The 5 best Gmail alternatives in 2026

Ask any 10 people off the street what email app they use, and odds are that eight of them will say Gmail. And not just because it's owned by Google (though that doesn't hurt)—it's a well-designed email app that covers the basics and then some. But if you've been using Gmail just because it's Gmail, it could be worth seeing if another app suits you better. There are plenty of other email clients to consider—many of which go above and beyond what Gmail offers.

The Zapier team has conducted head-to-head comparisons of Gmail with other email apps, on basically every device. Based on that in-depth testing and research, here's a list of Gmail alternatives to help you decide which one suits your inbox best. 

And hey, if the answer is to stick with Gmail, at least you know.

The 5 best Gmail alternatives

• Apple Mail for iPhone and Mac users

• Microsoft Outlook for Microsoft users

• Shortwave for AI-powered features

• Mailbird for Windows

• Proton Mail for security

• Other Gmail alternatives

What makes the best Gmail alternative?

The best Gmail alternative delivers the same core experience people rely on Gmail for—fast, reliable email with strong organization tools—without necessarily being a full email service of its own. That's because "Gmail" can refer to two different things: Gmail as an email service and Gmail as an app.

Some Gmail alternatives replace the service entirely by giving you a new email address and provider. Others function purely as email clients, letting you sign in with your existing email accounts and handling everything you'd normally do in Gmail. You might continue using your @gmail.com address, or you might consolidate your work and personal emails from various domains into one organized inbox.

For this list, a Gmail alternative doesn't need to offer its own email service—but it does need to be a modern email client with comparable bells and whistles to Gmail. It should be fast, have mobile and web or desktop options, and include now-standard features like schedule send, decent storage capabilities, and helpful organization tools.

The best alternatives to Gmail at a glance

Best Gmail alternative for iPhone and Mac users

Apple Mail (macOS, iOS, iPadOS)

Apple Mail pros:

• Great native Apple feel

• Easy to manage multiple email accounts from different email services

Apple Mail cons:

• Just an email client, not an email service (iCloud is Apple's email service)

The main difference between Gmail and Apple Mail is that while Gmail gives you a full email service (it actually hosts your email), Apple Mail provides you with only an email client (where you read your email). Gmail as an email service is client-agnostic: you can access it via Gmail's web app, iOS app, or Android app—or you can use a different client altogether, like Microsoft Outlook. Apple Mail, on the other hand, is just an app. And it's available only on iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. That last one is important, though: Gmail doesn't have a dedicated desktop app (you have to use the web app).

Apple Mail allows you to use practically any email service with it, including Gmail. Its features, which include VIP Inbox, undo send, customized notifications, and email reminders, are available whether you use iCloud Mail, Outlook, Gmail, or another client. That's worth keeping in mind if you use multiple accounts with different services. With Apple Mail, you'll be able to use one interface to access them all.  

On the AI front, Apple Mail includes Apple Intelligence features like email summaries, smart replies, and built-in rewriting and proofreading tools at no extra cost. Gmail's Gemini-powered features go further, especially for drafting and managing complex threads. But unless you're willing to pay for Google's AI plan, the difference likely won't be a deciding factor.

Not only will the Apple Mail navigation feel more seamless than Gmail on iOS or macOS, but it will also integrate better with your system notifications. So if you're doing most of your work on an Apple device, then Apple Mail can be a great option. But keep in mind that if you're using Gmail for your email service, some of its most attractive features—like inbox sorting and smart replies—are available only through the Gmail app. You'll also need to use those clients to integrate with Google's other apps, including Calendar, Meet, and Docs. 

Apple Mail pricing: Free

Learn more: Gmail vs. Apple Mail

Best Gmail alternative for Microsoft users

Microsoft Outlook (Web, Windows, Android, macOS, iOS)

Outlook pros:

• Works great on a lot of devices (including Apple devices)

• Deep integration with Microsoft

Outlook cons:

• Free version has a cluttered interface with distracting ads 

• Search feature isn't as good as Gmail's

Both Outlook and Gmail are reliable, multi-functional email services used by millions, so it's not surprising that they'd have more than a few things in common. For example, both offer free plans with plenty of functionality, contact import from other providers, and customizable interfaces. They also both offer AI support (Copilot for Outlook and Gemini for Gmail) if you pay an added fee. And in both Gmail and Outlook, you'll find predictive text options, reminders, email scheduling, and message templates.

None of those similarities are going to help you make a decision on which one best fits your needs, though. 

If storage is a concern for you, Outlook may be the way to go. While both offer 15 GB of storage space for free, your Gmail storage is also shared with Google Drive and Google Photos, so it may disappear more quickly. 

When it comes to user interfaces on the free version, Gmail's advertising is far subtler than Outlook's, which plasters ads onto your screen rather than tucking them into your tabs. Gmail also offers a more reliable spam blocker and a more robust search function (it is Google, after all).

If you live in Microsoft apps, though, Outlook is the way to go. That's because Gmail and Outlook integrate with different software suites (Microsoft 365 for Outlook and Google Workspace for Gmail). Considering which software you use most can help point you toward one service or the other.

And if you're worried about compatibility with Apple devices, don't—Outlook is one of Zapier's picks for the best email apps for both iOS and macOS.

You can also use Zapier to connect Outlook with thousands of other app integrations, allowing you to orchestrate multi-step workflows. For example, when a new lead form submission comes through, you can use AI to enrich your lead data, draft a personalized follow-up email in Outlook, and notify the right sales rep to do a final review. Learn more about how to automate Outlook.

Outlook pricing: Free for personal use; Microsoft Basic starts at $19.99/year, which includes more tools, storage, and features.

