Why is Mailbird the best alternative to Outlook?

Change is good, even for your Email.

Many users are trying to avoid finding an alternative to Outlook because they remember the long and complicated path to actually mastering the App with all of its features.

And even then, the majority of people use Outlook to “only” manage their Emails and maybe their tasks or calendar and ignore all the rather “complicated” features and functionalities.

Well, we have good news for you. There is light at the end of the tunnel with a new era of the modern email client, that is Mailbird.

With Mailbird, you experience a clean, sharp interaction with managing your online communication. It’s super easy to use. We promise that you will master the application within 5 minutes. Mailbird enables users of any age, as well as non-tech savvy people to learn how to use it fast, and to do so with ease and enjoyment. Mailbird is the best alternative to Outlook and an all-around great email experience.

theres light at the end of your inbox

“I’ve purchased Mailbird for my old mother as well, as it’s easy to use. She’s not in anyway computer savvy, but last weekend I actually got an email from her – the first ever, imagine my (very pleasant) surprise! 🙂 For me Mailbird is a keeper – easy to use and most importantly easy to configure!! My 80 year old mom is a testament to that.” Lars – May 12, 2015

We will be looking at the following areas and to see if Mailbird is the best alternative to Outlook for you too:

Layout and UI
Most Popular Features
Cost

1. Layout and User Experience

Outlook is known for its cluttered and “out-dated” layout and UI, making it rather complicated for new and even existing users to handle the software.

Sure, if you use a piece of software on a daily basis you eventually learn how to get around it – in fact that’s even the case with rocket science, but is that the best utilization of your time? Software and apps in 2015 should be intuitive enough to not have a learning curve, so spending a few days unraveling the mystery of using an email client seems like we’re technologically pushing you back to the early 2000s.

Simplicity, a clean user interface (UI), an intuitive user experience (UX) and speed are the main reasons why people try Mailbird, enabling them to master it in less than 5 Minutes (not days!).

User Experience

User experience is essentially all the small little details that you don’t recognize consciously but intuitively guide you to use the software.

Mailbird has many such small elements. Let’s look at some examples –

Example #1 – Let’s say you’re a Dropbox user and you activated the Dropbox app from Mailbird AppStore. Apart from looking at your Dropbox app by clicking on the Dropbox icon in the bottom left, the only other place you’ll find it is when you’re composing a new email or replying to one. It shows up like this –

Non-intrusive Dropbox icon to attach files from Dropbox

And when clicked upon, opens Dropbox file explorer for you to select files to be attached

Example #2 – You might think, Mailbird does not offer as many features and functionalities as Outlook, otherwise the Inbox and menu would look the same, right? That is not quite correct.

Instead of filling the interface with lots of buttons and options, we hid them to show up on certain user actions. If you look at how emails are stacked in Mailbird, it looks just like any other email program, but when you hover over the profile picture of an email message, an action bar shows up on top which makes it easier for you to deal with it.

You can even click on the profile picture of an email message and it will show you all the emails you’ve exchanged with the person.

Layout and UI

In Mailbird, you can customize the layout and color theme, personalizing your Inbox.

8 different Layout Options - Pick your favourite — 8 different Layout Options – Pick your favourite

2. Most Popular Features

In order to find the perfect replacement for their current email client, people tend to only look for ones that have exactly the same features as their current email client, regardless of whether or not those features will actually be used.

Mailbird has integrated the standard features that users know from Outlook and also offers special Mailbird-only features that have not yet been implemented by any other email client: quick preview of attachments, speed reader, LinkedIn lookup, snooze and many others.

The majority of these are already available in Mailbird’s free version – Mailbird Lite.

Let’s have a look at the most popular features:

[ws_table id=”2″]

Integration with Third Party Apps

Additional features that differentiate Mailbird from other email clients include the integration of a variety of popular apps, turning Mailbird into a true all-in-one communication hub, combining Email, Messaging, Task Management, Calendar and Video Meetings in the most effective way possible for the user.

Mailbird’s all-star developer team continues to add and improve these features requested by you. Think Mailbird needs a certain feature to convince you to switch? We have Mailbird Feature request forum where you can submit your request.

Imagine working like a productivity machine through your email, while also being able to jump on a call without having to switch browsers or to another application. It’s not just convenient but also way more efficient. In Mailbird, as the best alternative to Outlook, you have all your communication power tools in one place.

