Email has changed how we communicate with our friends, employees, co-workers, relatives, etc. The first thing that 90 to 95 percent of internet users do after waking up in the morning or entering their office is that they check their inboxes. Social networking apps and websites have over 1 billion users combined. They allow you to share videos or pictures with other users within 5 to 10 seconds. Although social networks are doing pretty well, they cannot replace email clients and services. Email is one of the most important internet services. Millions of sites depend on it. Example: Many websites ask users to verify their email accounts. If you don’t use an email service, the site will not permit your account.
When Nokia was a famous company, people had to rely on websites and browsers to check their inboxes or send a new message to other users. Now, things have changed. Android and iOS OS have made our lives easier. The operating system’s brilliant architecture makes us less dependent on web browsers. We can use our favorite services without a browser by downloading an app. The same thing applies to emails. Several companies have launched email client apps for iOS and Android operating systems. Hence, we don’t have to use the browser to open Gmail, Outlook, or other sites. Although you’ll find 100s of email applications on the App Stores, only the below apps among the lot provide a great experience to the users.
Best email apps for iOS and Android – 2021 Edition
Gmail
Gmail is a free email service launched by the search engine giant Google in 2004. The size of this app on the Google Play Store is 12.9 megabytes. After installation, Gmail consumes 15+ megabytes of storage memory. When you run it for the 1st time, Gmail shows a beautiful slideshow with five slides and a skip button to open the main interface. If you are a first-time user, go through the slides one by one. Once you reach the last slide, you’ll see the “Done” button and several toggle buttons. Enable the toggle options of your choice and then tap on “Done”. If you have set up an email account for your Android phone/tablet, Gmail will automatically detect and fetch new emails from your account.
Gmail lets you set a reminder to call someone, send an email, text message, participate in a meeting, read messages, edit files saved on Google Drive, make reservations, etc. It also lets you pin important messages so that you can access them quickly. Gmail has a search option, and it allows you to compose new messages quickly. It supports third-party services such as Outlook, Hotmail, Live, Yahoo, etc. It comes pre-installed on Android phones. Update the app to the latest version to enjoy its new features. Gmail provides 20 GB of storage memory and is the best email app for Android and iOS phones and tablets.
Outlook by Microsoft
MS Outlook is similar to Gmail, but unlike the latter service, it offers only 5 GB of storage memory. Like Gmail, Outlook supports MS OneDrive. It has a powerful email management tool, a calendar utility, etc. The app lets you work with the documents you’ve saved to OneDrive. It supports dark and light themes.
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MyMail
MyMail is an excellent alternative to Gmail and Outlook. It is a lightweight email client application that supports Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook, AOL, QQ, and many other services. MyMail displays the number of unread emails and an option to mark the mail as read/spam on its top bar. It provides several filters. It is one of the few apps that can display only those emails with an attachment. MyMail saves a copy of emails on the phone’s storage memory. Hence, you can go through your inbox even when the phone is not connected to the internet. Users can configure MM to download attachments or load images in emails only when a WiFi connection is active on the phone.
By default, MyMail will play a sound when there’s a new email. It will also display a notification. You can change the sound/notification settings in the MM application. MyMail can automatically add your email address in the BCC field when you compose a new mail. It allows users to create a signature and filters that automatically move messages from certain addresses to a specific folder. MM displays ads on its menu. You can turn off the advertisements from its settings interface.
TypeApp
Have you tried TypeApp? If not, then try it out. TypeApp supports multiple email services. Its APK file size is 46 megabytes. TypeApp is easy to configure. It has an Android messenger like interface that displays emails from different accounts in one interface. Hence, composing and sending new emails is a piece of cake.
TA can insert signature and logo in new emails automatically. You’ll have to choose/upload a logo and set a signature to use this feature. You can customize the menu and enable LED/push notifications in this application. You can also pair the app with a nearby printer to print an email. TypeApp saves a copy of emails to the ROM. It supports the dark theme. The application supports the following services:
- AOL, Mail.RU, Sina, 163 mail.
- iCloud, QQ, Office 365, AOL.
