Epic mail: review of email clients for Mac OS. Spark is the best email client for macOS High Sierra

In the operating system macOS High Sierra has a signature mail client, but not everyone likes the program and it is a little outdated. Wandering around the app store App Store, you can see a huge number of alternatives to the standard program, but one product stands out among all, the Spark client is rightfully the best and here's why.

Simple and stylish design

There are 3 areas in the window: a menu for selecting the desired mailbox, a list of messages and a place for the letter itself. The white and gray design theme looks great, doesn’t hurt the eyes and harmonizes well with the macOS style. When you open Spark, only a few elements are visible: update status, search, and a button to compose an email. The side menu allows you to open the desired category, for example, “Inbox” or “Sent”.

At the very bottom, two more actions are available: reply and forward.

Smart box

Moreover, unnecessary letters do not even notify themselves in any way. This approach is easy to use and has become a competitive advantage over both the standard client and other third-party clients. But it is not at all necessary to trust the algorithms; everything is also configured in the parameters.

Full customization for yourself

For more fast work Spark provides swipes. With their help, you can quickly perform an action on it without going into the letter itself. And yes, they are customizable to everyone's needs.

In addition, for greater user productivity, the developers have added “hot keys” or “Shortcuts”. They allow you to quickly work with letters without the need for unnecessary actions. To perform any operation you just need to press a certain key combination.

A plus for convenience was the option to transfer letters. You can postpone it until later or even next week. A huge number of settings that you can choose from exact time notifications when the user is ready to respond to the letter.

Conclusions

But it was not without its shortcomings. The application does not have Russian language support and it is unknown whether it will receive it in the future. However, it is worth noting that even a high school graduate can easily understand most of the inscriptions.

can only be guaranteed if its version is 3.1 or higher, and if . If Apple version Mail 3.0 or lower, or if the operating system version Mac OS X 10.5 or lower, then it is not safe to use it. We recommend installing a newer version of your email client.

Configure via IMAP protocol

1. Open the Mail app on macOS.

2. If you already have another mail configured in your application, go to “File” → “Add Account”.

3. Select "Another Mail account...".

2. Fill in the fields:

3. Click “Login” - automatic program setup will begin.

If an error occurred during setup, enter the following information:

After successful setup, your mailbox will open.

5. Go to “Mail” → “Settings...”.

7. In the “Account Properties” tab, uncheck the “Configure connection settings automatically” in the “Incoming mail server (IMAP)” and “Outgoing mail server (SMTP)” sections.

Fields for editing ports will appear.

8. Edit the ports:

Configure via POP3 protocol

To configure the Apple Mail email program via POP3 protocol:

1. B top panel in the “File” menu, select “Add account...”;

2. On the page, enter the data:

• “Full Name” - enter the name that will be displayed in the “From:” field for all sent messages;
• “E-mail address” - enter full name your mailbox in the format [email protected] ;
• “Password” - specify incorrect mailbox password so that the mail client does not implement automatic setup via IMAP protocol.

Click Continue.

3. On the page that opens, enter the data:

Click Continue.

4. On the page that opens, enter the data:

• Outgoing mail server - smtp.mail.ru;
• Check the box next to “Use. only this server";
• Check the box next to “Use authentication”;
• Username - the full name of your mailbox in the format [email protected] ;
• Password—the current password for your mailbox.

Click Continue.

5. Go to “Mail” - “Settings...”

6. Go to the “Account Properties” tab in the “Account” section and in the drop-down list opposite “Original Server.” mail (SMTP)" select "Edit. list of SMTP servers..."

7. Select "Use a random port" and enter 465.

Check the box next to “Use SSL” and select “Password” from the “Authentication” drop-down list.

Click OK.

8. Go to the Add-ons tab. Next to the “Port:” item, enter 995 and check the box next to “Use SSL”.

If you want messages downloaded by the mail program not to be deleted from the server, uncheck the box next to “Delete a copy from the server after receiving a message.”

Change SSL settings

Safety of work in the program Apple Mail can only be guaranteed if its version is 3.1 or higher, and ifit is installed on a computer running Mac OS X 10.5.1 or higher. If your Apple Mail version is 3.0 or lower, or your operating system versionMac OS X 10.5 or lower,then it is not safe to use it. We recommend installing a newer version of your email client.

To set up your email Apple program Mail via secure SSL protocol:

If the above settings are already installed in your email program, then no changes need to be made.