Featured Apps Include:

Messaging Apps, like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.

Task Management, Apps and Tools like Todoist, Moo.do, Evernote and Asana, can easily be activated in your Mailbird AppStore.

Video Meeting Apps, such as Appear.in and Veeting Rooms allow you to easily jump on a call or virtual Meeting, without having to leave your Inbox.

Talk to anyone by creating video chat rooms in Appear.in

Veeting Rooms – Have a virtual Meeting without leaving your Email Client.

Calendar App, Google Calendar gives you a nice overview of your upcoming appointments and enables you to schedule appointments from your Mailbird.
Sunrise Calendar – plan your day from your Inbox.

3. Cost

Outlook runs at $110 which is pricey for “just” an Email Client.

Mailbird, on the other hand has 3 different pricing options to choose from. Depending on the number of accounts and your actual Email needs, Mailbird has the perfect plan for you which include:

Mailbird Lite: Free for up to 1 account
Mailbird Pro: $1 / month paid annually or $12 / year (incl. all future updates)
Mailbird Pro Lifetime: $45 once (incl. all future updates)

Mailbird gives you a 30 day free Pro Trial when you install Mailbird for the first time. This is a great chance to find out why Mailbird Pro is worth that $1 a month.

Still have questions before downloading it? Our team is always there to help you out. Shoot us an Email or tweet us @mailbird.

We are ready to help you and to answer every single one of them. That’s the great value that comes with Mailbird: direct responses and feedback to help you through your email, communication and communication management needs.

Excited to make the switch to the best alternative to Outlook? Simply start downloading Mailbird! You’ll freaking love it.

Update: We have launched our Mailbird Import feature, that makes it even more simple to switch over from Outlook. Find all the details on how to “auto-magically” start importing your accounts here.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2015 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Email client worth downloading - Mailbird

Tagged as alternative , email , email client , outlook

Matteo Contrini

Without Exchange support you can’t expect enterprise users to switch.
- tropicaltech
  
  Hi Matteo, thanks for the message! You can use Exchange with IMAP 🙂
  - Maarten Kossen
    
    The whole reason why people use Outlook is because it support Exchange/Office365 ActiveSync which syncs not only e-mail, but also contacts and calendars. While I agree that MailBird is a much nicer product that Outlook, it’s by no means a replacement yet for enterprise users.
    
    For now, eM Client is the way to go for people that want a viable Outlook replacement.
    - Ben Smith
      
      Agreed! Also “Exchange with IMAP” only works if the IT department enables (or doesn’t disable) this. Unfortunately, mine does not allow this, disallowing many mail clients. Even DavMail wasn’t able to get everything. I would happily pay for Exchange support.
      - tropicaltech
        
        Yes that is true, and if they permit it…its literally the switch of a button. Really easy for the IT dept to do to turn on IMAP support for the Exchange server. Not to worry, we will be looking at development of exchange support later down the road 🙂
      - Maarten Kossen
        
        I’d happily pay [more] for Exchange support. Meanwhile, I’ll have an attempt at convincing my IT dept to switch to Google Apps. I doubt it’s going to happen any time soon, though.
      - Frederik Moreau
        
        Has this problem already been addressed in the further development of the product ? I’m also very keen of the functionality and design. I was using thunderbird, but because of a new job, I have gotten an exhange server e-mail.
      - Russell Wiley
        
        How much later down the road? It’s been 2 years since you made this comment. Even though I got it to sync with IMAP, I still can’t send any mail because it wants to use SMTP. At least that is what it looks like. Can you exchange or not? Personal opinion. These days, no 3rd party mail client should even launch their product without at least partial Exchange Support to send and receive mail out of box. It’s too prevalent. Who even uses POP anymore?
      - Christin Baumgarten
        
        Hey Russell, thanks for your feedback. Exchange support is the next big thing on our roadmap. Once we have the exact release date we will make sure to announce it:-)
      - Martin
        
        Yeah I would like Enterprise Exchange Support as well. With no ETA I’ll end up moving on and probably not come back. Too bad, the client looked good. I would have paid more to use it.
      - Gary Simpson
        
