I have seen most of the iOS users sticking with the default mail app out of the box. And that’s perfectly fine for normal consumers. But if you are a power user and wants an email app that works better overall, then the list below might be a better fit for you. In past we have already covered stock Apple apps alternatives and in this post, we are going to talk about the top five alternatives to the Apple Mail app on iOS. I will list out their advantages, disadvantages, price, and the reasons to choose it over the others. Let’s get started.
1. Microsoft Outlook
If you are a heavy user of Email and Calendar, then look no further and download Microsoft Outlook. The app is beautifully designed with smooth animations. It supports the majority of email providers out there. Outlook recently got nice dark theme support, which looks better than Apple Mail. The app offers a compelling ‘Focused Inbox’ option. which automatically organizes the most relevant emails and pushes the remaining mails in the Other Inbox. Focused Inbox is a boon for everyone, especially the folks who frequently get marketing and social media junk in the mail. Outlook also comes with a built-in calendar function. You can integrate events from Facebook, meetup, and Evernote. One can also add sports calendar such as Cricket, NBA, NFL, and TV showtimes right inside the app. Besides that, Outlook offers a neat iOS widget and hard-press shortcuts such as composing a new mail, adding a new event from the home screen. As expected, its tightly integrated with Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive. The app also lets you add an extra layer of security with Face ID option. Download Microsoft Outlooks for iOS
2. Gmail
Gmail for iOS recently went through a design makeover which follows the Material Theme 2.0 guidelines. The menus and sections have rounded corners with lots of white themes. Gmail has a neat trick to switch between accounts. You can use the hamburger menu and switch profiles. Alternatively, you can swipe up/down on the profile icon in the search bar. It’s a timesaver. Gmail categorize the emails in relevant categories such as Social, Promotions, Ads, etc. You can start an email for easy access in the hamburger menu. Google has put AI brain to work in Gmail with Smart Reply and Smart Compose. As the name suggests, Smart Reply displays automated one-tap-to-go email replies in the app. It’s useful when replying emails with short answers. Smart Compose will suggest the upcoming words as you type the new email. My advice would be to use it but don’t trust it blindly and double-check the mail before hitting the send button. Unfortunately, Gmail still doesn’t have dark mode, Face ID option, and it lacks iOS widget support for a glance over the unread mails. Download Gmail for iOS
3. Edison Email
Edison mail carries a sweet balance between form and function. The app is using a beautiful interface with major options hidden in the hamburger menu. Edison offers a Focused Inbox option, which is similar to Outlook. You can quickly Block a sender with a little Block icon in the mail. The app has tried to integrate their version of Smart Reply, but it’s no-where near close to Gmail. Edison mail lets you unsubscribe the unnecessary mail with a one-tap unsubscribe button. That could be handy for many as they don’t bother to find the unsubscribe button in an original mail. Smart Assistant function organizes the travel, package, bills, and entertainment details based on the information found in the mailbox. It’s a neat way to keep track of relevant information without opening an email. The other options include snooze email function, Face ID protection, email signature, and more. And hey, it’s completely free too. Download Edison Mail for iOS
4. Spark Mail
Spark mail is one of the best third-party email clients out there. And for various reasons too. The app is nicely designed with Smart Inbox at front. As the name suggests, it smartly divides the alerts, newsletters, pinned emails, and read emails in a list view. Toggle it off, and the app displays the emails in a normal view. It comes with calendar integration too. Now, it’s not as rich as Outlook but gets the job done with adding events and managing them in the app. Spark’s search function is the best one I have seen. I faced no problem finding the relevant email based on keywords. Other functionalities include background personalization, Siri shortcuts support, email scheduling, quick replies, and more. Download Spark Mail for iOS
5. Airmail
Airmail offers everything a power user can ask for. It has a simple yet effective way of sorting out an email from the mail list. You can tap the bottom menus to get to the relevant emails, or you can use the old way from the hamburger menu. Airmail offers a paid version which lets you unlock the functions such as snooze mail, send later, themes, agenda integration, and more. The app lets you Block, mute, and snooze a particular sender. You can even create email pdf, add an email to a task, apply a label, and move an email to a VIP section to easy access, and more. I like how you can just tap on the sender’s icon and see the detailed history of the email exchange with the sender. Download Airmail for iOS
Email like a Pro
Choose any from the above list, and you will be fine with the upgraded mail experience compared to Apple’s solution. Outlook and Gmail are solid options. Edison’s smart assistant is better than ever with organization, and Spark mail gets the job done with necessary options and calendar integration. And finally, Airmail is a dream come true for power users. Next up: Do you know that you can directly attach an iCloud file to the Outlook app? Read the post below to learn how do that.
