Mailbird

Mailbird stands out as a compelling Outlook alternative that brings together all your email accounts, calendars, and productivity tools in one streamlined interface. What I find particularly impressive is how it minimizes the constant tab-switching that drives most of us crazy. The brainchild of Danish entrepreneur Michael Bodekaer (you might recognize him from his TED talks), Mailbird reflects genuine thoughtfulness in every design decision.

Here's what makes Mailbird versatile: it works with virtually any email provider you can think of. Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Hotmail, plus countless others through POP or IMAP protocols. After being Windows-exclusive for years (which honestly frustrated many Mac users), Mailbird finally launched on macOS in late 2024. This expansion was long overdue, and it's opened up their clean, distraction-free experience to a much broader audience.

Note[February 2023]: After latest Chromium update we will not be supporting Mailbird updates on Windows 8 or any previous versions. Update your Windows to enjoy Mailbird services without any hustle.

Key Features

Unified inbox

Here's where Mailbird really shines: you can connect virtually any email account because it supports both IMAP and POP3 protocols. This means even those obscure email providers work seamlessly. Once you've added all your accounts, you get to choose how to view them. Want everything in one massive unified inbox? Done. Prefer to keep work and personal separate? You can switch between individual accounts with a single click. It's the kind of flexibility that makes you wonder why Microsoft Outlook still can't figure this out.

Unified calendar

The native calendar integration is honestly a game-changer. Instead of juggling multiple calendar apps, you get a bird's-eye view of everything happening across all your different calendars, both business and personal. You're not locked into just one email provider either; you can add unlimited calendars from Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail, and other accounts. It's the kind of flexibility that Microsoft simply doesn't offer, and once you experience it, going back feels primitive.

Advanced contact management

Contact management in Mailbird is surprisingly robust. You can import contacts from different email providers without the usual headaches, merge duplicates (we all have those), and copy existing ones with just a few clicks. It's one of those features that seems basic until you realize how much time it saves you from manually organizing your contact chaos.

Undo send

We've all been there: you hit send and immediately realize you made a typo or forgot an attachment. While some email providers like Microsoft Outlook do offer an unsend feature, it's usually buried in settings and gives you barely any time to react. Mailbird puts the Unsend button right where you can see it and gives you a full 30 seconds to change your mind. It's saved me from embarrassment more times than I'd like to admit.

Email tracking

By setting up email tracking in Mailbird, you can learn whether your recipients have received and opened the emails you sent. You can also preview who among a group message has opened it and at what time of the day.

Speed reader

Mailbird’s speed reader helps you spend less time processing emails. Instead of focusing on single words, you can quickly grasp the meaning of expressions and full sentences in no time. Speed reading is not available in Microsoft Outlook.

Integrations

This is where Mailbird becomes more than just an email client. You get access to dozens of integrations with the productivity tools you already use daily, all accessible from the same dashboard where you manage email and calendar. No more constant tab-switching or getting distracted by browser notifications.

The integration list is impressive: Asana, Todoist, Evernote, WhatsApp, Google Drive, Dropbox, Grammarly, Slack, and even ChatGPT (as a web integration). The complete list is much longer. Essentially, Mailbird transforms your email client into a productivity command center.

Security

Privacy-wise, Mailbird takes a refreshingly straightforward approach: your data is never shared or sold. All sensitive information (emails, account credentials, etc.) stays encrypted on your local machine. The app uses secure protocols to connect to email servers and doesn't read your personal emails. Plus, it supports OAuth for Gmail and other services, so you can authorize accounts without entering passwords directly. Since it's a desktop app without its own cloud service, there's no extra copy of your emails sitting on a Mailbird server. Everything stays between your device and your email provider, following NIST cybersecurity best practices.

Pricing

Mailbird is a premium product but very affordable. Individuals can start with a free version (with limited features). To unlock all features and unlimited accounts, Mailbird Personal subscription is about $3.25 per month (billed annually) or a one-time lifetime license around $99. Businesses can opt for Mailbird Business at roughly $4.50 per user/month (billed annually) or ~$99 for a lifetime license per user. Volume discounts and free trials are available.