If you have problems setting up your email program, use our

There are a whole bunch of email programs for Windows and Mac, but many of us still continue to use services through a web browser. Maybe there are good reasons for this? Today we are looking into email clients - what are the benefits of them, what are the harms, and is it even possible to find the ideal one?

Let's start, as usual, with the good. Email clients have many advantages over their web options.

No advertising or other junk information

On the mail page in a web browser, along with letters, a lot of unnecessary information appears. Annoying advertising, news, links to other services, pop-up tips and tricks - all this is terribly annoying. Email clients lack all this, especially if you use the paid version.

You can connect several boxes at once and not get confused

Most often, we use several mailboxes at once, and on different services. For example, one address is work, another is personal, the third is for secondary information that is sent to the post office after registering in online stores, forums, services, and so on.

Switching between links in the browser to have instant access to the contents of the boxes is inconvenient: to do this, they must always be open in the browser. And there will be one email client, no matter how many accounts you have.

You can view letters even if there is no Internet

Typically, when you use an email application, emails are saved on your computer. This means you can view incoming and sent messages even when you are not connected to the network. When working through a browser, this option will not be available for obvious reasons: no Internet means no mailboxes.

No need to keep watch at the mailbox

For instant notification of new incoming message you need to either keep tabs with drawers open, or install some kind of browser plugin - both options are quite inconvenient. In addition, even a plugin will not save you when you close your web browser - an important letter will arrive, but you will not see it right away.

Mail clients themselves contact the servers and request information about new letters. If the answer is positive, you immediately receive a notification that is difficult to miss.

But!

Email clients also have a lot of disadvantages. Here are the nastiest ones.

They have so many functions that you won't be able to figure them out right away.

While browser versions of mailboxes are made as simple as possible, developers often get carried away with applications, stuffing them with all sorts of options, functions and settings that most users don’t care about.

As a result, instead of just adding mailboxes and enjoying life, you have to delve into the jungle of the interface, trying to find where to set the signature and how to disable the stupid spell checker.

Multiplatform is a total disaster.

If you often work with mail on different devices with different operating systems, it will be difficult to call the application a suitable solution. And then there’s the addictive effect: if you’re “stuck” to one application, then it’s inconvenient to use another, even if they have the same functionality.

Importing contacts can be difficult

While browsers have at the very least learned to pull up each other's history and logins with passwords, email applications have not always done this successfully. Usually the problem occurs when importing contacts from another application, not the web version.

As a rule, with large decisions ( Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird) no problem. In the settings, select an item like “Export”, create a file with contacts, then in the new client click on “Import” or a similar button, and the document is added.

Less common or not very recent applications may use their own formats to store data, and then you will have to suffer a lot, transferring what you need to other services, for example Google Contacts.

Security is also not very clear.

Any program has vulnerabilities, and email clients are no exception. There is an opinion among experts that the more archaic the application, the more reliable it is, because there are no loopholes for hacking in the form of additional scripts and extensions. Mutt can be considered a kind of standard, but in 2017 only the most severe paranoids will be able to use it without pain in the eyes - this application is ungodly outdated in design and convenience fifteen years ago.

So do you need an email client and if so, which one?

We at the site are confident that the pros outweigh the cons, and with an email program it is still better than without it. The problem is that there are no perfect mailers, so you still have to turn a blind eye to the shortcomings.

So we've selected the best email clients for different platforms: some are on Windows, others are on OS X, others are both here and there, and you decide for yourself which one suits you best.

Microsoft Outlook

The application is convenient due to its close integration with others Windows services and great for work email. For example, there is a link to the to-do list and calendar, which will help optimize your work and make it more comfortable. Microsoft Outlook is also okay with multi-platform functionality: in addition to desktop operating systems, the application is available for iOS and Android.

The problem is that Outlook client included in Office package 365, the personal version of which is priced at 2,699 rubles per year. You will receive Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others. standard programs. If you specifically need Microsoft Outlook, then hold on - it is a one-time purchase and costs 8199 rubles. Given the availability of many free analogues, this is, to put it mildly, an exorbitant amount.

Apple Mail

The standard application for OS X has decent functionality - you can get by with it. The client is free and comes immediately with operating system for Mac. Work with the main services is supported: Google, Yahoo! and others.Among nice bonuses- the ability to slightly edit the image attached to the letter by adding a comment or highlighting the desired area.

