The Play Store is filled with several third-party email clients that offer a variety of features. Gmail for Android underwent a major redesign recently. And until Google introduces a night theme, the current version could be a nightmare for someone using it in the dark. Also, you might be uncomfortable with Google’s data mining policies. And that’s where the alternatives shine. In this post, we will talk about the top five Gmail rivals on Android.
1. Outlook by Microsoft
Microsoft’s focus on cloud-first and mobile-first is making big waves on both Android and iOS. The company has developed an ecosystem of apps on these platforms. And among those apps, one of the highly rated and critically acclaimed apps is Outlook mobile. Outlook for Android follows the material theme UI with bottom bar navigation menus and solid colors. One of the biggest selling points of the app is focused on Inbox functionality. And oh boy, it has done wonders to my workflow. The app analyses the incoming emails and sorts it out based on priorities. The app moves all the social, news flyers, annoying ads into the ‘Others’ tab. You won’t get notified for such emails, and the important ones land in Focused Inbox tab. You can also manually set the rule to receive certain emails to Focused Inbox. Other additions include calendar support with sports and TV schedule (useful for sports fans), Facebook, Evernote Integration, popular cloud add-ons to directly upload a file from the Drive or Dropbox. The app also offers widget support and a long-press on app icon reveals quick actions. My only problem with Outlook Mobile is, it doesn’t offer fingerprint authentication support on Android. However, Outlook for iOS comes with Face ID integration. Download Outlook for Android
2. Spark
One of the popular third-party email clients finally makes its way to the Android world. And after using Spark for a week, I can safely say that it’s the best alternative to Inbox by Google. The app offers something called ‘Smart Inbox,’ which categorize the incoming emails in certain tabs. The social ones get dumped into a social tab, while the ad-flyers are moved into the newsletters section. The important emails are kept at the top with ‘Priority’ tag and the already read ones are at the bottom. Similar to Inbox, Spark follows a concept to help you find the important emails easily and hide the irrelevant ones. Taking about UI, it felt slightly outdated. It’s still following the old Material guidelines with hamburger menu and an action button at the bottom-right corner. Spark also offers Team functionality where one can create a team and make a friction-free group communication. The other functions include customizable action button and hamburger menu, Password lock option, email snooze and more. Spark lacks Calendar support and widget functionality. I am hoping to see those additions in future updates. Download Spark for Android
3. Yahoo Mail
Even though it’s becoming an irrelevant option in consumer space, Yahoo does have a robust mail offering on Android and iOS. First, let’s talk about a huge drawback of using the Yahoo Mail – the app forces you to sign up for a Yahoo account. Only after that, you can access the functions of Yahoo Mail. The UI is straightforward. Swipe left to reveal the hamburger menu which carries all the relevant information and folders of the email account. The area where Yahoo Mail excels is support for documents, photos, and travel info in a single swipe. Want to see the latest documents or the upcoming flight details? Simply head to the relevant folder and access the information. The other additions include contacts support, variety of themes, fingerprint authentication, and popular service add-ons like LinkedIn, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Yahoo Mail also offers a quick pop-up menu and many widget options. Unfortunately, there is no calendar integration in the app. Download Yahoo Mail for Android
4. BlueMail
Blue Mail is one of the oldest mail offerings on the Android platform. At a glance, you can see that the developers have prioritized functionality over the look and polish in the app. The animations felt sluggish to me, and the look is also nowhere as slick as the above rivals. The functionalities are endless though. The app jam-packed with all the features such as group function, calendar integration, task view, people focused inbox and much more. Download BlueMail for Android
5. Email by Edison Software
Email by Edison Software is a thoughtfully designed app with useful functions at the right place. UI and animations are smooth and practical. It’s still using the hamburger menu though. The two biggest highlights of the app are Assistant function and a quick Unsubscribe button in the app. Assistant works as a neat organizer in the app. It will smarty categorize the emails related subscription, travel, bills, entertainment, and packages info. It will fetch up the relevant information from the email and present it in a friendly listing way. Quick unsubscribe is a must have for any email app. And this app showcases a big unsubscribe button in relevant mail and with one tap, you can get rid of annoying promotions and newsletters. The app also supports widgets and offers long-press pop-up menu with relevant options. Download Email for Android
What’s Your Pick?
Choosing the one Email app form the above list is a tricky one. Email is personal, and the usage pattern varies from person to person. My vote will go to Outlook and Email app. Both apps are free, neatly designed, and packed with many useful functions. Next up: Even though the Android-based phone makers pack their offerings with a camera app, the Play Store offers capable alternatives to it. Read the post below to discover some of the best cameras for your Android phone.