User reviews

• ProductHunt – 4.7/5
• G2 – 4/5

Pros

• Manage multiple accounts from one dashboard
• Easy onboarding
• Great user experience and very nice interface
• Works fast without lags
• Unified inbox
• Unified calendar
• Wide customization options
• Responsive support agents

Cons

• Currently not supported on mobile (no iOS/Android app yet)
• No native Linux support (Linux users would need alternatives)

Verdict

Mailbird is our top Outlook alternative for 2025 because it ticks all the important boxes for everyday email users and professionals alike. You can connect unlimited accounts — your choice is not limited only to Outlook accounts, meaning Gmail, Yahoo, or any IMAP accounts can all flow into one unified inbox. The interface is intuitive and pleasant, helping you get through emails faster and with less frustration than Outlook.

Connecting multiple productivity apps and using them from one window is another Mailbird advantage that goes far beyond Outlook's native capabilities. While Mailbird still doesn't have a mobile version, its expansion to Mac and constant improvements make it a compelling choice. If you're ready to end the love-hate relationship with Outlook, Mailbird is backed by an experienced team and has a proven track record of boosting email productivity.

Mailbird vs. Outlook

Thunderbird

Looking for a free email client that handles unlimited accounts? Thunderbird might be exactly what you need. This veteran email client lets you add any email account (Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, you name it) and manage everything from one place without spending a penny.

Here's the interesting backstory: Mozilla originally backed Thunderbird but eventually stepped away from official support. Rather than dying out, the project thrived under community leadership. Volunteers and contributors worldwide now handle updates, bug fixes, and new features. The major UI overhaul in version 115 "Supernova" during 2023 brought a much-needed modern look to the interface.

Key features

Multiple account management

Thunderbird offers a lot of options when it comes to connecting and managing accounts from different email providers. Google, Outlook, Yahoo, and others can be integrated using POP, IMAP, and SMTP protocols.

Once you have connected all your accounts, you can easily move from one inbox to another without leaving an app or logging in multiple times. You can view and filter your accounts from one dashboard, but you won’t be able to apply bulk actions to all your accounts.

Unified calendar

Do you often manage appointments while simultaneously responding to emails? With Thunderbird, scheduling online meetings is easier thanks to its integrated calendars.

You can transform your email into an online event and add it to the right calendar of your chosen email provider. It works similar to Outlook, but Thunderbird lets you add calendars from different email providers; Outlook does not.

Spam filtering and virus protection

Spam filtering and virus protection are standout features that draw many users to Thunderbird. The email client actively protects your inboxes from unwanted messages, either automatically or based on criteria you define.

When you receive an email with a suspicious link, Thunderbird warns you before you click it. The system also "learns" from your behavior, becoming increasingly effective at spotting malicious emails as you mark spam messages over time.

Contact management

Thunderbird lets you add contacts to an address book with just one click. This way, you can keep all your records organized and refer to a contact’s details at any time. Once added, you can easily modify contact information by editing the name, photo, or birthday.

Tabbed email

If you often juggle multiple emails from different accounts at the same time, Thunderbird helps you avoid switching between tabs. This feature makes referring to multiple emails easier and gives you a 360-degree view of your key conversations.

Integrations

Here's where Thunderbird shows its age: while many email clients offer seamless integrations with productivity tools, Thunderbird doesn't provide access to popular apps like Asana, Slack, or Evernote.

However, the community has stepped up with creative solutions. Built-in add-ons can enhance your Thunderbird experience in ways the core developers never imagined.

The Add-ons Manager serves as Thunderbird's integration hub. You'll discover useful apps available for direct download, including Smart Templates and the Emoji Library. It's not as polished as commercial alternatives, but it gets the job done.

Security

Thunderbird offers robust security, protecting your email accounts from spam, malware, and dangerous attachments. It has its own algorithms that help identify spam or junk messages and separate them from the messages that matter.

Over time, the algorithms’ actions are adjusted based on how you mark junk emails. The team of community developers often releases lightweight security updates.

Pricing

Free

User reviews

G2 – 4.3/5 (286 reviews – May 2022)

Major Pros

• Free
• Unlimited accounts
• Unlimited customization due to its open-source nature (if you are a developer and have time for it)
• Strong antispam and antivirus protection

Major Cons

• No formal product roadmap or development team
• No formal support team, only a community forum
• Interface, while improved, can still feel less polished than modern apps
• Performance can bog down with very large mail archives
• Mobile version in development but not yet released (Thunderbird-for-Android based on K-9 Mail expected soon)

Verdict

Thunderbird makes a solid case as an Outlook alternative, especially if you need to connect email accounts from multiple providers and manage them from one dashboard.

