos. As it also works with Apple Watch, you can keep track of the latest emails right from your wrist. Add to that the integrated calendar and offline functionality and you have an alternative email app for iPhone that can fit into your demanding needs with ease.
Install: Free
7. myMail
For those looking for a more personalized experience, myMail would be the right answer. The app boasts a modern design language and offers plenty of customization so that you feel comfortable to handle all of your emails. For a unified experience, it works with many services including Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, Outlook, Hotmail, and more. Thus, taking control of multiple accounts from one convenient spot shouldn’t be a big deal.
Depending on your needs, you can set a quiet time for each account to manage professional and personal life in a better way. Moreover, there is also an option to fine-tune the appearance of the message list by turning off/on the message preview and avatars. Aside from neat customization, the app also offers precise search filters to get the desired search results quickly. Considering these useful features, myMail is a reliable bet for both professional and personal email management.
Install: Free
8. ProtonMail
Concerned about the safeguard of your personal information? If yes, give serious consideration to ProtonMail – the open-source email client. To shield your emails against the prying eyes, the app offers encrypted emails. That means, only the senders and receivers can read the messages. To add an additional layer of safeguard to your sensitive information, it also allows you to send password-protected encrypted emails.
As a user, I have loved using the feature that automatically destroys the emails after a certain time. From the security perspective, it looks well-timed. Even on the customization front, ProtonMail is quite decent. The app lets you organize emails with swipe gestures and labels so that your inbox can remain clutter-free. To sum it up, if protection matter on top of your priority list, look no further than ProtonMail as it’s the best secure alternative email app for iPhone.
Install: Free
9. Newton Mail
There are very few email apps that are as feature-packed as Newton Mail. But keep in mind, unlike all other apps mentioned in this roundup, this one demands a high price-tag ($49.99/year). Nevertheless, if you don’t mind spending some bucks for a secure and personalized email management experience, it can live up to the billing. The app features read receipts that offer read-status for each sent email. Additionally, it also notifies you as soon as your message is read.
Often forget to send wishes or fail to communicate in time? Well, you can schedule emails to be sent later. And just in case you don’t want to delete certain emails but wish to keep them away for a certain time, the snooze functionality can come into play really well. Apart from these useful features, what has appealed to me more in this app is the connection with a variety of apps that ensure you don’t need to leave the app to complete your workflow.
Install: 14-day free trial, $49.99/year
10. Nine Mail
“Nine Mail” has been around for quite some time. Though it had never been the most sought after email clients, it has always provided a helpful way to deal with emails. The email app has a good-looking user interface which is much easier to handle. Based on what suits your workflow, you can fully customize the app to only focus on the important messages and put the unwanted ones away. As it’s fully integrated with the contacts and calendar, you will have an easy time while planning for an event or inviting your friends for a specific event.
It also provides an automatic setup with well-known services such as Office 365, Exchange Online, Hotmail, Live.com, Outlook, MSN or G Suite. Therefore, you can control multiple accounts without leaving the app or spending a lot of time. Other notable features include the full HTML support (both inbound and outbound), rich text editor, and the global address list. Beyond these helpful features, I like the conversation mode which allows me to communicate with a bit more peace of mind. Do note that Nine Mail offers a free trial of just 14 days after which you will need to subscribe to the premium version to continue.
Install: 14-day free trial, $1.99/3 months ($14.99 for lifetime)
Choose the Best Alternative Email Apps for iPhone and iPad
So, these are our top email clients for iOS and iPadOS. Hopefully, you have found the right app for managing both personal and professional emails. Also, if you deal with a ton of emails daily, check out our article on reverse email lookup to easily determine a sender’s identity. But before you get entangled into your workflow, let us know the email apps that have appealed to your taste. Also, feel free to toss up the names of the notable ones that might be missing from the lineup.
