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Windows may seem to be the standard choice in terms of email clients, but there are plenty of other great alternatives available that offer lots of benefits to business and home users. We round up the pick of the bunch below!
Spike
This email client is a great choice for both business and home users alike. Spike fuses the best elements of email and messaging functionality, which makes for a highly usable, intuitive platform that promotes easy communication and, in the case of work teams, better workflow and efficiency.
Some of the useful features that Spike offers include Snooze and Schedule Send. The former lets users hide emails until they’re ready to deal with them, while the latter can be used to schedule emails to be sent at a designated date and time – even if the app isn’t turned on.
Document management, collaborative tools, shared tasks, and a highly user-friendly design all make Spike a very attractive alternative to a Windows email client. If, however, you’re looking for an email client for Windows, then the Spike platform fits the bill: Spike can be used with Windows operating systems, as well as Android, iOS, and macOS.
In terms of pricing, Spike is free for personal users, with unlimited addresses allowed. For businesses, a solo business account costs $12 per account per month, which is billed as one lump sum annually; group business accounts are charged at $8 per account per month.
Mailbird
Mailbird has been around for a number of years, and a 2020 update saw the incorporation of a number of handy features. The email client is fairly lightweight, although multiple email accounts can be added to the platform. Users are able to customize this tool to some extent: themes can be selected based on personal preference, and different orientations can be set for tabs and emails for ease of use.
One of the advantages of this email client is that it is extremely easy to use, and drag and drop can be brought into play to improve the functionality of some of the key features. A snooze feature, undo send tool, calendar, and advanced search function are some of the standout elements of Mailbird, as is its ability to integrate with other platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
A Mailbird personal account is $19.50 per year billed annually (or $39.50 as a one-off single payment); business accounts start at $29.50 per year.
Zimbra
This email client is particularly beneficial to business users and is suitable for companies of all sizes and stages of their growth. Zimbra is perfect for teams working either in-house or remotely; its basis in the Cloud allows for a level of flexibility that may not be available with alternative platforms.
Promoting positive client engagement and collaboration within and between teams is a key aspect of Zimbra: a calendar, contact management tools, file sharing capabilities, and task solution tools are all integrated within the email platform.
For information on the costs of the different packages offered by Zimbra, the company should be contacted via their website for more information.
Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla’s Thunderbird email client is free and open-source; it’s user-friendly, and add-ons allow you to customize the dashboard. Phishing protection is also included, and the facility to set a ‘do not track’ feature, as is a calendar, task list tools, and a one-click address book. The latter is a nifty feature that allows you to add a contact to your address book simply by clicking on the star icon that will appear at the top of the message. Thunderbird lets users manage multiple email accounts with smart folders, helpful for both businesses and individuals to stay organized.
Thunderbird’s quick filter toolbar is great for searching or organizing your email; quickly and efficiently. You can even save a filter for use across multiple folders.
The fact that this email client is free makes it ideal for personal use or for small businesses, start-ups, and SMEs.
Hiri
For those using a Mac or thinking of buying one, then Hiri could be for you: it’s an email platform designed specifically for this operating system. To-do lists, a calendar (that can be shared), and contact tools are included, and a hassle-free, uncluttered user experience is the focus of the dashboard’s design.
Hiri features an offline mode to promote privacy, and reminders and snooze tools are available, too. For example, if you receive an important email that you can’t deal with immediately, Hiri allows you to drag and drop this missive into your task list and set a reminder to deal with it later. One of the best features of Hiri is that it lets users send actionable emails to colleagues that act like a task list; a reporting tool allows you to see all of these actionable emails sent to view any outstanding assignments.
This email client costs $39 per year, or a payment of $119 will give you lifetime access – there’s a seven-day free trial on offer for those who would like to test out this platform before committing.