The price is certainly right (free for unlimited email accounts), but there's a catch. You might encounter performance issues and bugs that require community forum support from volunteers working in their spare time. It's the classic trade-off between cost and professional support.

Outlook vs. Thunderbird — Comparison

Spark

Spark is an email client that connects multiple accounts, including Outlook, Google, iCloud, and more. What started as a Mac and iOS darling has grown into a truly cross-platform solution, now available on Windows and Android too. The service offers compelling built-in features for teams: you can create private emails visible only to your team or collaborate on email composition in real time. In 2023, Spark introduced Spark +AI, bringing OpenAI's GPT technology into the app to help draft replies, summarize lengthy emails, or rephrase your writing.

The cross-platform expansion has been a game-changer. Spark now works on all major platforms (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android), making it accessible regardless of your device preference.

Key features

Unified inbox as chat

You can add multiple email accounts and view them all from a unified inbox. You can also switch between separate accounts.

Calendars

You can have an overview of all your events in selected calendars and easily create new appointments and invite participants. Unfortunately, you can’t integrate Spike with video conferencing tools, such as Google Meet or Zoom, to create events automatically.

Contact info and history

By clicking a contact, you can quickly review its communication history and details. Your previous communication with the contact is presented in a chat view, making it much easier to review separate messages without opening long email threads. Imagine reading your emails like a Facebook chat.

Groups

With Spike, you can create groups, which is a great feature for team collaboration purposes. You can segment groups by topic — study, sports, family, projects, and more. After choosing participants, you can have an email conversation the way you would in an ordinary web chat.

Email snoozing

You can postpone an email’s appearance in your inbox for a few default durations — later today, next week, or tomorrow — or pick your preferred date.

Video conferencing and calls

Spike has a built-in option for video and audio communication that you can use in place of other tools like Google Meet or Zoom. If you are a big fan of these third-party tools or your contacts prefer using them, you won’t be able to integrate them with your Spike account.

Integrations

Wondering if you can integrate Spike with other third-party tools or at least access tailored in-app integrations the way Microsoft Outlook does it with their add-on library? We have gone through Spike’s resources and couldn’t find any.

Security

Spike uses AES-256 encryption, which is one of the most secure encryption types. They store the minimum amount of data necessary for you to use the functionalities. Spike also offers a bug bounty program to encourage users to find and report bugs.

Pricing

Free — up to two accounts

Paid subscriptions start at $8/month.

User reviews

G2 – 4.6/5 (150 reviews – May 2022)

Pros

• Connecting email accounts from different providers
• Chat-like communication
• Easy to collaborate with a team
• Good audio and video communication options

Cons

• Weak calendar options
• No integrations with productivity apps
• No way of adding different signatures to different aliases

Verdict

Spike is a unique email client and communication tool. It stands out with its chat-like modern design. This is a big contrast to the more conservative look of Outlook’s interface. However, if you have used Microsoft Outlook for a long time, you will experience a big contrast when switching to Spike.

While Spike is a good option for mobile users who manage emails on the go, it lacks a useful amount of in-built features that other email clients compared here offer for their web users.

Still, a great Outlook alternative if you compare certain features.

Outlook vs. Spike — Comparison

Proton

Proton is not an email client but rather a regular email provider. You can’t connect multiple accounts belonging to different email providers, but it offers a lot of useful in-built functions that Outlook doesn’t have. Proton Mail’s main advantage is its security, encryption, and some dedicated features, such as a VPN.

This app complies with rigorous Swiss privacy laws and fully encrypts all data stored on a user’s account. End-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge encryption are the two most secure encryption types, and they’re used by Proton Mail. Proton even calls themselves a privacy company.

Currently, apart from the web version, an Android app is available. An iOS app is still on Proton’s product roadmap.

Key features

Encrypted email

Thanks to zero-knowledge and end-to-end encryption, no one can access a user’s mailbox. Encrypted emails are available to all users, but you can also support Proton by moving to a paid subscription.