        I purchased Mailbird quite a while back, used it for about a month before I got a new job where they use Exchange and do not support IMAP. I stopped using Mailbird and started using EMClient. Once Exchange support is implemented I will switch back to Mailbird. I’d hoped it might be supported by now, but alas , it isn’t. I’d like to use it now, but don’t want to have use two email applications. 🙁
      - Christin Baumgarten
        
        Thanks for reaching out Gary. We have good news for you. Exchange will be supported by the end of September:-) So not too long anymore. What license did you purchase for Mailbird?
      - Gary Simpson
        
        Thanks for the update. I have a lifetime license.
      - Christin Baumgarten
        
        I see:-) We would have loved to extend your Pro licence but the lifetime licence wont expire 😉 Please reach out to us should you have any other questions:-) Have a great week:-)
      - Daria Zolotko
        
        great! Then you’ll be soon able to use Mailbird with Exchange support 🙂
      - Eron Greco Melo
        
        Nice! I will wait then.
    - Rich
      
      yeah, I was hoping I stumbled onto an app that also featured Exchange Calendaring/Contacts..
    - Mike Williams
      
      JEEZUS CHRIST PEOPLE ALL YOUR DOING HERE IS COMPLAINING AND BITCHING ABOUT THIS EMAIL SOFTWARE. IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT WHY ARE YOU HERE? THERE’S A REASON WHY YOU STOPPED BY AND I’M SURE IT WASN’T JUST TO BITCH ABOUT AN EXCHANGE SYNC FEATURE! GO GET A LIFE FUCK FACES AND MOVE ON.
      - echoDreamz
        
        Wow, someone need some cream for that butthurt?
      - Christin Baumgarten
        
        Wow, why so angry?
  - Brent Ratliff
    
    Actually no, my company disables IMAP on their Exchange server. Other clients like Airmail get around it by accessing it via Outlook Web Access like a browser.
    - Daria Zolotko
      
      Hi Brent! We expect the Exchange support by the beginning of Autumn 🙂
- creed
  
  Thanks for the heads up. I almost installed this. 🙂
Ian Howles

Hi, Can I run mailbird and outlook simultaneously? I have to use outlook for corporate account with DRM and calendar etc. But would like to have a second completely separate client running that has a separate set of mailboxes that are monitoring a number of personal accounts (hotmail / gmail / apple mail / ISP mail etc.). Are there any compatibility issues?
- Leonardo Ariadi Santoso
  
  Hi Ian, You can run both of them at the same time, there shouldn’t be any compatibility issue. Sometime uou might experience some delay in incoming message either in Outlook or in Mailbird. This is because IMAp server can get easily crowded if a lot of email client is trying to connect to it at the same time
Martijn Dekkers

You list MAPI support, but I couldn’t find it after installation. No syncing for Calendar and Contacts? No native Exchange support? No support for multiple shared mailboxes on Exchange, no Public Folder support? Mailbird looks awesome and I would love to use it, but it *isn’t* an Outlook replacement, not for users on Exchange, at least.
- Leonardo Ariadi Santoso
  
  Hi Martjin, once you have add your account Mailbird you will be given an option to continue with the server settings that Mailbird has found, or you can edit it manually. If you edit it manually you can change the settings whether you want to use IMAP or POP3.
  Contact sync is coming in future update, as for Calendar, we now support Google and Sunrise Calendar.
  As for an Outlook alternative, Outlook is an email client, Mailbird is also an email client, which is what make us an alternative to outlook.
  - Martijn Dekkers
    
    Yeah, like I said: you claim MAPI support, and answer about POP3 or IMAP, neither of which are MAPI. No Native Exchange support, no Calendars, No Contacts. Outlook is an *Exchange* client first and foremost, and as such, you do not provide an alternative for that. Because I know how to play Soccer, that doesn’t make me an alternative to Maradonna….
  - Riddlemethis
    
    that makes sense.
    
    that’s like saying an electric scooter is a vehicle and the scooter is an alternative to an RV, because a RV is also a vehicle.
    - Leonardo Ariadi Santoso
      
      Well you can of course look at it that scooter is a mean of transportation, RV is also a means of transportation, so yes they are an alternative to each other. On the other hand you could also say that scooter is a bike and RV is a car, so no they’re not an alternative to each other. I guess it’s how you look at things
- Graham
  
