In late 2004, version 1.0 of Thunderbird was released and received more than 500,000 downloads in its first three days of release and 1,000,000 in ten days. Mozilla Thunderbird is one of the oldest email apps on the market that is still in active development. These guidelines gives us a good foundation on which to judge them individually and an easy way to compare them to one another so you can find the email client that’s right for you. To find the best email app for Windows, we measured them against seven key parameters.
How did we Research the Best Email App for Windows in 2022? Sometimes you just need to try a few on to see which one fits your workflows the best. An alternative to an email client is a web interface that will enable you to view your email messages.įinding the right email client is like finding the perfect size on a great pair of pants. What is an Email Client?Īn email client is a local application that allows you to view the email on your email server and send new email messages. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) was created in 1981 and is being used by mail servers to send, receive, and/or relay outgoing mail between email senders and receivers. When a user connects to the mail server using their Windows email client to retrieve their mail, the messages are downloaded from the mail server to the user’s hard drive. A POP3 server receives emails, stores them locally and filters them into the appropriate folders.
POP3 is one of the oldest email protocols still being used. Reading messages on one device will mark them as read on all other devices. As a result, you can check your email from different devices using different apps from anywhere in the world: your phone, a laptop, a public library computer, etc.
When you read an email message using IMAP, you aren’t downloading or storing it on your computer instead, you’re reading it from the email server. IMAP technology allows you to access your email from any device while keeping your other devices in sync. It offers support for a handy suite of features and uncluttered interface.Before we talk about apps and email clients for Windows, let’s talk about some key terms to know about email. A fast and intuitive email clientĪlthough it’s not as powerful as Outlook and Thunderbird, Mailbird proves to be speedy and reliable. You can group unread conversations at the top and messages into conversations, make the email client run at Windows startup, and show notifications (indicate unread count in the taskbar and system tray, play sound when receiving new message, reveal tray notification when receiving a message).įurthermore, you are allowed to create identities, connect with Facebook in order to see profile pictures and contact information of your friends, and set up proxy parameters. Several configuration settings to play with The support for hotkeys makes it easier for you to access most of the program’s features. Working with extensions and hotkeysĪ special feature included in the package enables you to improve the application’s functionality with the aid of open-source extensions that can be developed by third-parties. Mailbird comes packed with basic features for helping you create new email messages, as you change the color, font and size of the text, drag and drop attachments in the Composition window, and check your spelling as you type. You can also save emails into preset or custom folders.
The main panel is divided into three areas: the inbox and labels on the left part of the main window, list of conversations in the middle and full message content on the right.
Additionally, power users can edit the account settings for the incoming and outgoing servers. Setting up a new account proves to be a piece of cake, as Mailbird is able to automatically detect your server settings, apply them and load the email messages on the fly.
The interface is inspired by Sparrow, the well-known email client for Mac and iPhone. The program adopts an intuitive layout with handy features at your fingertips.
The tool offers support for up to three email accounts and gives you the possibility to work with Gmail, Yahoo!,, iCloud or other IMAP email provider. Mailbird is an intuitive email client that promises to deliver an uncluttered experience and several handy features for managing your email messages.