The best Mac desktop clients for Gmail aficionados - Ars Technica
Here's the situation: I have a Mac, I need a desktop mail client, and I want it to work as seamlessly as possible with Gmail.
Gmail has been my primary personal email provider since 2003. I've also had more than a dozen Google Workspace accounts over the years. I understand the issues inherent in an advertising company managing my email and keeping me locked into its ecosystem. But I dig Gmail's Vim-inspired shortcuts, its powerful search capabilities, its advanced filtering, its storage—and, of course, its availability in nearly any browser.
But browsers are often where focus goes to flounder. I want to give email a defined space, a visual context as a place I go to communicate. And, incidentally, I want to avoid Gmail's annoying nudges to use Meet, Spaces, or whatever the messaging focus is this week. So let's see what kind of Mac desktop client works best for someone with Gmail on the brain.
The options I'm not using
The easiest option would be to simply use... well, Gmail. Gmail's web app has gradually become a remarkable simulacrum of a desktop client. You can set up offline storage (in Chrome or Edge browsers) and desktop notifications, and you can make it the default mail handler for your browsers (and, with a little fiddling, Mac OS itself). You can even make Gmail run in its own app-style window, either using a third-party app like Kiwi or Unite or simply the "Create shortcut" menu in a Chrome-based browser.
But I'm avoiding browsers, even the sandboxed kind, and Google's hunger for deeper engagement. So what about Apple Mail, the client that's already there? That's what Apple Mail is: it's there. It's built for the widest array of Mac users, not Gmail types. It doesn't have Gmail's keyboard shortcuts built in, nor does it offer much customization (not without serious tweaking, anyway). Apple Mail allows for Gmail-style archiving and has some useful filtering and privacy tools, but if you want "Gmail: The Desktop Client," this isn't it.
The Ars pick: Mimestream
Mimestream
Free beta: Mimestream
Mimestream has a name only a computer wonk could love—or, in this case, a devoted email client engineer, one who spent more than seven years working on Apple Mail. I went searching for something that looks and feels like a Mac app but works exceptionally well with Gmail, and Mimestream is exactly that.
Mimestream is natively written in Swift, and it isn't a typical IMAP client. Instead, it uses Gmail's API, meaning that all your labels, categories (Primary, Social, Promotions, etc.), and actions map directly onto your Gmail account rather than a local equivalent. Mimestream doesn't store anything on its servers; your cached data and access tokens are stored on your local Mac keychain. It can work offline with a sizable cache of your recent messages.
You can navigate with Gmail shortcuts, use Gmail's search syntax, and sync over your Gmail aliases and signatures. The look and feel should also be quite familiar. But there are some improvements over web Gmail, too. Mimestream can block tracking pixels from more than 50 common tracking services. You can manage multiple Gmail/Google accounts, separately or in a unified inbox. Because it's a native app, your Mac's dark mode, focus, and other controls work for your email, too. So does attaching photos or other files directly from your iOS devices.
Mimestream's shortcomings are easy to see; things like message snoozing and scheduled sending aren't included, because they're missing from Gmail's API. First up on Mimestream's punch list are features like phishing warnings and Gmail filter management. Further along are plug-ins, add-ons, and scripting and shortcuts support.
Mimestream isn't the only Mac email client with great Gmail integration, but it provides the strongest, simplest bond between a native Mac app and Gmail's style and syntax. It's also free while it's in beta, and it's under active, transparent development.
The good
- Clean, modern, native Mac looks
- Gmail shortcuts, categories, syncing
- Pixel tracker blocking and unified inbox
- Transparent roadmap and regular updates
The bad
- Client-only snoozing, no scheduling (yet)
- Not as many customization options as other clients
- No IMAP or non-Gmail offerings (yet)
Gmail core with lots more: Spark
Free personal, paid Teams: In the App Store, Teams is $7.99 per month per user or $6.39 if billed annually.
Mimestream gives you a pretty great Gmail experience; Spark lets you reshape it.