The problem is that This is an email client for Apple devices only.

Mailbird

The free mail client Mailbird captivates with its laconic, but at the same time very modern appearance, which can also be customized indefinitely. In addition, you can set combinations for hot keys: switching between folders, replying to all participants in the correspondence, and so on, this greatly speeds up the work.

The client has synchronization not only with regular services- Dropbox Google Calendar, Todoist, but also with social networks and instant messengers - Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp.

Free version supports up to three accounts, while for paid version($1 per month/$22.5 for life) no limit. In addition, the Pro version has one more useful feature- possibility to postpone incoming letter for later, to through specified time a repeated reminder of the received message has arrived.

The problem is that Mailbird is an email client for Windows and only for it.

Spark

This mail program for Apple technology: the application first appeared on iOS, and then reached OS X and watchOS. Spark follows the logic of the popular Mailbox, which closed a year ago. The main folder stores new and important emails, and when they are no longer relevant to you, you can move them to the archive.

The service is free and works quickly. You can set parameters for a quick response, such as “Thank you”, “OK” and so on.

The problem is that In the desktop version, at first it’s unusual to work with gestures, but if you use a trackpad or Magic Mouse, the controls will be quite intuitive. For example, to delete a letter or move it to another folder, you can hover the cursor and move it left or right: this will display several options. In addition, along with swipes, you can select regular buttons to select a letter or move it to another folder.

AirMail

Another popular email client for Mac and iPad/iPhone with Apple Watch, is also controlled by gestures. There is also support for the TouchBar in the new MacBook Pro. Flexible settings, integration with third party services, support for smart sorting and the ability to connect a bunch of accounts - all this makes AirMail one of the best alternative email clients for Apple devices.

The problem is that AirMail has a paid distribution model. The desktop version costs 749 rubles, the mobile version costs 379 rubles. Is it worth paying when free analogues no worse?

Thunderbird

Mail application created by Mozilla - the developers of the notorious Firefox browser. The program, like a web browser, is flexible in configuration and has a bunch of extensions - useful and not so useful. There is support modern systems protection: suspicious emails are noted, URL authentication is checked, blocking automatic download attached pictures. Most importantly, Thunderbird is a completely free email client. None trial versions or reduced functionality.

The problem is that Thunderbird is completely unceremonious with your computer's resources. Firstly, the function of archiving folders and cleaning up deleted folders does not always work, as a result of which a lot of space on the hard drive is wasted, and secondly, the client also likes to eat up RAM.

The Bat!

This email client is extremely laconic and undemanding in terms of resources. But the application provides a high degree of security: data is encrypted on the hard drive, and the letters themselves are processed using the SSL and TLS protocols. True, you will have to pay for this: the Home version costs 2,000 rubles, and for the Professional version, which offers even more advanced protection, you will have to pay 3,000 rubles.

The problem is that design The Bat! - from the last century, and even then the developers hardly bothered with it. Everything looks very simple and faceless.

Inky

Free email client with modern design, works under Microsoft Windows, and for macOS, and for iOS, and for Android. The mail app supports an unlimited number of mail records, can automatically sort emails by importance, which is especially nice when there are a lot of messages. In addition, you can manually set relevance settings: messages from which contacts to move to the top of the list.

The problem is that support Google Apps, Office 365, Microsoft Exchange and a number of other useful services are available only by subscription, and you will have to shell out $5 per month for it.

By default, you definitely need to familiarize yourself with some features, thanks to which new letters will arrive faster, spam will be automatically deleted, letters will be sent at a specified time, and much more. Let's make life with Mail easier and more productive!

How to receive new emails faster?

By default, the Mail application checks your mailbox on the server every 5 minutes. The settings will help correct the situation, so in the menu bar open Mail → Settings…(or press the keyboard shortcut Command (⌘) + comma).

Go to the tab Basic and in the field " Check mail availability» set time interval - every minute. Letters will arrive faster.

How can I view more messages?

Thanks to the classic view, you can see many more emails on one page without scrolling. This feature will be very useful when active work with the client.

In the default view, enlarged lines of the mail list are displayed in the left column, and previews are displayed in the right column.

To accommodate more letters, go to the menu Mail → Settings… and in the tab View check the box next to “ Use classic view».

Now lines with letters will be displayed at the top of the display, and previews at the bottom. The number of displayed emails will increase significantly.

