The latest incarnation trickles in a few new features. I used to love Apple Mail but it’s begun to stagnate with the last few versions of OS X (Mail is free with OS X Mavericks). It can be buggy, occasionally has issues playing nice with Gmail, and lacks some more advanced features that are present (and have been present for years) in other third-party email clients.Mail.app. Mailplane's notifier lets you know how many unread messages are in your inboxes, right from your Mac's menu bar.While Mail.app provides a free, full-featured email client on every Mac and has even pioneered some innovative features over the years (like VIP and Handoff), it’s definitely not for everyone.Innovative Features — As the amount of email we receive grows over time, the way we deal with it must evolve. You want to focus on reading and responding to email, not navigating complex menus or trying to figure out basic functions. Ease of use — The email client you use should give you the tools you need to get the job done while staying out of the way as much as possible.
![]() Support for Gmail-Style Shortcuts — If you’ve ever used Gmail keyboard shortcuts, you probably can’t imagine not using them since they can drastically reduce the amount of time you spend in your email client. If an email client doesn’t support your email provider, then it’s just not an option for you — no matter how awesome it looks. Support for Multiple Account Types — The best third-party email clients are flexible enough to offer support for many different types of accounts, such as Gmail, iCloud, O365, Yahoo, Exchange, IMAP, etc. Email is personal, and some email clients allow you to install widgets or plugins that can extend the core functionality, enabling you to create a very custom application that meets your specific email needs on any device. Customization/Widgets — A good email client is flexible enough to support customization. Many emails you receive have a task associated with them or a file you need to save for later, so it makes sense that you should be able to link that email message to your task management system (like Things 3, our favorite GTD app) or a cloud storage solution like iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Integration with Other Apps/Services — Email doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Update Schedule — The email client you use should have a track record of being well-supported to minimize the risk of it suddenly disappearing, forcing you to figure out a new tool for your email workflow. These shortcuts can be a game-changer for how you read and respond to email, so it’s important that the best third-party email client for Mac support these. And if the message doesn’t require a response, you can use 4 different swipe gestures to mark it as read, archive it, pin it for later, or delete it entirely.One of the things that Apple Mail gets right is the support for smart mailboxes. These are handy when you need to indicate that you’ve received or seen an email but don’t necessarily need to type out a lengthy reply. This shows you the real emails from real people first so you can respond to the things that are important and save the rest for later.Another unique feature in Spark is Quick Replies, which allows you to send short, templated responses. The first thing you’ll notice is the Smart Inbox, which collects emails from all of your accounts and automatically organizes them into categories like Notifications, Newsletters, Personal, and Seen. It’s a great productivity tool for individual users, and also offers some innovative features for teams that need to collaborate on emails together.Everywhere you look in Spark, there are features focused on making email better. Roxio creator downloadBut what makes this feature really useful is the way it’s implemented. All you have to do is start typing and Spark instantly shows you the available options.Spark also has a built-in calendar view, which can be useful when replying to a message requesting a call or meeting at a specific time. Smart search appears all over the place in Spark, and functions a lot like Spotlight for your email client. Fortunately, Spark has support for smart mailboxes but they are even easier to create thanks to the built-in smart search feature. Once you set up and use smart folders in Apple Mail, it can be hard to switch to an email client that doesn’t support it. While the integrations provide much of the standard functionality available in other third-party email apps (like adding a due date for a task or choosing a notebook for reference material), the export window is customized to match the style of the service you are using. Such as, if you set up a standard IMAP account in Spark, the calendar view isn’t going to help you, but it is nice for the account types that support it.In addition to Google and iCloud, Spark supports quite a few different email account types, including:Spark also integrates directly with other productivity apps like Things, OmniFocus, and Bear, just to name a few. There are some obvious limitations with this based on your account and service type. The difference is subtle, but important — Spark is not trying to be your calendar, it’s just allowing you to access your calendar. If you use something like Google or iCloud and then create calendar events in Spark, they will instantly show up on all your calendars in all your apps (like Fantastical or BusyCal). Spark does it a little bit differently. If you never use Spark’s collaboration features, it’s still an incredible email client. But Spark also includes features that make it a great solution as a team-based email tool.At first glance, it may be difficult to see the value or need for team-based email, and that’s okay. Some of our favorites are email templates (so you don’t have to create your message from scratch every time), the ability to send messages later, follow up reminders, snoozing email messages, and customizable keyboard shortcuts (you can just click a button to use the standard set from Gmail or even Apple Mail if you prefer). You can even create a secure weblink from any message that can be accessed via a web browser, which is a great way to integrate Spark with other web-based tools like a CRM.Spark also has an interesting pricing model built on its unique team-based collaborative features. You can also attach files to your comments so that all related client documents are kept together. This is also a MUCH better method for keeping people “in the loop” than the traditional CC: or BCC: method which just leads to cluttered inboxes. Best Gmail App Download Spark OnA VERY Close Second: AirmailAirmail is marketed as being a “lightning-fast email client for Mac,” and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. The Premium plan is $7.99/user per month (or $6.39/user per month if billed annually).Download Spark on the Mac App Store for Free. You can upgrade to the Premium plan for a larger team, which includes 10GB per team member of file storage, unlimited collaborators, unlimited email templates, and even advanced link sharing options. The free version even allows you to get started with the team features, giving you up to 5GB of team file storage, 2 active collaborators (perfect if you work with an assistant), and up to 5 email templates.
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