Calendar

Proton allows you to add events based on your received emails and manage them on various devices. With the calendar, you can create repeating events, change calendar views, adjust availability, provide access to your calendar to other users, set reminders, and personalize the calendar’s look.

File storage

You can store and share files on your Proton Drive — similar to the OneDrive Cloud that Outlook offers. In Proton you get 1 GB of storage space for free and 100 GB if you are on the paid plan. It’s much more than what Outlook offers.

VPN

On top of the regular features most email clients offer, Proton also provides access to an in-built VPN. With its VPN, you can access any website, even if it’s censored in your location, and keep your browsing history private. The VPN is available for free, and it doesn’t contain any advertisements or sell your browsing history the way some free VPN services do.

Integrations

Proton doesn’t offer integrations with third-party tools, but you can use other services such as Zapier to connect Proton to your chosen app.

Security

Proton Mail protects user accounts’ security using end-to-end encryption. On top of it, zero-knowledge encryption is applied, so no one can decrypt your emails.

This service is well-known for its self-destructing messages — you can send and schedule the date when the email will disappear from a receiver’s inbox.

Pricing

Proton Mail’s paid plans start at $4.99/month. There is also a free version available.

User reviews

G2 – 4.4/5 (114 reviews – May 2022)

Pros

• Available for Android and iOS
• Strong security features
• User-friendly and intuitive
• Huge storage space available
• Free to use

Cons

• Doesn’t offer unified accounts and calendars
• Can’t add email accounts other than Proton Mail
• No desktop version for Windows or Mac (coming soon)

Verdict

Proton offers strong encryption and privacy features, making it a good alternative for those whose main concern is data security.

When it comes to its email functionalities, Proton Mail doesn’t offer much in terms of productivity features, such as a speed reader or snoozing emails. It does offer some interesting features, such as an in-built VPN, but it won’t be of core interest to most users.

If you have a lot of mailboxes to integrate and want to manage them from one place, you won’t be able to do it with Proton, and that’s the same problem you would face with Outlook.

Outlook vs. Proton — Comparison

Mailspring

Mailspring is an email client that works with Mac, Windows, and Linux. It doesn’t have a mobile app though.

You can access all your accounts — be it Gmail, Outlook, or Hotmail — from one dashboard. By using Mailspring, you can avoid switching between tabs and remove distractions when using multiple email providers on the web.

This email client offers a lot of in-built features that can help you do your work much faster. However, most of them are available only to paying users.

Key features

Multiple accounts

With Mailspring, you can add an unlimited number of accounts from different providers, except for Microsoft Exchange and POP protocol integrations.

After adding all your accounts, you can switch between them with ease or use a unified inbox to combine them.

Contact history

Whenever you want to refer to a previous message from a selected contact, you can easily track it back through the communication timeline. By clicking a contact in Mailspring from your email window, you get instant access to all the contact’s details and communication history.

Message scheduling

You can choose when to send an email with Mailspring’s message scheduling feature. It is especially useful if you frequently work during the weekends or your team is based in different time zones.

Email snoozing

If you are using a paid subscription, you can snooze specific emails. You have a choice of default options, or you can set up your own preferred snooze time and duration.

Email translations

When writing an email, you can translate its content into 12 languages. You can do the same for the emails you receive — if the email content is in a supported language, you can translate it with a click of a button.

Integrations

On Mailspring’s website, you won’t find a list of supported integrations. If you are a fan of productivity apps and would like to use them right from the email client’s dashboard to remove distractions, you won’t be able to do it with Mailspring.

Security

Mailspring doesn’t mention any security protocols they are using. You can only find information about the service’s GDPR compliance.

Pricing

Free — limited options

Pro — $8/month

User reviews

G2 – 4.1/5 (14 reviews – May 2022)

Major Pros

• Integrates with popular email providers
• Easy to start using
• Clean and user-friendly
• Simple contact management
• Multilingual tool

Major Cons

• Doesn’t support POP or integrate with Microsoft Exchange
• Lacks integrations with popular tools
• Can be slow
• No mobile app

Verdict

Mailspring is a fair alternative to Outllook because it is an easy-to-use tool with a modern look and a number of useful built-in features that boost productivity. It’s definitely more intuitive than Outlook.

