On iOS, Apple has been improving the default Mail app with each iOS interaction. With iOS 13, the company has added a bunch of features to level up against the rivals. The competition is stepping ahead with frequent updates and more customization options with better organization and more. Spark and Airmail are two of the most feature-rich email apps for the iOS ecosystem. Both apps have focused on the shortcoming of the default iOS Mail app to improve the user experience. In this post, we are going to compare Spark to Airmail and conclude which email app suits better for your usage. The comparison will cover differences in UI, features, email organization, availability, and more. Let’s jump in.
App Size
Spark Mail weighs at 173MB while Airmail measures about 131MB. Download Spark Mail for iOS Download Airmail for iOS
Cross-Platform Availability
After being on iOS for years, Spark recently made a debut on Android, making it truly cross-platform against the rivals. It has native apps for Mac and iPad too. Airmail only exists in the Apple ecosystem. The app is available on iOS and macOS.
User Interface
In terms of the user interface, it feels like the same team has designed both the apps. Let’s talk about Spark first. The app uses a standard iOS design guidelines with a hamburger menu and major options at the top. Smart Inbox, calendar, and search menu are at the top while the compose mail button is at the bottom. It uses a white theme and supports iOS 13 dark theme. Airmail is identically the same. It follows the hamburger menu with major options such as compose and search at the top. Airmail should explore the possibility of using the bottom bar menu for major options. Theming options include Aura, Ruby, Neon, and Dark theme from the Settings. It’s a paid feature, which I will explain later.
Email Organization
Here is where Apple’s default Mail lacks compared to third-party apps. A clean and efficient organization is where power users start looking for alternatives. Spark, by default, enables Smart Inbox, which is similar to Outlook’s Focused Inbox. Smart Inbox categorizes emails based on the subject and content. There are different tabs for notifications, newsletters, pinned mails, and read ones. I like it. It keeps me engaged with the most relevant emails. Airmail doesn’t offer anything like that, but it has a quick trick up its sleeve to get things done. When you tap on the account name on the top, the app will showcase a bunch of options such as Unread, Attach, Threads, Star, and Sort at the bottom. Tap on it and get through the important emails in seconds.
Features
Both Spark and Airmail come loaded with a bunch of functions. Spark integrates a full calendar function and it lets you link Gmail, Family, and Holidays schedules in it. You can snooze an email to get a notification at the set time. Open an email, and you can give quick replies, mark it as spam, and even add services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote, Trello, and more. Head to Settings, and you can use every option of Spark. The personalization menu lets you change the look and behavior of the app. Siri shortcuts let you search, compose mail, or open a folder with voice commands. The other functions are email scheduling, Face ID protection, add email templates for quick replies to common emails, and more. Airmail marches ahead here. First, it supports iCloud syncing and lets you back up every possible setting to the cloud platform. The services list is also bigger than Spark’s and includes Google Tasks, Asana, Instapaper, iA Writer, Drafts 5, and many more. Apart from that, you can snooze a mail, apply a label, create a pdf, use Siri shortcuts, unsubscribe a mail from one-tap, and more from the mail options.
Compose a New Mail
Spark nails this one. In the compose screen, you can add media, use mail templates to add general responses, set the app to remind about a no-response from the other side. You can also set emails to send it later at a fixed time. Spark lets you create teams from the setting, and you can invite team members to compose an email. The compose mail screen is a hit and miss in Airmail. It’s loaded with functions, but the menus and icons are too small for precise input. Airmail offers proper word-processing options such as Bold, Italic, Paragraph alignment, and more. The other options are send later, remind me function, signature, templates, and the ability to attach files and documents.
Price
Here is where Spark pulls up ahead. The app is completely free to use, with no strings attached. It’s surprising given the kind of options and functions it provides. Airmail is free for basic stuff, but you need to pay $12/year to make the most out of it.
Achieve Inbox Zero
As you can see from the comparison above, both the apps offer plenty of reasons to choose one over the other. Spark is feature-loaded, looks good, and its completely free to use. Airmail offers better organization and compose mail screen. Next up: Apple Mail is also capable of nifty tricks. Read the post below to find top tips and tricks for Apple Mail on iOS.
