The choice of email interface is highly personal to each user. Some prefer the neat chronological structure of Outlook, while some favour the more conversational layout of Gmail.
When it comes to mobile, which for many users has become the main place for dealing with email, the individual user’s preference may be different again.
There are a range of apps available apart from the usual suspects, so CBR has rounded up a few of them here.
1. Triage
Available for £2.29 for iOS, this app is designed to streamline your email to make it easier to deal with on a tight schedule. Not intended as a replacement for email clients but as an addition to it, it aims to help users get through their email with brief interactions.
Most email providers show you an inbox, with the emails presented in order or by contact. Instead, with Triage, the emails are presented one after the other in the form of a stack of cards.
Triage users get access to intuitive commands to simplify the process. By flicking up, the user can flick up to archive, delete or mark an email as read.
A tap allows the user to forward or send a short reply, while by flicking down the user can keep the email for later.
Content from our partners
2. CloudMagic
This multi-platform app, which can be used on Mac, iOS or Android, is compatible with Gmail, Exchange, Google Apps, Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud and all IMAP accounts.
Useful features include instant push notifications, and it is designed to be fairly light and low in its battery consumption.
One of the key features of CloudMagic is the ability to integrate with productivity apps such as Box. You can save emails and files from CloudMagic to allow you to work on them in these apps.
It is also possible to run several email accounts through the same app, easily colour-coding emails from each account. This is particularly useful for those who want to separate their work and personal communications but don’t want to constantly switch between apps and interfaces.
It has three million users and has won a Webby Award in the hotly contested ‘Best Visual Design’ category.
3. myMail
myMail is available for both Android and iOS and works with all major email providers, including Gmail, Aol and Outlook.
It claims to offer the "smartest push notifications", meaning that you can customise your notifications to fit specific circumstances. For one thing, you can choose when to receive them by specifying particular times or dates.
Users can also turn off push notifications for messages from unwanted senders, including those of certain contacts, folders or domains with a single tap. They can also make these notifications more private by hiding senders and subjects from popping up. These settings even apply if the email provider doesn’t support push notifications.
Other features include the ability to support avatars as well as icons for popular online service. The app also provides smart search filters to find emails more easily, even without the precise wording.
4. K-9 Mail
The open source K-9 Mail is available for Android users. Developed as a community project, it supports IMAP, POP3, Exchange 2008 and 2007.
Similar in lay-out to the default Android email app, it has been installed by between 5 million and 10 million people, according to the Play Store.
Features offered include search, multi-folder sync, flagging, filing, signatures and bcc-self.
As it is open source, any budding developers will be able to edit it to their liking, making it by any measure the most customisable email app on this list.
5. Blue Mail
Blue Mail is a simple free email app which works with both Android and iOS. It supports a wide range of email providers, including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, AOL, Office365 and iCloud to GMX, Yandex, Zoho, Rediffmail and Comcast.
It also supports any access protocol and the app auto-configures accounts when you add them to the device.
The mailbox content can be displayed either in a standard inbox format, as a threaded conversation or in a detailed mail view.
It has a range of themes, with light and dark colours and animations. It also has built-in swipe actions to simplify the email admin process.
Usefully, it is supported by a range of platforms, including smartphones, tablets and wearables.