With Mailspring, you can add different email providers, not only Outlook. However, you can’t add accounts from all possible email providers, because Mailspring lacks the POP protocol and integration with Microsoft Exchange.

Lags in performance and sync issues can be annoying for some users managing a large amount of email data.

Outlook vs. Mailspring — Comparison

Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is an email hosting service that helps you create and manage business emails. It’s available for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux. With Zoho Mail, you can easily manage calendars, notes, bookmarks, and tasks.

This service also provides some built-in tools for collaboration among employees that go beyond traditional email communication.

Key features

Calendar

Zoho helps you create calendar events faster by typing the name, date, and time. For example, you can input details like “Client lunch at 2 p.m.” all in one line, and Zoho Mail will set up an event automatically.

Unfortunately, with Zoho Mail, you can only integrate calendars that are hosted on Zoho — you can’t add free email providers such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Outlook.

Tasks

With the notes feature, you can create notes on the go, adding pictures, attachments, or even email text snippets.

Control panel

Through a control panel, you can manage employee access — set up user aliases and email forwarding, reset passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and more. Zoho Mail’s control panel works similarly to Outlook’s.

Conversation streaming

Zoho turns email threads into social-media-style conversations. When starting a conversation with a colleague, all you have to do is tag team members you want to involve in a discussion.

Email scheduling

You can draft and schedule emails for sending with Zoho Mail. This feature is useful if some of your team members work in different time zones or at untypical working hours.

Integrations

Zoho Mail integrates with both internal and external apps (e.g., Asana, Box, HubSpot).

Security

Zoho Mail encrypts all your data, and only you can have full access to your emails. Zoho Mail uses several levels of additional protection — 2FA, EAR, S/MIME, and TLS.

Pricing

Free plan — up to five users with email hosting for a single domain

Paid plans start at $1 monthly per user (annual billing).

User reviews

G2 – 4.4/5 (464 reviews – May 2022)

Pros

• Strong security features
• Great for team collaboration
• Convenient migration from Outlook, Gmail, or Microsoft Exchange

Cons

• No unified inbox or calendar for different email providers
• Can’t keep Gmail, Hotmail, and other free providers under one roof (Zoho works similar to Google Workspace.)

Verdict

Zoho Mail offers similar security options to Outlook and has built some great features for team collaboration. This makes it a good Outlook alternative. However, Zoho Mail is not an email client but only one of many email providers. This means you won’t be able to manage all your email accounts, calendars, and apps from one dashboard.

Outlook vs. Zoho Mail — Comparison

Polymail

Polymail is an email management solution that gives you a full view of your conversations while helping you track email opens, send reminders, and create custom email templates. It offers strong collaboration features, including commenting and mentions. The app is available for Mac, iOS, and Windows users, but not Android.

Key features

Email reminders

You can set up follow-up reminders in Polymail for the emails for which you haven’t received any response. Some email providers such as Gmail already offer this option by default. In Outlook, you have to dig through the settings to find it.

Email tracking

Wondering whether your client has even read your message? With email tracking, you can check if and when a recipient has opened your email.

Message templates

In Polymail, you can create multiple email templates and add placeholders populated with contact details whenever you create a new email. This feature helps you save time on repetitive emails or sales pitches.

Contact management

By clicking a contact in your inbox, you can see a preview of all previous emails and attachments. If you need to adjust a contact’s details, you can perform basic editing.

Undo send

Polymail allows you to unsend a message within 30 seconds of clicking Send. After testing this feature, we noticed that the “unsend” option disappeared after a few seconds, not 30 seconds as promised.

Unified accounts

With this email client, you have an option to work with all your emails from one inbox. All you have to do is connect the accounts. Microsoft Outlook doesn’t offer this feature.

Integrations

Polymail integrates with various third-party apps, such as Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, and Asana. You can also find most of these integrations among Microsoft Outlook’s add-ins.

Security

Polymail states that no one is collecting information on your passwords and user data is stored as a one-way hash, making it impossible for hackers to fetch your password. The service uses AES encryption.

Pricing

Polymail is a paid email client and doesn’t offer a freemium plan. Paid accounts start at $13/month for one user. The cheapest plan lets you connect only two email accounts.

