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Get the Best Alternative to EM Client

Best eM Client Alternative for Windows in 2023

Posted by Anastasiia Kryzhanovska on October 25, 2022

Christin

Marketing Manager

PR & Media Relations Supporting the team by communicating Mailbird and its great features to existing and potential users and media.
Published on October 25, 2022
Last Updated on March 24, 2023

Has eM Client flipped your lid with lagging email synchronization and poor customization options?

Whether you just installed eM Client or used it for a long time, it’s worth considering applications that are faster and more reliable. For example, you can take your productivity to a new level by managing all your emails and calendars and accessing dozens of apps from one unified dashboard in Mailbird.

In our review, we evaluated email clients based on productivity features, integrations, pricing, and client reviews. So, let’s cut to the chase and review the five best eM Client alternatives!

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What Is eM Client? A Brief eM Client Review

Banner with eM Client interface

eM Client is a desktop email client for Windows that supports almost all POP3 and IMAP mail accounts, such as Microsoft Outlook, G Suite, Microsoft Exchange, Windows Mail, and more. So, you can combine your email, calendar, and contacts into one space and use more than one email account, which is highly praised in eM Client reviews online.

eM Client Features

  • Unified Inbox. Connecting POP3, IMAP, SMTP, and Exchange-supported accounts is easy in eM Client. A quick search option helps you locate a message or attachment across all your accounts. 
  • Simple Contact Management. Contact management in eM Client allows you to categorize your contacts and their details based on different fields, such as role, lead stage, or city. You can view them as you want — in a default “business card” or a custom view.
  • Calendars. With integrated calendar features, you can easily migrate all your calendars into one unified view. You can access this feature from a sidebar and integrate it with various productivity tools such as Zoom or GoToMeeting.
  • Snooze Function. You can snooze emails for a specific time with a button click.
  • Simple Setup. The setup of eM Client emails is pretty straightforward for two mail accounts or even more. As it can support almost any mail server, it can automatically import most of your data in no time.
  • Localization. eM mail client supports 20 languages, so you can easily translate the eM Client emails you receive and send.

Integrations

eM Client supports integrations with popular communication tools. But this email client doesn’t let you connect other productivity tools, such as task management or note-taking.

Pricing

Two email accounts — free.

Paid plans — from $49.95/user.

Client Reviews

G2 – 4/5 (50 reviews – November 2022)

The Pros and Cons of eM Client

  • Rich productivity features
  • Simple setup
  • Translations in 20 languages
  • Various integrations
  • Rigid user interface
  • Email deleted from backups
  • Limited customizability
  • Syncing errors

Best Alternatives to eM Client for Windows 10 and Other Versions

There are better email clients that can cover the gaps in eM Client email performance. They offer better synchronization and more productivity features. Let’s examine the five alternatives to eM Client to see what they have up their sleeve.

1. Mailbird

Banner with Mailbird's interface

Mailbird is one of the best and most popular desktop email clients for Windows. Its interface is more modern and user-friendly than eM Client’s. Besides, it offers more customization options and one unified dashboard with unlimited accounts, calendars, and popular productivity apps. It’s won several awards over the years, including the Best Email Client award by Windows Report.

Mailbird Features

  • Unified Inbox for All Email Accounts. Mailbird lets you connect unlimited accounts and manage them from a unified inbox. You can apply bulk rules to all your accounts with a click. This process is much faster and more intuitive than in eM Client.
  • Color Codes. Unlike in eM Client, you can color code your emails in Mailbird. This way, you can quickly identify which account an email came from without thinking twice.
  • Identities. With Mailbird’s unique Identities feature, you can reply to an email from a different email account. This feature saves you the hassle of sending emails and switching between two accounts when trying to reply to messages. 
  • In-Line Replies. With this unique feature, you can leave an answer under each recipient’s question and color code your response.
  • Attachment Reminders. Mailbird can detect if an email should include a file. If it should and you haven’t attached anything, the email client will ask you if you forgot to add a file before sending the email.
  • Snooze Emails. Mailbird can tuck unimportant emails away for a period specified by you—a week, a day, or even just an hour—leaving only priority emails to review. 
  • Speed Reader. The speed reader is a unique feature Mailbird offers. It highlights words and phrases in emails to make it easier for you to process and understand email content more quickly.

Integrations

You can activate many more integrations in Mailbird’s interface than in eM Client—Asana, Evernote, Slack, and more. After connecting your account, you can use tools right on Mailbird’s interface.

Pricing

From $3.25 per user.

Mailbird Reviews

Mailbird vs. eM Client

Mailbird eM Client
Interface Modern and intuitive; lets you manage all your apps, emails, and calendars without switching tabs Average intuitiveness
Supported accounts IMAP and POP3 email accounts, including Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, and iCloud IMAP and POP3 
Speed Fast Often faces glitches in synchronization
Customization Color-coding, a variety of themes, identities Limited to a few themes and layout customization
Contact management Linking, copying, and moving contacts intuitively (drag-and-drop); communication and attachment history view Communication and attachment history view, contact editing, merging, customization
Productivity features Snooze email, in-line replies, tagging feature, speed reader, send later, email recall, email tracking, keyboard shortcuts, attachment reminders, spellchecker, unsubscribe button, translations Snooze, undo send, attachment reminder, spellchecker, translations
Integrations Dozens of different productivity tools Limited to communication tools
Price From $3.25  $49.95/user
Reviews 4/5 4/5

2. Postbox

Banner with the Postbox email client

Postbox is a good eM Client alternative because it works with any POP/IMAP account (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and more). It offers many helpful productivity features that make email management a breeze. Let’s check how it performs against eM Client emails. 