Automatic removal of junk and spam

By default, all spam and junk are stored in the mail client forever. But why keep all this rubbish? IN Mail settings go to the tab " Accounts ", then select the account you are using and on the right side of the window go to the " Mailboxes " In paragraphs " Spam" And " Basket» set an acceptable time interval after which unnecessary correspondence will be deleted.

Use VIP status for important emails

The VIP mark allows you to highlight important letters from the entire flow of correspondence. To add to favorites, open any important email and move the cursor to the left of the sender's name. An asterisk will appear there.

After you assign VIP status at least one interlocutor, in the left side menu The Mail application will display a new item where all your favorite messages will be displayed.

By the way, if you go to Settings → General and in the field " New message notification» select the item « VIP", then Mac will only bother you with incoming emails from important contacts and you will no longer be twitched once again by any mailing.

Preview websites using Quick View

Don’t know what kind of link this or that subscriber sent and don’t want to open your browser again? We suggest using the " Quick view " It allows you to view the contents of a link in a special window without launching your default browser.

For view URL Using Quick View, hover your cursor over the link and click on the checkmark that appears to the right of it. A preview of the page will be displayed below.

In general, the function " Quick view"has a huge number of useful features that we talked about in.

Send emails with attachments directly from the Dock

The panel on macOS is quite interactive. Another confirmation of this is the ability to quickly send attachments. Just drag the image, document, video or any other file you are interested in onto the mail icon in the dock, and a new letter will be created immediately.

Speeding up your email client

If you receive an email with a huge number of multimedia attachments, most of your Mac's resources will be devoted to opening their thumbnails. This kind of correspondence sometimes really slows down the system. Disabling thumbnails will greatly help in this matter, especially relevant on older Macs.

To disable thumbnails run Terminal and enter the following command:

defaults write com.apple.mail DisableInlineAttachmentViewing -bool true

After you press Enter, to apply all changes, restart the Mail application.

How to send a Mac to sleep remotely using a letter?

Thanks to simple manipulations, you can prepare your Mac to remotely switch to . For example, if you forget to turn off your Mac, it will be enough to send a letter with the text “ Sleep mode».

1 . Launch the application AppleScript Editor(conductor Finder → Programs → Utilities).

2 . Create a new container by clicking the " New document».

3 . Paste text:

tell application "System Events" to sleep

4 . On the menu bar, click File → Save As... and enter " sleepmac.scpt" Save it to the folder " Documents».

5 . Open the application " Mail» (Mail) and go to Settings → Filters. Click the button Add».

6 . Set the following options:

• Description: Sleep mode via email.
• If: All of the following conditions are met.
• Terms: Sender - contains - contact name in address book, from which the shutdown command will come.
• Click on the plus sign and enter the second condition: Topic - contains - Sleep mode.
• Follow these steps: Run AppleScript - open in Finder. Next, drag the container “ sleepmac.scpt", which we saved in documents. After that it will appear in the list of scripts.

7 . Click the button OK».

After you send an email to your Mac with the subject " Sleep mode", the Mac will immediately go to sleep.

The chief editor of the site, Mikk Sid, asked me to recommend him a normal email client. He was tired of standard “Mail” long ago, but he could trust work correspondence I really don’t want an application assembled on my knee. Does it make sense to change something?

To answer his question, I took branded email clients from Apple, Google and Microsoft, as well as a couple third party applications top developers. I pitted them against each other and found a favorite, which is separately noted at the end of the article.

Each of these email clients turns emails into tasks, guarantees the security of correspondence, and provides access to a number of useful features. But which one should you choose?

"Mail" is Apple's standard email client

Advantages: included in the device out of the box, copes with most tasks.

Flaws: No additional functions, suffers from notification problems.

It's a pity, but I don't have official statistics on the popularity of email clients for iPhone and Mac. However, experience suggests that exactly standard application are used most often.

After a short setup, you can use it to create and send email with text, photos and other files immediately after you take the device out of the box.

Mail is an excellent email client that really deserves your attention. But he has there are not a number of really useful features, which will be useful to all those who need electronics to solve work problems.

In "Mail" I feel the most Smart filter missing for incoming letters. I would like all the useless spam that comes to me very often not to end up in the main directory.

Other users complain about the inability to snooze and schedule incoming emails. This useful opportunity allows you to remind you of the presence of a received message in the right time- for example, on weekdays.