User reviews

G2 – 4.5/5 (110 reviews – May 2022)

Major Pros

• Offers unified inbox
• Useful built-in features such as email tracking
• Improves team collaboration
• A great tool for email outreach and sales

Major Cons

• Limited integrations
• No Android app
• Sync challenges

Verdict

Polymail is a very user-friendly and intuitive email client which makes it a great Microsoft email alternative. All key features are easy to find on its interface, so you don’t have to dig through the settings.

However, some users complain about the synchronization issues they experience with Polymail. If you are not afraid of performance issues, you can definitely give Polymail a try.

Outlook vs. Polymail — Comparison

Shift

Shift is an email client that brings many email accounts and applications together under one roof. It offers a lot of integrations with other apps, creating a unified workspace.

However, it’s only available for a handful of email providers — Gmail and Microsoft Outlook, as well as Yahoo and iCloud as app integrations. It also only has Mac and Windows desktop versions; there’s no mobile app.

Key features

Multiple accounts management

You can add email accounts for Gmail and Microsoft Outlook. However, you can’t integrate email accounts through POP or IMAP.

Unified search

You can search through all the messages from all the accounts you add through a search bar, locating message threads, calendar events, and attachments.

Internet search bar

With an Internet search bar, you can access the Internet right through the app’s interface, without opening your Chrome or Safari browser.

Workspace

You can create separate workspaces and share them with others. To each workspace, you can add tools, tabs, and bookmarks.

Integrations

Shift lets you integrate with hundreds of third-party tools such as Asana, Evernote, or Slack. You can then locate and manage those apps from Shift’s dashboard, which helps you avoid switching between tabs.

Security

Shift uses the OAuth authorization protocol. However, it’s not compliant with HIPAA, SOC2, or ISO 270001.

Pricing

There is a free version where you can add up to two email accounts.

Paid plans start at $99/year for one user.

User reviews

G2 – 3.8/5 (55 reviews – May 2022)

Pros

• Offers rich features for collaboration
• Brings multiple accounts under one roof
• Unified search
• Various integrations with productivity apps

Cons

• Too expensive
• Bugs and weak performance

Verdict

Shift is a good alternative because it brings accounts together and helps you remove distractions by offering many useful integrations with productivity apps. The email providers you can integrate, however, are very limited. IMAP and POP protocols are not supported, meaning you can’t add any email accounts that are less mainstream.

Users often complain about regular system bugs and low performance. It’s also one of the most expensive email clients.

Outlook vs. Shift — Comparison

Front

Front is an email app and customer communication platform that helps teams turn conversations into tickets. With Front, you can connect multiple email accounts and manage them from one place with ease.

This email tool offers some interesting features that enhance team collaboration, such as email assignments. The app is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android users.

Key features

One-click meeting scheduling

With Front, you can add calendars belonging to different email providers and create, manage, and preview online events. Creating an event in Front is easy. However, the functionalities of the calendar view don’t go beyond what most email clients offer.

Consolidated workspace

You can connect multiple email accounts and manage them from one dashboard. Apart from viewing all your messages from one inbox, you can also access emails assigned to you from a separate folder.

Message templates

You can create message templates right from the “new email” view, while most email clients that offer this feature only allow you to do so through the settings. The template editor lets you add dynamic fields with placeholders, such as names, surnames, or company names — a useful feature for those who don’t want to dig through contact’s personal details every time they use an email template.

Snoozing messages

You can snooze certain emails by adjusting your snooze preferences — choose between the presets or set up your own time. In the settings, you can also modify custom snooze options to apply as defaults. Note: you can apply the snooze option in bulk when you want to snooze multiple emails or senders.

Contact management

Similar to most other email clients, in Front, you can preview your communication history with a certain client, including previous messages and notes. You can also easily edit a contact’s profile with social media account links or descriptions. However, you can’t easily locate attachments when viewing contacts.

Integrations

Front integrates with a lot of third-party tools you might be using, such as Zapier, Aircall, Salesforce, Slack, Shopify, and Dropbox. However, unlike with Outlook where you get all the add-ins and integrations with every subscription, Front limits access to certain integrations, making them available only in more expensive plans.

