M
OST iPHONE USERSnever even
consider using an email client other
than Apple’s own Mail on their iPhone
or iPad. But you’re different, right? You’re a
discerning user who has needs for which Mail
doesn’t quite cater. Or for whom its interface
or general way of working just doesn’t... well,
work. The good news is that there are a host
of other email clients on the App Store, and
some of them are very good indeed.
The second piece of good news is that
many of them are completely free, while
others only charge if you need premium
features. Even Microsoft’s Outlook, which
has come on leaps and bounds since the
Redmond firm acquired it as Accompli four
years ago, is completely free. You don’t need
an Office 365 subscription to use it and it
works with any email account. That’s also
true of Google’s Gmail app. Despite being
designed for Gmail accounts, you can just as
easily use it with iCloud, Yahoo or Microsoft
email addresses. Or you can set it up as the
client for an IMAP email account.
We’ve chosen a range of email apps for
this group test. Some offer features that willsuit you better if you work alone, others will
be a better match if you who work as part
of a team. Spark, for example, is very much
one for team players, with its ability to
delegate tasks and share messages. However,
it’s far from the only app on test that has
interesting features. Whether you want to
snooze incoming messages so you can deal
with them later, reply quickly with a pre–
formatted message, or integrate your email
client more tightly with your workflow,
there’s an app here that can help. All the
apps also have an iPad version, and many
have an app for Apple Watch.Things to consider...
Everything you need to know before starting
1
macOS VERSION?
If you find an iOS mail client you like,
you may well want to use it on your Mac too.
Of those tested here, Airmail, Outlook and
Spark have Mac versions, while Gmail can
be used on the web.2
WATCH APP?
Apple Watch owners should check
whether there’s a watchOS app for their
preferred email client. We’ve noted which
of the apps tested here have a watchOS
app in the features table on page 67.3
COST
Many email apps are free but they run
adverts, while others have a purchase price
but are ad–free. All the apps tested here,
both free and paid–for, eschew adverts.4
SIRI SHORTCUTS
Three apps here have Siri Shortcuts,
the iOS 12 feature that enables you to assign
voice commands to actions within apps.
Gmail, Edison Mail and Spike currently have
none. Airmail only has one pre-made one
and Outlook offers a couple. Spark has three.5
ENCRYPTION
None of the apps here offer
encryption, but there are several iOS apps,
like Canary Mail, that allow you to encrypt
messages to keep them secure in transit.6
READ RECEIPTS/UNSEND
Some email clients, including some
tested here, claim to offer read receipts and
a recall (or “unsend”) feature. However, their
reliability depends on the servers used.How we tested
We set each app up with
our regular email accounts
and put them through
their paces in the tests
described. We ran them on
both iPhone and iPad, and
used them with multiple
email accounts. We sent
and received messages,
some with attachments, as
both text and HTML. This
let us check how each app
rendered formatted
messages.HIGHER...
CANARY MAIL
canarymail.io
$9.99
Canary Mail offers end–
to–end encryption for
messages, as well as
read notifications,
templates and natural
language search....OR LOWER?
YAHOO MAIL
yahoo.com
Free
If you don’t mind adverts,
Yahoo Mail offers a GIF–
friendly, colorful
alternative, and it works
with any email address.The Edison Mail app boasts a built–in assistant that
can automatically categorize messages for you.Image rights opposite page: Google. Image rights this page top to bottom: Edison Software, Mailr Tech, Yahoo.Tough testing, trusted ratings
maclife.comAUG 2019 65