Postbox Features

  • Clean User Interface. One of Postbox’s calling cards is its user interface. It’s much more intuitive than eM Client emails.
  • Easy Setup. Postbox is super easy to configure. It’ll give you step-by-step instructions on how to set it up, along with automatically identifying and handling your account’s incoming and outgoing servers.
  • Powerful Search and Sorting. Postbox offers robust search and sorting capabilities that help you quickly search for any contact in your email address book or any other client data file. You can categorize your mail into a separate folder, color code emails based on filters, or even tag messages by email address. 
  • Custom Email Responses. You can use over 70 pre-written email responses and customize them as you wish. eM Client also claims to have custom templates, but it’s impossible to locate them on a dashboard, according to their tutorial.
  • Message Editing. Thanks to canned responses and pre-set signatures, you can create and edit your messages faster. 

Integrations

Postbox offers some integrations with productivity tools, such as Zapier, Mailchimp, or Box—many more than eM Client. 

Pricing

Annual license — $79.

No monthly subscription.

Client Reviews

G2 – 3.5/5 

Postbox vs. eM Client

Postbox eM Client
Interface Modern and intuitive Average intuitiveness
Supported accounts IMAP and POP3  IMAP and POP3 
Speed Can sometimes be slow Often faces glitches in synchronization
Customization Vertical or classic view, themes,  color-coding, email templates Limited to a few themes and layout customization, email template feature is hard to find
Contact management Quick search, search by contact Communication and attachment history view, contact editing, merging, customization
Productivity features Document and image search,  keyboard shortcuts, URL autocomplete, emojis  Snooze, undo send, attachment reminder, spellchecker, translations
Integrations Dozens of different productivity tools Limited to communication tools
Price $79 $49.95/user
Reviews 3.5/5 4/5

3. Claws Mail

Claws email banner

Claws Mail is a lightweight eM Client alternative that offers easy configuration and is intuitive. 

Claws Mail Features

  • Open-Source Nature. Claws Mail is one of the few email clients based entirely on an open-source framework. It means you can code integrations and additional features if you have time. You can’t do it in eM Client. 
  • Filtering Options. You can add custom filters to your emails and categorize messages based on filters like content and email address.

Integrations

Compared to just a couple of integrations in eM Client, Claws Mail doesn’t offer any integrations with modern productivity tools.

Pricing

Free

Client Reviews

G2 – 4.5/5

Claws Mail vs. eM Client

Claws Mail eM Client
Interface Outdated interface Rigid interface, but is more intuitive 
Supported accounts IMAP and POP3  IMAP and POP3 
Speed Lightweight and speedy Often faces glitches in synchronization
Customization Colour labels Limited to a few themes and layout customization, email template feature is hard to find
Contact management Strong filtering options Communication and attachment history view, contact editing, merging, customization
Productivity features Threaded display, Mime attachments, Automatic saving of message, Message scoring Snooze, undo send, attachment reminder, spellcheker, translations
Integrations None Limited to communication tools
Price Free $49.95/user
Reviews 4.5/5 4/5

4. Outlook

Outlook email client on a banner

Outlook is one of the teams’ top choices for email clients, as this tool helps improve team collaboration and management. 

As a part of the Microsoft 365 productivity suite, the paid version of Outlook offers a range of features and lets you connect multiple accounts. You can use Outlook’s free web version, but it doesn’t let you connect multiple accounts and manage them from a unified inbox.

Outlook Features

  • Unified Inbox. You can add unlimited accounts to Outlook and manage them from one inbox.
  • Unified Calendar and Sharing. Connecting calendars belonging to different accounts and managing them is accessible with Outlook. You can share your calendars with the team and easily assign attendees from a user-friendly calendar pane. eM Client’s calendar option is less intuitive.
  • Keyboard Shortcuts. Microsoft Outlook created shortcuts for quick actions. Using them helps you save time clicking buttons, but it takes time to learn them.
  • Quick Parts. Quick parts include reusable text templates, appointments, and meeting requests. These elements can include text, graphics, and formatting. That’s a feature unique to Outlook.
  • Tasks. Outlook offers a native tasks feature that lets you create and assign tasks. It also integrates with Asana and other task-management tools. In eM Client, you can create tasks, but you can’t assign them.
  • Smart Alerts. You can set up alerts that display new messages or updates at the top of all opened windows on your PC. eM Client doesn’t do that.

Integrations

Microsoft Outlook offers a lot of add-ons and integrations with third-party tools. eM Client’s integration list is much shorter.

Pricing

From $5.99 per month.