- Yahoo, Outlook, and Gmail.
First-time users will see a list of the above services when they start TypeApp. Users must select the service they use, after which they must enter their login credentials to begin using the app. TypeApp has a good user interface. It is fast and easy to use.
Also read: Best File Compression apps for Android
Newton (CloudMagic)
Newton has 1+ million users. It is a complex app that makes things easier for the user. NT displays emails from services it supports in one dashboard. Hence, it saves time. Like other apps I’ve covered on this list, NT supports push notifications.
Apart from sending and reading emails, Newton allows you to link important messages to apps like ZenDesk, OneNote, Wunderlist, etc. NT lets users archive and delete messages. It also allows them to mark an email as read.
Spark
Spark is a top-rated iOS email client app. Its rating on the Apple App Store is 4.7 out of 5. Over 50K users have rated Spark. Spark is available for Android devices too. It is an excellent alternative to MS Outlook, Gmail, Proton, etc. Why is this so? Spark has some tools that none of the above apps offer. For example, its users can share emails via a link. Please go through our Spark Email app review to see the app’s full features.
ProtonMail
ProtonMail is a widely used application. According to its developers, ProtonMail is the largest and most popular encrypted email service globally. Although it is a secure service, it doesn’t offer heaps of storage memory to the free users like the above services. Your inbox will be full when the storage memory used by the emails has reached 500 MB. Users can send up to 150 messages every day with ProtonMail. They can create and manage up to 20 labels. The latest version of ProtonMail comes with several nice themes. The app can disable auto-loading of remote content, embedded pictures, etc. It can also create a shorter version of your email ID. You can configure ProtonMail to delay sending emails by 10 to 40 seconds.
BlueMail
With an excellent rating of 4.7, BlueMail is one of the best email apps for iPhone and Android on our list. BM supports unlimited email accounts from various popular service providers. When you use it, BlueMail will remind you of Gmail because the UI of the two applications is identical. BlueMail is an excellent alternative to MS Outlook and Gmail. It supports POP3/IMAP protocols, Microsoft Exchange, and many other services. The app features a unified interface where it displays emails from various services.
BlueMail lets you configure rich text signatures. It has the option to print emails. It ships with quick filters to find read/unread emails. The app lets you customize swipe gestures, switch to the dark theme, and add widgets to the home screen. It packs a smart conversation utility and supports the GroupMail feature. Its APK size is 26.3 megabytes. A strong encryption algorithm powers BM. You can configure it to lock the phone after a specific time period.
Check: Best File Manager Apps
AquaMail
AquaMail is the tiniest email client for Android on our list. It is powerful and supports SMTP/POP3 protocols, MS Exchange, Yahoo Business mail, Google apps, and many other platforms. Once you run AqualMail, you’ll see the option to set up a new account. Tap on it. Now, you’ll see a popup box with the following options:
- Gmail or Google Apps.
- Hotmail or Outlook.
- Internet mail.
- Exchange mail.
Select the service type of your choice and then tap the “OK” button. Now, follow the onscreen instructions. AM is compatible with Android Wear OS, and it supports widgets, swipe gestures, integration with light flow/tasker, and many other best Android launcher apps.
Similar email applications:
Closing words: The best email apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android I’ve shared above are secure and are widely used. They provide excellent features and are free.
Also see: Best Android Junk Cleaner apps
Bluemail truly is a frustrating email app that should be avoided. That is why I’m here looking for a replacement. This review about BM is way off. Frustrating SLOW searches, ‘drafts’ not working right, dropping sent emails with attachments. Forget this ‘BM’!
Funny, TypeApp and BlueMail look identical. And if you look the homepage of the software, they are registered on the same Company… funny
Cloud Magic is now Newton and it is free to use, but if you need push notifications, you need to buy the app subscription $50/year.
It is important to note that Inbox by Gmail only support Gmail accounts unlike other mail apps (e.g. GMail). Sad, as it is a great mail app – I like the interface but have other non-Google email accounts so not usable for me. Thought by now they would have added the ability to add non-Google accounts but no go.