Best email Client for OSX

[Plexberry]

Hi

I'm running Yosemite and I'm having trouble getting Apple Mail to be nice with my email accounts. I will have about 6 or so addresses running eventually but it's just getting very confused now. It won't let me add new ones, stops understanding passwords of current ones.

I run my own business and use it for that as well as personal email.

I'm only a small business and I really like the simplicity of Apple Mail so I'm looking for something cheap or free that does a similar thing but works.

Any one have any suggestions? I'd like to steer clear of Office 365 etc

Thanks in advance

C

 

[Lifeisabeach]

You can try the beta version of Airmail for free. If you like it, you can pick up the regular version off the App Store. I've been using this for a bit now and generally like the UI, but periodically it has one annoying problem in that it claims there are pending operations when I try to quit it. I've never seen this in any other email client I've used.

Otherwise, I can recommend GyazMail. It's more of a traditional email client but works very well and though the developer seemed to be a bit slow at keeping it updated at one point, it was recently updated for Yosemite compatibility.

 

[Plexberry]

Great thank!

I'll check both of them out (already looked at Airmail a bit already i.e app store reviews) but be interested in what others have to say as well

 

[chscag]

I agree with member LIAB about "Airmail" and additionally recommend taking a look at the free Mozilla Thunderbird for OS X. Thunderbird is not only a good mail client but is also a very capable newsreader in case you're into NNTP news forums.

 

[chas_m]

Another option: figure out what's actually not working in Mail and fix that. Chances are pretty high that it's either user error (no offense intended) or a configuration issue. While I have no objection whatsoever to using alternative email clients, I have AirMail 2 right here, Mail is actually pretty darn fabulous and robust with most email providers.

 

[dtravis7]

I have not had one issue with mail and I have at least 6 accounts set up on mine. I will confess I have not do a lot lately with Yosemite but I do know all my accounts work.

 

[TerryB]

I agree with member LIAB about "Airmail" and additionally recommend taking a look at the free Mozilla Thunderbird for OS X. Thunderbird is not only a good mail client but is also a very capable newsreader in case you're into NNTP news forums.

I would have agreed with you up until last week. Suddenly I'm getting an error message on T-bird that's making me crazy. "Server at [email protected] has disconnected. The server may have gone down or there is a Network problem." Neither of those statements is true - I've checked. The net result is that messages won't load, trash won't load and empty, and junk folders show empty when they are full. This is happening both with my mac mini (on Snow Leopard) and my new MacBook Air (on Yosemite.) I've tried changing settings, turning off and back on, making sure the other computers don't have open T-bird programs, etc. Nothing works. When I went into Mozilla and T-bird forums I was told it's my fault, or it isn't happening, or whatever. Yet there are numerous similar complaints about T-bird going back to 2004.

So - something is up with Thunderbird. I'm here on this thread to find a new email program. Not trying to hijack the thread, but I want readers to be aware of some problems with this email program.

 

[chscag]

Thunderbird is working OK for me and has been for a very long time. Not sure I like all the updates they seem to put forth. But that's Mozilla in general. They do the same thing with Firefox.

If you're looking for another mail client, what's wrong with the built in mail client of OS X? Or you can try Airmail as suggested above.

 

[Plexberry]

chscag - I'd love nothing more than to use the built in client of OSX, I tend to trust apple apps over others, it's there, free and ready to use and it does what I want

BUT it has many faults. I have six mail accounts on it and it just confuses it too much - it doesn't load accounts or won't send mail, it won't let me add a new account (when I was adding them) then next day it does. It's out of date with a lot of mail server recommendations. Although it's simply strangely for apple it's also quite problematic

I will add though that there really is a lack of a decent mail app out there on the market. AirMail certainly isn't universally loved - at least not enough for me to consider it to run my business mail from, Terry's comments on Thunderbird are backed up by a lot of other things I've read on the net and I refuse to pay monthly - or anything at any time - for Microsoft's 360 suite for Outlook etc

So at the moment I'm sticking with Apple Mail which is frustrating but is just about holding out at the moment!