Client Reviews 

G2 – 4.4/5 

Outlook vs. eM Client

Outlook eM Client
Interface Rigid interface Rigid interface but is more intuitive 
Supported accounts IMAP and POP3  IMAP and POP3 
Speed Can encounter loading issues Issues with synchronization
Customization Different view options Limited to a few themes and layout customization, email template feature is hard to find
Contact management Strong filtering options Communication and attachment history view, contact editing, merging, customization
Productivity features Tasks, calendar sharing, email recall, delay and schedule emails, smart alerts, email snooze Snooze, undo send, attachment reminder, spellchecker, translations
Integrations Various Limited to communication tools
Price $5.99  $49.95/user
Reviews 4.4/5 4/5

5. Thunderbird

Banner with Thunderbird interface

Thunderbird is a free email client that lets you add unlimited accounts—Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, and more. Mozilla initially sponsored it but halted its support at some point. Now, Thunderbird’s development relies on a community of developers.

Thunderbird Features

  • Open-source Nature. Thanks to its open-source nature, you can customize its features if you have technical skills and time. Code editing is not possible in eM Client.
  • Unified Inbox. Thunderbird supports email providers with POP, IMAP, and SMTP protocols. You can add unlimited accounts and manage all messages from one inbox. 
  • Unified Calendar. With Thunderbird’s calendar pane, you can easily schedule events and invite attendees. You can also convert any message into an event with just a few clicks. eM Client’s calendar feature includes only basic calendar management.
  • Email Protection. Thunderbird applies advanced filtering to protect you from suspicious emails and spam. You can rely on the in-built spam filtering options or modify antispam rules. I
  • Tabbed Email. In Thunderbird, you can view emails in separate tabs that let you navigate between many emails simultaneously. 

Integrations

Thunderbird offers only native add-ons. You won’t be able to integrate this email client with other popular productivity tools such as Trello or Slack.

Pricing

Free

Client Reviews

G2 – 4.3/5 

Outlook vs. eM Client

Thunderbird eM Client
Interface Rigid interface Rigid interface
Supported accounts IMAP and POP3  IMAP and POP3 
Speed Can sometimes be slow Issues with synchronization
Customization Tabbed email  Limited to a few themes and layout customization, email template feature is hard to find
Contact management One-click address book, search tools, quick filter toolbar Communication and attachment history view, contact editing, merging, customization
Productivity features Attachment reminder, large file management, smart folders Snooze, undo send, attachment reminder, spellcheker, translations
Integrations Only native add-ons Limited to communication tools
Price Free $49.95/user
Reviews 4.3/5 4/5

What is the Best Alternative to eM Client?

eM Client offers lots of productivity features, but it has serious limitations. Some email clients we have reviewed can become a much better alternative to this slow-paced email client. So let’s see how the reviewed services compare against each other and pick a winner.

eM Client Mailbird Postbox Claws Mail Outlook Thunderbird
Unified inbox and calendar 5⭐ 5⭐ 4⭐ 5⭐ 5⭐ 4⭐
POP3, IMAP, and SMTP servers support 5⭐ 5⭐ 5⭐ 5⭐ 5⭐ 5⭐
Speed 3⭐ 4⭐ 4⭐ 5⭐ 4⭐ 4⭐
Customization options 3⭐ 5⭐ 4⭐ 2⭐ 3⭐ 3⭐
Productivity features 4⭐ 5⭐ 4⭐ 3⭐ 4⭐ 4⭐
Integrations 3⭐ 5⭐ 3⭐ 1⭐ 3⭐ 2⭐
Reviews 4/5 4/5 4/5 3.5/5 4.4/5 4.3/5
Price $49.95 From $3.25 $79 Free From $5.99 Free

Based on the client reviews and many criteria, Mailbird shows up as one of the best performers among email clients on the market. Compared to eM Client and other apps, Mailbird offers a more intuitive interface, more productivity features and customization options, and its price is reasonable. 

How We Tested Different Email Clients?

In our pursuit to determine the best email clients in the market, we meticulously implemented a thorough testing process. This involved setting up accounts with each email client, whether as a standalone software platform or as a cloud-based service. Our aim was to explore the capabilities of each platform in various scenarios, putting their functionalities to the test in order to assess their overall performance.

We carefully evaluated the basic tools and functionality of each email client, and then explored its advanced features to determine their ease of use and accessibility. This comprehensive approach enabled us to provide an in-depth evaluation of each email client’s strengths, weaknesses, and suitability for different use cases.

Download Mailbird for free to check it out and experience an instant boost in your communication and productivity!

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Is eM Client any good?

eM Client has many advantages, such as quick setup and simple contact management. However, many users continuously experience syncing errors and infrequent updates. Customization options are also limited.

How much does eM Client cost?

eM Client’s cost starts at $49.95 for the Pro version with a free 30-day trial period. There is also a free limited version. Alternatives with similar functionality start from $3 per month.

Is eM Client secure?

Yes, it is. To ensure the safety of your information, eM Client incorporates top-of-the-line encryption services on all incoming and outgoing mail. It does so through the process of sharing a “keypair.” This is a kind of passcode shared between only you and the recipient to ensure that only you two can access the contents of a shared email.


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