Learn more: Outlook vs. Gmail

Best Gmail alternative for AI-powered features

Shortwave (Web, Windows, Android, macOS, iOS)

Shortwave pros:

• Deep integration with Google Calendar

• AI assistant is very flexible

Shortwave cons:

• Interface feels cluttered at times

Shortwave touts itself as the "smartest email app" on the market because of the way it leverages AI.

For starters, it offers AI-powered email search. You can ask questions to your inbox to surface old, forgotten conversations without actually having to get lost in the mess. More than this, it can extract data from email threads ("make a list of all the tasks in the website redesign project"), generate content ("write a tweet based on my emails about productivity"), or answer your questions ChatGPT-style.

Shortwave also integrates with Google Calendar. This means you can schedule meetings or new events with a simple prompt like "schedule a meeting for me and Felix tomorrow at 11 a.m." The meeting will then automatically appear in your calendar without you having to do anything else. And if you don't know your availability, just ask the AI assistant, and you'll get a breakdown of your open slots for the near future.

The only downside: Shortwave is just an email app, not an email service, and it's only compatible with Gmail accounts. So if you're doing email with other providers, you'll have to sit out (for now).

Shortwave pricing: Free plan available; Individual Pro plan starts at $14/seat/month (billed annually) and a higher limit on AI features.

Learn more: The best AI email assistants

Best Gmail alternative for Windows

Mailbird (Web, Windows, Android, macOS, iOS)

Mailbird pros:

• Lots of great third-party integrations

• Attractive and modern interface with lots of customization options

Mailbird cons:

• Limited free plan

If you're looking for a Gmail alternative in a native Windows app, Mailbird is a great choice—and it's free for one email account. Its sleek design can be customized to your liking, and it excels in the essentials of email management with lots of quality-of-life features.

You can snooze emails, undo sent messages, and enjoy a unified inbox—perfect for heavy email users and those with multiple accounts. Mailbird also shines with its third-party integrations, allowing you to incorporate personal and productivity apps like WhatsApp, Slack, Dropbox, and Google Calendar. And it has a neat speed reading feature, which makes it great for folks who live in their inbox.

Mailbird pricing: Free plan available; Premium plan starts at $4.03/month (billed annually), which includes VIP support, email templates, and unlimited email tracking.

Best Gmail alternative for secure email

Proton Mail (Web, Windows, Android, macOS, iOS, Linux)

Proton Mail pros:

• Much more private and secure than Gmail at its baseline

• AI writing assistant runs locally to maintain user privacy

Proton Mail cons:

• Free plan is less generous than Gmail's

• Need to use Proton Mail as a service (or forward all your emails to it)

If the thought of a perfect stranger rummaging through your mailbox puts you on edge, you might want to check out Proton Mail. It's an email service that's built for security and privacy. Based in Switzerland, Proton Mail is subject to much stricter privacy laws than Gmail, which falls under U.S. regulations. Unlike Gmail, Proton Mail won't ask for any personal information during signup or track your metadata. 

On top of this, Proton Mail's encryption is much more robust than Gmail's. While Google keeps the encryption keys to your data, nobody at Proton Mail has that sort of access. That's not to suggest that your Gmail inbox is an open book, but your data can be accessed by Google's algorithms (and, of course, whoever Google decides to grant access to). Proton Mail also provides you with some optional, James Bond-level security features like emails that self-destruct (really, they just self-delete, but self-destruct sounds cooler). 

Proton Mail also offers Proton Scribe, a built-in AI-powered writing assistant that helps you create and edit email drafts. In keeping with Proton Mail's dedication to user privacy, the tool runs locally to ensure your private data stays on your own device.

All that security does come with a few drawbacks to consider. Proton Mail's free individual plan limits you to 150 emails per day (there go your plans to spam Klondike to bring back the Choco Taco). You also get a mere 1 GB of storage, with only three folders and labels to manage your otherwise locked-down data. Upgrading for more storage and unlimited email sends is affordable—starts at $3.99/month, billed annually)—but that won't fix the problem of Proton Mail's less user-friendly interface, which includes blocks on all the images in your incoming emails (to stop folks from tracking your open rates). Still, if privacy is your priority, Proton Mail is definitely your best bet.

Proton Mail pricing: Free plan available; paid individual plans start at $3.99/month (billed annually) and include 15 GB of storage, more email addresses, and unlimited folders and labels.

Learn more: Proton Mail vs. Gmail

Are there other Gmail alternatives?

You bet. Those are just some of the commonly-compared-to-Gmail apps available. For other Gmail alternatives, take a look at our roundups for the best email apps across all the platforms:

• Best email apps overall

• Best email apps for Android

• Best email apps for iPhone 

• Best email clients for Mac

• Best email clients for Windows

• Best AI email apps

And remember, you can still use Gmail as an email service (meaning you'd have an @gmail.com account) for almost any email app you choose—the app will just change where you get those emails.

What's the best Gmail alternative?

Choosing the right email app really comes down to clarifying your priorities. What do you most want out of an email client? Security? Storage? Design? App integration? Each of these apps will deliver each of these features, just to varying degrees and with varying results.

If you're still on the fence, you might think about downloading a bunch of them to see which option works best. Seeing the same email in a bunch of different clients over the course of a week can give you a really solid idea of which Gmail alternative you like the best.

Related reading:

• The best email hosting services for businesses

• How to send emails from a prompt with Zapier MCP

• How to send an email from a webhook

• How to use Gmail with a custom domain

This article was originally published in July 2023 by Toby Peterson and has also had contributions from Jessica Lau. The most recent update was in January 2026.