Many of us feel trapped by email. We spend hours each day going through our inbox — so it's natural to look for ways to improve the experience.
Since it was created in 2004, Gmail has dominated the email market with its clear and simple structure, generous free storage space, and easy-to-integrate apps like Calendar and Hangouts (soon to be Chat). It offers a web client, desktop apps for both Mac and Windows devices, mobile apps for Apple and Android devices, and syncing with third-party platforms through POP and IMAP, which means it's one of the most accessible email clients ever built. What's more, Gmail is pretty good at catching spam, alerting users to malware, and keeping track of where users log in from — all features that help keep your inbox safe and secure.
But that's not to say Gmail is the best email service out there. In fact, depending on your email needs, there may be a better email provider for you — one that's faster, more functional, more beautiful…or all of the above.
Looking for more from your inbox? You're not alone. Below are the best Gmail alternatives available today — and what sets each of them apart from the rest.
Gmail alternatives you should know
Gmail is already a powerful email client. These Gmail alternatives all bring different things to the table, adding features, integrations, functionality, and style to your inbox. Each one is best for different types of users (and use cases), so read on to see which Gmail alternative might be the right fit for you.
Superhuman: the Gmail alternative for email power users
Superhuman is built for people who spend hours each day in their inbox. It can help reduce distractions, streamline your email workflow, and get you through your inbox twice as fast. Superhuman supports multiple email accounts, doesn't serve you ads, and won't sell your data.
The clean, minimal interface keeps your experience distraction-free — helping you move through email and achieve Inbox Zero faster than ever. And instead of having all your emails grouped together, Superhuman has Split Inbox, which uses AI triage to divide your inbox into different streams: messages from VIPs, updates from your team, newsletters, social media notifications, and whatever else you choose.
With Superhuman, you can navigate your inbox and take any action without ever touching a mouse or trackpad. Using keyboard shortcuts, you can reply, archive, schedule a reminder, create a calendar event, or take any other action much easier and faster. In fact, every action on Superhuman is faster than 100ms, the threshold at which actions feel instantaneous!
Don't worry about not knowing all those keyboard shortcuts — Superhuman offers white-glove onboarding (if you want it), plus a user-friendly command palette (Superhuman Command) so you can quickly search for the shortcut for any action you want to take. If you ever need more help, our customer support is best in class, and our Delight team is always just an email away.
We all know standard, built-in spam filters can be unreliable, so Superhuman allows you to unsubscribe and block senders — and even entire domains — with a few quick taps:
Superhuman was designed to increase your productivity by cultivating a state of flow, and it brings a sleek and visually beautiful design to your inbox, too. We spend hours every day on email, and Superhuman makes that experience faster, easier, and more beautiful — in a word, delightful!
Superhuman works with your existing Outlook or Gmail account, and has a web app, native app, and iOS app available for Apple users.
Outlook: the Gmail alternative for Microsoft lovers
If you already use (and love) Windows products, Microsoft Outlook may be the Gmail alternative for you. Accessible as webmail from Outlook.com or as a native app on Windows or Apple devices, Outlook offers no-frills functionality that should feel similar to Gmail — those who are switching email clients should be able to navigate Outlook with very little learning curve.
The free version offers 15GB of mailbox storage, plus an attachment limit of up to 34MB and an easy integration with OneDrive if you need to send larger attachments. But Outlook's most appealing feature is for Microsoft power users: its easy and natural integration with all the other products Microsoft offers, especially Office 365.
If you need to upgrade your inbox, Outlook also offers one of the most affordable pricing models on this list — $69.99 per year gets you an ad-free experience, more storage, data encryption, and the ability to set up a custom domain. If you have multiple users, Family Plan pricing gets you six inboxes for just $99.99 per year.
Tutanota: the Gmail alternative for open source buffs
Those seeking an accessible, open-source email option are likely to be fans of Tutanota and many of its features. Founded in 2011 in Germany, Tutanota was the first email client in the world to offer end-to-end email encryption, offering a layer of security that didn't exist elsewhere at the time. In fact, "Tutanota" literally means "secure message" in Latin.