Hopefully someone somewhere is developing a mail app to suit the modern age - it seems email apps have been long forgotten in many ways, which is odd considering it's such an important communication tool in todays age.

 

[TerryB]

Thunderbird is working OK for me and has been for a very long time. Not sure I like all the updates they seem to put forth. But that's Mozilla in general. They do the same thing with Firefox.

If you're looking for another mail client, what's wrong with the built in mail client of OS X? Or you can try Airmail as suggested above.

I would have posted the same comment two weeks ago. Then this suddenly started happening. I'm running both personal and business accounts on it, and it really bogs down the day when I have to keep refreshing or close T-Bird and reopen it just to answer one email. Another frustration suddenly is that it won't save. So I'll be in the midst of writing an email and I get the error message, "Unable to save to draft. Cancel?" Or whatever it says. If I'm in the midst of adding an attachment at that precise moment, it freezes and I have to close out T-bird and I lose the message I wrote and have to start over. As I said, I fixed that by lengthening the save to drafts time... but it's still a problem. I'm looking at GyazMail today.

I agree - someone besides Google needs to come up with a great email program. I hesitate with them because I have serious issues with their invasion of privacy and the way they have everything we do linked back to them. At this point, I may just keep using my webhost's email on the CPanel. It's unwieldy, but at least I maintain some control over privacy on it.

 

[Plexberry]

Interesting and agree with what you say

Let us know how you get on with GyazMail

 

[chscag]

You might also want to give Postbox a try. According to their web site they have a 30 day free trial download, but the license is only $9.95 and they were picked as an editor's choice by Macworld Mag.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

You might also want to give Postbox a try. According to their web site they have a 30 day free trial download, but the license is only $9.95 and they were picked as an editor's choice by Macworld Mag.

Postbox is outstanding, and it's based on Thunderbird. I was using it for some time, but switched when Mozilla announced they were ceasing development of Thunderbird a while back and these guys weren't sure how this would affect them in the future. My only real beef with it (and by extension, Thunderbird) is that it's not a true Mac-native piece of software and can't take advantage of some of OS X's more advanced features, like Services. I can't remember what it was I wanted to do, but I was a bit miffed when I found it didn't work.

 

[pm-r]

It's too bad that Postbox didn't really work out that well when it first started out as a replacement and upgrade for the discontinued Eudora.

I can't think of any email client that came close to Eudora and it's unfortunate that it was never updated or taken over properly. Sad.

 

[chas_m]

Although currently I don't have multiple email accounts in Mail, I used to have about 10 of them in it and had no issues with that. This was a wide variety of domain email, IMAP and POP accounts (no Exchange accounts however) and had no issues. I still say you should try and troubleshoot the actual problem.

 

[jantom]

Is there a way to configure Mail.app to show only selected IMAP folders from a Gmail server?

I don't want to change anything on the server - I want other clients on other machines to be able to see all the folders - and here on my Macbook I want to see only selected folders.

Does anyone know how to do it?

 

[Plexberry]

Thanks Chas - I've been working on this and stuck with Mail. Despite the faults and blips with Mail (lack of meaningful updates etc) it's still the best. It is simply an email reader that sends and receives. That's all I'm after but one that looks nice and works well! Well until someone realises the vast gap in the market I shall stick with Mail - which isn't that bad 'warts-n-all'

 

[hughvane]

Entourage with Yosemite, or Gmail via Chrome, no problems.

 

[Plexberry]

Entourage with Yosemite, or Gmail via Chrome, no problems.

You're right about gmail - although thats only for gmail whereas I need all my accounts handled in one place.

I shall therefore check out Entourage when I get chance

Many thanks

 

[hughvane]

You're right about gmail - although thats only for gmail whereas I need all my accounts handled in one place.

May I suggest therefore that you use Gmail to send (forward) all emails directed to it on to whatever single (personal) mail client you most prefer to use.

For example, Gmail forwards all emails from my activity account to Entourage (personal/primary). I have Gmail set to keep all inward mail on its server, so there is a record to which I can refer until I delete it manually; whereas primary address emails are deleted automatically once collected. That system works a great majority of the time.