  MAPI is a Microsoft proprietary technology for which Microsoft must license for use in other products by other software vendors. For example, Microsoft used to license the MAPI technology to Apple for use in Mac Mail but subsequently terminated that licensing agreement. Mac Mail now uses EWS (Exchange Web Services) to connect to and Exchange Server, whether that is an on-premise Exchange Server or Exchange Online, but EWS doesn’t provide the same features as MAPI. Microsoft are pushing people into buying Outlook by limiting implementations of MAPI by other software vendors.
  To say Mailbird is an Outlook replacement is true if you only POP3 or IMAP. If you need a MAPI client then Mailbird is not, and will never be, a viable alternative. If you want a MAPI client then Outlook is your only option.
Naylin Appanna

Can I import my emails from outlook to mailbird? I can’t see how this is done.
- Riddlemethis
  
  if it’s not mentioned, you can’t. even if you can, it’s likely limited to the 32 bit version. most people now run 64 bit windows.
- Leonardo Ariadi Santoso
  
  Hi Naylin
  
  We do not have import/export feature right now, but it;s already planned in our developer road map
  - Einar Gregorios
    
    Can one import contacts from .pst files? That’s a deal breaker.
Riddlemethis

Sounds like an infomercial here. There is no mention of this app’s ability to import messages from specific email clients. such as windows live mail. this mailbird has a lot of bloatware that most people will never ever use.

As already echoed by other users, MB is not a replacement to Outlook.If people forked over the cash for Microsoft Office, it is illogical for them to switch to this email client. Mailbird sounds like It’s just “another” lame email application out there with no to little support that is resorted to this kind of tabloid advertising to get it’s name out there, and disappoint people in the process. who knows what kind of personal information they will keep or use once you install this app.
- Leonardo Ariadi Santoso
  
  We appreciate your feedback and comment. As we see it, all email clients is an alternate to Outlook, Outlook does not equal to native exchange. But of course you are entitled to your own opinion about this
  
  As for personal information that we keep, we already stated this in our privacy policy, not only that we even explained in our blog what the data that we keep and what they are use for. More over we also provide the options for users to opt out of this data collections. You can find all of this information in here
  
  http://www.getmailbird.com/how-secure-is-mailbird/
Karim

Can I import outlook accounts (emails / passwords) and contacts to Mailbird?
Bram

You say Outlook doesn’t have unified inbox… I have Outlook 2007 and around 22 different POP3 email accounts installed on that Outlook and all of those emails arrive in the same inbox (no configuration was needed for this unified inbox other than simply adding the 22 email accounts). Isn’t that exactly what unified inbox means? I checked with other versions of Outlook (for example 2013) and there you can also easily create an unified inbox (albeit differently than on outlook 2007). Mailbird seems like a great email software but comparison information should be correct; saying that Outlook doesn’t have an unified inbox is not true.
- Bob
  
  outlook does a unified box but only with POP accounts not exchange/office 365 or IMAP accounts, Outlook places them way down the folder list and you have to check them separately….grrrrr
Lani

I’ve always used Outlook, but became frustrated with it recently due to delays/issues with getting emails via IMAP. I decided to try MailBird and have been pleasantly surprised. I manage 6 email accounts via IMAP and previously had to click on each inbox individually in Outlook. Sometimes Outlook would not perform a send/receive properly until I actually clicked on the inbox (despite setting it to check for new mail every 2 minutes). The unified inbox in MailBird is fantastic and a time saver. Syncing mail in folders was also an issue with Outlook. It either took a long time or would be missing older emails (forcing me to log in to webmail to retrieve older messages). MailBird seems to handle this really well. The simplicity of the layout allows me to see so much more on my screen. The Google Calendar, Todoist, FaceBook, and Twitter integrated apps are also very convenient. For Google calendars, I previously used a third party program to sync calendars, but moving an appointment from one calendar to another was not possible (would have to delete and re-add). Since MailBird actually displays the Google calendar directly, it’s much easier to use with multiple calendars. I prefer the Google calendar for sharing reasons and synchronizing to other devices. I love that the contact manager app displays email history for a particular contact,…also a time saver. Conversation grouping is also nice. So, lots of pluses. Now for the negatives. There’s no setting to schedule how often to send/receive. It seems to pull in emails pretty quickly, so I’m not too worried about this yet. Secondly, there’s no way to sync contacts (with Google or with other devices),…hope to see that feature added soon. Lastly, when replying to an email in the unified inbox, it saves the sent message in a separate folder. It would be great to have that email saved in the sent folder within the particular email account thru which the message was sent. Overall, I do consider MailBird as a great replacement for Outlook. I’m not an enterprise user, so I can’t speak to that aspect of things. For how I previously used Outlook to manage multiple email accounts, calendars, and tasks, MailBird has overcome many of the frustrations/issues that I experienced with Outlook and is a great time saver.
- Lani
  