Spark adds its own snoozing and scheduled sending to a very crisp inbox view. It allows for customizing Gmail-like shortcuts. Its search tool supports Google-syntax and plain language searches ("Sent yesterday by Sam"). It integrates with calendars and a wide array of to-do and organization apps. It has a few smart inbox filters and other handy options.
It's not as intimidating as a full-fledged comms hub like Outlook or our other pick, Airmail, but it gives you a more productive-minded view of email. Spark can categorize mail by notification, newsletter, and, at the top, mail from real humans. Instead of starring important emails, you pin them, or you can send them off to Trello, Todoist, Apple Reminders, or wherever you like (it's much faster than with Gmail's Add-ons). You can create folders out of search criteria like attachments, links, and timing. And this is all free in the personal edition of Spark, which includes syncing apps for iOS and Android, with Windows on the way.
Ars writers and editors have occasionally experienced some quirks with Spark's Gmail syncing—primarily email getting stuck in the outbox for longer than you'd expect. And for those who want detailed control of which emails trigger notifications, Spark keeps it perhaps too simple: every message, "Smart" notifications from people Spark thinks are real, or none.
Spark also has functions for paid Teams accounts, like conversations around messages, collaborative drafts, private links to emails, and delegation. You can try out some of those features in limited fashion with the free version.
The good
- Rich shortcut support and customization
- Gmail and plain-language search
- Useful but not overwhelming sorting and folders
The bad
- Having to occasionally check the outbox for stuck mail
- Notifications aren't as granular as Airmail's Custom Inbox
The total Gmail automation power tool: Airmail
Airmail
Free: In App Store; Pro subscription for most advanced features is $2.99 monthly or $9.99 annually.
Be careful what you wish for. I wanted a desktop mail program that supported Gmail's shortcuts, labels, and search. Maybe some deeper cuts, too, like message templates and Google Drive attachments. When I looked back into Airmail after a few years away, it had all those things, along with an almost intimidating number of other features.
With AirMail, you can remap every single Gmail label to a different local folder. You can set up which quick actions you take from OS notifications. You can set custom undo-send delays, fully archive an account onto your local storage, AppleScript your mail actions, theme the inbox, set up handling rules, customize your swipe actions, and integrate with just about every cloud storage, calendar, and to-do app. I've been testing out AirMail for a few weeks, and I keep finding new features every day.
For some mail-heads, being able to fine-tune flows and looks is worth it. A rule that automatically puts any PDF you receive from the expenses manager into a Google Drive folder? Yes, of course. But all those options come with a cost, whether in time spent exploring or uncertainty in whether you've set everything up correctly. The client is almost certainly worth it if you're ready to invest in a highly automated, very customizable email workflow. Others may find too many caves to explore. Sure, you could just ignore them, but will you?
The good
- Nearly every Gmail feature, even if some are client-side
- Deeper Mac integration with Shortcuts, AppleScript, and notifications
- Rules, filters, actions, and custom (VIP) inbox toggle
- Integrations with nearly two-dozen services (many Mac-focused)
The bad
- Snooze, schedule, and many other actions depend on client-side tools
- Bewildering, if neatly laid out, array of options
- It's unclear which features are reserved for Pro until you try
Notable mentions
- Shortwave: It's not a desktop client, but Shortwave's web app interface gives you the return of Google Inbox in its own window, with much deeper collaboration features added on. It's free to try out, with limited collaboration and search history.
- Mailspring: It's free, cross-platform (including Linux), and open source, and it offers quite a few power features. But Mailspring is somewhat aggressive in pushing its Pro subscription, with mostly CRM-like features. There's nothing wrong with charging for software, but putting the Pro-level tools in every compose window, even if users get a few tries of each, makes for a cluttered client.
- Newton: This email app with a twisty history is focused on a minimalist presentation, though the Gmail feel is strong with Newton. You get 14 days free, then you'll pay $50 per year for read receipts, snoozing and scheduling, templates and snippets, and inbox-cleaning tools.
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