The size of the email market is growing, alarmingly so, but that doesn’t mean you should download and waste your time or resources on just any service that pops up in your Google Search™.
While some players in the market are reputable and have a rich history in the field, and others are offering fresh new perspectives to the process, others are simply not fit for purpose and are counting on you not doing your due diligence when you start to set up their services.
To help you in your endeavors we’ve highlighted a number of key aspects to consider before you sign-up with an email client app service, as well as looking at the best options available to you.
Cost
When it comes to finding the ideal email client app for your needs the issue of cost will always crop up. Sometimes a service will be free, and be perfectly capable of serving most of your needs, but will then need you to upgrade in order to integrate the full suite of services provided.
Flexibility
Another key factor in selecting your email app is the adaptability of the service and how well it integrates with other organization tools and software from a myriad of different places. This can prove a headache for some apps and less so for others. Always make sure your app is compatible with relevant third parties before you proceed.
Security
When it comes to business email there are few things more crucial than the level of security offered. For some industries, the need for solid encryption and other types of protection is a main consideration.
Personalization
If your company is looking to use an email client app for more than just emails, which is clearly the optimum reason for doing so, then you’ll want a good level of personalization option so as to make the service as user-friendly as possible. This can come in the form of dashboard management that helps you and your employees manage their daily activity and can prove very rewarding.
Five Great Email Client Apps
Spike
These guys offer a whole new ballgame when it comes to the idea of emails as conversations, changing the way you absorb communication. This way of working makes things far smoother and fit for purpose, with a feed-like approach that is in many ways a more intuitive way to consume your daily work habits.
You can create channels for specific groups and these can be fed into the overall organizational structure and in many ways using this service will make you wonder why you hadn’t done so before. There’s a lot you can do while you are in Spike, and in real-time, that makes their service very much a plug-and-play option.
Outlook
Clearly, this email app service doesn’t need an introduction but there are some who may feel that the service is outdated, for we’d direct you to their mobile version that is a more modern approach to communication and organization that it’s desktop equivalent. A more focused inbox and handy swipe functionality are two features worthy of mention.
You still have the obvious bonus of ‘Calendar’, ‘Notes’, ‘Tasks’ and so much more, all being within the same umbrella of features, making it very much a one-stop-shop for work communications.
Mailbird
If you want a service that is full of personalization options then Mailbird has you covered with their app also well versed in integration tools that make it an easy fit for other software you use. It’s worth noting that while their free service is solid, their Pro tariff takes things to a whole new level.
Great for keeping work and business separate, this service is especially effective on desktop, where everything moves effectively. Very much an understated email client where everything is there for a reason and not just for show.
Gmail
Much like Outlook, Gmail suffers a level of criticism when it comes to being a little staid and basic and maybe clunky some feel it to be. Their mobile app however is much lighter and this helps speed things up a great deal. This Google product is stuffed full of tools and integrates well, and is still one of the best in the business.
When it comes to their free service, there aren’t many that offer quite so much like Gmail, and the added bonus comes from the fact that we’ve pretty much all used their email client at some point in our work or personal lives.
Spark
If you are looking to keep things short and sweet and what you want from an email app is something that encourages speed and action, then Spark could be for you. Their ethos appears to center around the need for urgency, bite-sized communication, and abroad, but thin, layer of accompanying support and organization.
Though they are perhaps a ‘light’ service they still give you plenty of personalization options and we like the ability to comment on emails as