And the standard email client has always had problems with Push notifications. I don’t know what this is connected with, but letters most often arrive with a long delay, and this is inconvenient.

• Download from App Store (for free)
• Built into macOS(for free)

Inbox - Google's proprietary email service

Advantages: clear message preview and cool smart filter.

Flaws: not suitable for third-party email services, no proper Mac application.

If you actively use by Gmail, a branded Google service called Inbox.

For some reason, only this company thought of doing this normal email preview: Show text, photos and other files immediately in the feed. All other solutions are extremely bad at this - usually a simple uninformative strip with a letter.

Inbox coolly filters incoming emails and separates important messages from useless trash in an intellectual way.

However, Inbox also has a number of disadvantages that Google company I did it on purpose. For me the biggest one is no Mac app. On a computer you have to use the web version, and this is inconvenient.

Personally, I use Gmail, so mobile device Inbox would be enough for me. But everyone else postal services remain practically extinct, and their fans need to look for an alternative.

And Google is too reluctant to optimize its programs for any new iOS capabilities and iPhone in principle, and this is also a big minus of this application.

• Download from App Store (for free)
• Web version for Mac (for free)

Outlook - Microsoft's all-in-one application

Advantages: in the same style as others Microsoft products, additional features organizer

Flaws: in the same style as other Microsoft products, overloaded with organizer capabilities.

There are dozens of users I know who prefer Microsoft Outlook to all other applications. What unites them all love for the company's software ecosystem, And active use Office on Mac.

Outlook has an interface that is familiar to such users and a full set of all the necessary features, so I see no reason not to use it in this case.

However, I don’t know a single person who would use this email client separately from Office - there are only a few of them.

Microsoft has tried to turn Outlook from a simple email client into a real one. business tool with organizer capabilities and built a calendar, tasks and notes into it.

On the one hand, it's convenient. If you really use email a lot for work purposes, this all-in-one tool will definitely come in handy.

But on the other hand, Outlook is too functional and clumsy. I have long been accustomed to the fact that such combines are clumsy, and individual programs much more efficiently for every task.

• Download from App Store (for free)
• Download from Mac App Store (Office 365 subscription)

AirMail isn't a cheap winner at the Apple Design Awards

Advantages: Stylish minimalistic design, plenty of additional features.

Flaws: frequent malfunctions that appear at the most inopportune moment.

In 2017, the AirMail app became Apple Design Award winner. And this is not surprising, because the developers managed to make a truly functional email client for all occasions.

On the one hand, it has the simplest, minimalist interface without unnecessary control elements, which most often only distract from regular work tasks.

On the other hand, the developer managed to fit into this interface the full range of capabilities necessary for even the most advanced users.

It is this application that I have been using for the past months, and I have never been embarrassed by its cost, even if there is a whole set of free analogues.

However, according to unknown reason AirMail is the one that fails me at the most inopportune moment. At times the application it just refuses to work properly, and this can only be solved full reboot computer.

For example, the last time the program simply did not want to attach several documents to a letter in PDF format, which I urgently needed to send to my colleagues. So I had to say goodbye to him.

• Download from App Store (379 rub.)
• Download from Mac App Store (RUB 749)

Spark is a free email program that I use now

Advantages: advanced email filter, simple interface, separate menu for attachments.

Flaws: an obvious overload of features that sometimes becomes distracting.

For creating a postal Spark client Answers a Ukrainian development company called Readdle. Although it can be called Ukrainian only with a big stretch, because the head office of the studio has long been located in San Jose, USA.

You may know it for a number of useful office applications for every day, including universal mobile file manager Documents, the advanced calendar Calendars 5 and the cool pocket scanner Scanner Pro.

Spark really makes it possible look at email in a new way, and it hasn't let me down yet.

First of all, I would like to note the intelligent inbox filter, which perfectly separates all letters into those that are truly useful and those that are absolutely useless. It works extremely correctly and saves me a lot of time.

Also deserves special attention tab with all attachments from the latest letters, which significantly speeds up work with documents.

The only thing I don't like about this email client is its relative bulkiness. It does not feel as fast, simple and airy as possible - I still have to put up with this subjective drawback.

• Download from App Store (for free)
• Download from Mac App Store (for free)

1. It is characterized by speed and ease of operation.

2. He consistently performs his duties well.

3. It has apps for both iPhone and Mac.

4. It has a built-in smart filter for incoming messages.

5. It has a separate menu for working with attachments.