  Correction,…Mailbird does save sent messages into a folder within the particular IMAP account. It also displays it within the sent folder under unified view.
  - Christin Baumgarten
    
    Hey Lani, we launched our new contact manager with contact sync. Get Mailbird and check it out and let us know what you think:-) https://www.getmailbird.com/new-contact-manager-contact-sync/
Ted Lin

I wish it can support Markdown !!!

I wish it can support Markdown !!!

I wish it can support Markdown !!!
Tom Nichol

Would Mailbird be usable with CRM or PIM software packages? I have several friends who are active in network marketing programs, and such compatibility might be a deal-maker or deal-breaker for them! Thanks in advance for your time and assistance.
Richard Bourque

My company is looking for an Outlook replacement. I installed eM Client 7 and it worked perfectly first try. Even AirSync(Activesync) synced my calendars, contacts and tasks on the 2 accounts that I setup. I keep seeing ads for mailbird saying it’s better than eM Client and is an Outlook replacement. I have to argue with that. Without Contact, Calendar and Task synchronization for my user’s computers and cell phones it’s practically useless and isn’t a contender in my search for a true Outlook replacement at all.
- tropicaltech
  
  Hi Richard, thanks for the feedback 🙂 We are working on Contacts Sync to give the existing contacts manager some extra boost. Currently we use Google Calendar and Sunrise Calendar integration. Have you tried it? What are you using for managing email on your mobile? Hope Mailbird is not a replica of Outlook, but rather an alternative email/communication/task management system. It does mean adjustment in the tools you use that are not fully hosted in the MS Office suite. Would love to hear what it is about Outlook that you are not satisfied with and why you are seeking a replacement for it? Look forward to hearing from you Richard! 🙂
  - icebreaker
    
    He just said : Contacts, Calendar and Task sync with Exchange servers.
GAGP

I am using WLM and I need to switch to Mailbird, which is not better than WLM. You cannot export your contact list and this is a big issue…
GAGP

I am using WLM but I need to switch to Mailbird which is not better than WLM. The big issue is that you cannot export your contact list or your personal calendar, two very important work tools!
NRdeMJ

Mailbird admin are unable to answer the question, “how to export messages from Mailbird to Outlook or any other e mail client”. They state in this discussion that this is on their ‘to do’ list well over a year ago now yet nothing has happened. They still collect dosh for their full e mail system but do not seem to honour their promises!!! I am not impressed and will be changing as soon as I am able to transfer my folders and messages elsewhere.
- Christin Baumgarten
  
  Hey, thanks for your feedback. There is no export feature in Mailbird. For exporting we would suggest you used the Import feature of the email client you want to use instead, Its a pity to see you leave, but we wish you all the best.
  - NRdeMJ
    
    Well that is fascinating Christin, you are able to answer a question that your team are not and do not respond to my replies on their helpline/online chat.
    Would you please let me have full details on how I may import my mesages and files from Mailbird to OE Classic and also to Windows Live Mail in case you say that it is not possible to complete the operation to OE Classic. Thank you.
    - Christin Baumgarten
      
      Hey, thanks for your reply. Unfortunately I am not familiar with their import features and therefore not able to tell you how to import your messages from Mailbird to WLM or OE Classic. In this case, you should contact their support team, as they will be the ones to know their products best:-)
      - NRdeMJ
        
        Oh dear, that is a shame Christin. Would there be another within your organisation who could tell me how this is carried out. Alternatively are you now confirming that Mailbird does not have the option of messages being imported to any other e mail client. Surely you have a technical department or designated person to deal with any questions?????? This question has already been ignored by someone at Mailbird responding to e mail enquiries. I look forward to you answering my question. Would you also confirm your position within Mailbird please.
      - Christin Baumgarten
        