The fact that this email client's entire source code is available for users to inspect further lends credibility to its claims of transparency and an extra-secure inbox. Add in its free aliases and secure email servers based in Europe (and thus subject to European privacy laws, which are more stringent than in the U.S.), and you have a tool that should satisfy anyone looking for an email solution that puts security at the forefront.
Tutanota is extremely accessible compared to other open source products, with its own desktop clients for Linux, Windows, and Apple devices.
Zoho Mail: the Gmail alternative for budget-conscious users
If you're looking for an easy-to-use email app that does it all for a very affordable price, Zoho Mail may be right for you.
Zoho Mail is pretty basic, features-wise. It offers all the standard functionality we've all come to expect from most free email accounts, plus a clean interface, a suite of organizational tools, 24/7 support, and easy integration with some of Zoho's other business tools, like Zoho CRM. That's part of what makes it a great choice for small businesses, especially those looking for a more affordable solution than some of the more premium email clients on this list.
The other feature that makes Zoho an appealing choice is the ability to set up your own domain email — but note that you'll only be able to access custom email addresses through Zoho's web app or dedicated mobile apps.Accessing your custom domain email address via third-party clients requires upgrading to a premium plan.
Mailfence: the Gmail alternative for OpenPGP support
If you're looking for one of the most secure email services that exists today, Mailfence might catch your eye. Most of the email clients on this list don't offer support for OpenPGP, but Mailfence does — along with using an SSL certificate that doesn't involve a single American certification authority anywhere on the chain. That means this Belgium-based email client can truly offer a private email that's only under the purview of European data privacy law — plus Mailfence promises no ads, spam, or trackers, ever.
ProtonMail: the Gmail alternative for zero-knowledge encryption
For emailers who want to be anonymous on the internet, ProtonMail was built with end-to-end encryption and security features based on the zero-knowledge encryption model. Their servers are located in Switzerland and subject to Swiss privacy laws, some of the most stringent in the world. That means confidence that only you, the user, has access to your own secured data. Plus, ProtonMail was developed by scientists at MIT and CERN, built to take advantage of the latest advances in data science and security.
However, Proton's free plan does not offer a custom domain name, so it would not support professional email in most cases. The free plan also only offers 500 MB of storage, caps your daily messages to 150, and only allows three folders or labels. More features and storage are available through paid plans, which come with monthly or annual fees. The highest tier (Visionary plan for 30 euros per month or 288 per year) bundles with Proton's custom VPN, adding more bang for your buck.
GMX: the Gmail alternative for maximizing email storage
Global Mail Exchange (or GMX) has been around longer than Gmail (since 1997) and offers similar integrated apps like a synced calendar and cloud-based address book.
GMX lets users register up to 10 email addresses, and each of these has 65 GB of storage included. That’s equivalent to half a million emails — far more than is standard with a typical free email service (for example, compare this to Gmail’s 15 GB free storage limit).
GMX also lets users display all their different email accounts in one central mailbox, and supports email attachments up to 50 MB (compared to the standard 20 or 25 MB limit). What it doesn’t offer, however, is two-factor authentication (2FA), which helps improve your online security. Another big drawback for security- and design-minded users is that GMX processes users' IP addresses in order to serve them targeted ads.
Final considerations for Gmail alternatives
If you're looking for a new email service provider, it's probably because the one you use (whether Gmail or something else) isn't meeting your needs. When evaluating Gmail alternatives to find the best fit for you, consider these questions:
- Do you need basic email, or would you benefit from advanced features like follow-up reminders, customizable templates, and splitting your inbox into separate workstreams?
- Do you send large attachments or need a lot of cloud storage? What does it cost to upgrade to more?
- Is your email slowing you down, and do you want to improve your productivity? Would a faster, more intuitive email client help you shave hours off your week?
If you're ready for a feature-packed email experience that's blazingly fast, powerful, and beautiful to use, you need Superhuman. Sign up today.