Security

All information handled on a user’s Front account is protected with TLS 1.2 encryption and AES 256-bit encryption. Front is compliant with GDPR and CCPA. Multi-factor authentication is applied to all accounts. You can also restrict access to data for certain accounts based on their IP addresses, but note that this is available only for more expensive subscriptions.

Pricing

Front costs $19/month per user with only annual billing plans available. There are also requirements for a minimum number of users in certain subscriptions. For example, to start using the Prime package, you need to pay for a minimum of five users.

User reviews

G2 – 4.7/5 (1,356 reviews – May 2022)

Pros

• Manage all company emails from one place
• Intuitive designs
• A lot of useful integrations

Cons

• Interfaces look a bit cluttered
• Support is not always responsive
• No free version

Verdict

Front can be a good Outlook alternative for bigger teams that manage customer relationships. If you are an individual user or have just a couple of employees, Front might be the wrong choice for you.

When in need of certain high-tier features, you should pay for additional accounts even if you are not using them because of the minimum user count requirements for paid plans. For many users, Front can be expensive, especially if you have a high-growth team.

Front does offer some useful features and lets you connect various email providers (which Outlook doesn’t do), but other email clients also offer this feature at a considerably lower price.

Outlook vs. Front — Comparison

Overview of Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is an email client that has already hit 200 million users, making it one of the top email choices for both companies and individuals. As part of Microsoft's Office suite, it has been a workplace standard for decades.

It’s been 25 years since Microsoft Outlook’s inception. Outlook was one of the first email clients, and Microsoft has had plenty of time to maximize its potential.But now, it has only 8% of the market dominated by Apple and Gmail.

This means that the once-popular Outlook is slowly losing its position. Let’s see why.

Why Would You Search for an Outlook Alternative?

Since 1997, people have been juggling multiple email accounts for both professional and personal use. Some create separate mailboxes for newsletters, transactional receipts, or high-priority emails. It's become a necessity rather than a choice.

We're also drowning in more emails than ever before, thanks to the explosion of email marketing and sales outreach. The volume keeps growing, but our tools for managing it haven't kept pace.

Here's the real problem: as people started using more email accounts, managing them became increasingly frustrating. You're constantly switching between tabs, getting distracted, and feeling annoyed by inefficient email management. The need to manage all emails, calendars, tasks, and apps from one unified place has become critical, yet Outlook hasn't seriously addressed this fundamental issue. Research shows that knowledge workers spend 28% of their time managing email, making efficient email management crucial for productivity.

In Outlook, you can't access a unified inbox and calendar. You're still stuck switching through multiple tabs, and you can't really add any email provider other than Outlook to your account. It's a limitation that feels increasingly outdated.

Then there's the interface issue: Outlook looks and feels outdated. Many more user-friendly and intuitive email clients exist today, while Microsoft Outlook is often described as clunky and messy. The contrast is stark when you try modern alternatives.

Don't get me wrong, Outlook is feature-rich after two decades of development. But accessing those features has become cumbersome and overwhelming. Microsoft clearly hasn't produced the best email client available, so if you have the flexibility to switch to something better, it's probably worth exploring your options.

What’s the Best Alternative to Outlook?

Microsoft has been building its core email product, Outlook, for over two decades. It has managed to introduce a lot of productivity features, but as the product grew, users started to feel overwhelmed with too many features, its clunky interface, and persistent bugs.

If you are looking for an Outlook alternative, your top choice should cover Outlook’s product and performance gaps and offer features similar to Outlook.

To make the task of shortlisting the winner easier for you, we have done all the heavy lifting of evaluating core features, security, pricing, and online reviews of key alternatives to Outlook.

By evaluating this short version of our comparisons and findings, you can quickly realize that Mailbird seems to tick all the boxes. To test Mailbird, sign up for a free trial.

Frequently Asked Questions about Microsoft Outlook

About This Review

This comprehensive comparison was conducted by the Michael Bodekear and his team, who have been developing email productivity solutions since 2013. Our evaluation methodology includes hands-on testing of each email client, analysis of user reviews from verified platforms like G2 and App Store, and assessment of security protocols based on industry standards. We regularly update our comparisons to reflect the latest features and market changes, ensuring you have access to current and accurate information for making informed decisions about your email management needs.