        Hey, The only workaround is to save emails in .eml format and then export them into another client. In this case unfortunately you’ll have to save every email. This is done by selecting the message in Mailbird and open the additional options by clicking on the small downward pointing triangle in the message’s header on the right. Then click on ‘Message source’. Now save this as a file somewhere on your computer. Let us know if that helped you.
      - NRdeMJ
        
        Thanks for a rapid response Christen. Have tried your suggestion but there is nothing on my dropdown menu that states ‘Message Source’ I have Reply; Forward; Print message; Print conversation; Speed read e mail; Find in message; Mark as unread; Mark as spam.
        Nothing else. Seems as if you may have another Mailbird that is not the same as mine!!!!
      - Christin Baumgarten
        
        Hey, are you using POP3 or IMAP? Also, what version are you using of Mailbird?
      - NRdeMJ
        
        Thanks for your reply Christin.
        Using the paid version as for yourother question please advise how I find this information out and I will let you know the answers as soon as you tell me.
      - Christin Baumgarten
        
        Hey, I think the easiest is really to get in touch wth our support about that. As it will be private messages and they will be able to help you more detailed. Please send them a ticket and give me the ticket number here. I will be able to fill them on our previous conversation. Have a great day.
NRdeMJ

If you are there Christin, would there be any chance of a response from you. I am beginning to think that you are able to provide details of how to import messages and folders from Mailbird to any other e mail clients. Whilst writing, why is it not posible to have read receipts for messages sent and also why is it we are unable to see the properties of incoming mail????? Have I found some more failings in Mailbird????
Pinko of the Grange

It is isn’t; there is no way to sort your in box other than by date. Glad I didn’t pay for pro.
- Christin Baumgarten
  
  Thanks for your feedback, we really appreciate it. If you liked Mailbird other than that, please up-vote the feature in our forum, that helps us prioritise.
  https://mailbird.zendesk.com/forums/20792535-Feature-Requests
  Thanks so much for your support:-)
  - Pinko of the Grange
    
    Why I am not going to use the thing it is worthless to me.
    35 years of e-messaging and sorting is a basic function to me.
Gary Cheeseman

Mailbird has some great features, but it needs Markdown support.

If it had Markdown support it would be my email client of choice.
- Christin Baumgarten
  
  Thanks for your feedback:-) Depending on the overall demand of this we might implement it:-)
Gary Cheeseman

Mailbird would be my email client of choice, if only it had Markdown support.
Vijayashankar Nagaraja Rao

Does Mailbird enable me to use my diigital certificates and sign outgoing emails?
- tropicaltech
  
  Hi @vijayashankarnagarajarao:disqus unfortunately no we do not support that option at this time.
David

It’s not the best at anything. There is no export, no drag and drop between mailboxes, and if you have trouble with your IMAP account, you can do nothing to fix it. Complete waste of time this is – choose anything but this!
- Christin Baumgarten
  
  Hey David, its a pity you feel this way. Please help us understand, what would you like to export? Emails or contacts? The drag and drop works between folders and not email accounts, thats correct as they would need to be moved between email provider (IMAP). Therefore it is not being implemented by a lot clients as it is quite complicated. Regarding the issues you were facing, I would like to ask you to send more details to [email protected] and we will help you fix it as fast as we can. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for reaching out.
Los Pachucos

Please, someone save me! I am a certified, licensed, and insured digital forensic s examiner who has been to court on cases from child custody to capital murder. I have worked with computers since the days of DOS 3.1 and PRODOS. I can take a bad guy’s/girl’s computer and suck enough evidence out of kit to send that person to prison. But I am here to tell you that Outlook 2016 is the end of the evolutionary chain because it is such a bloated, complicated, confusing, slow, non-intuitive, and constantly decomposing app that, before too long, will certainly implode and disappear from the face of this earth. I hope and pray it does anyway.

In June of 2017 what would be the best replacement for a guy with 4 workstations, all in house, that only wants to use and sync email, calendars, and tasks for four email accounts all used an managed by one person?

Thnak you God and thank you fellow human beings. I will rest easier now…

Hasta manyana,

Mike
Edward

Does mailbird now support Exchange/Office365 ActiveSync?