Readers Respond: Which Free Mac Email Program Do You Use?

Which free Mac email application are you using? I Use:

Opera and Postbox

Entourage: avoid, avoid, avoid; messy, incomprehensible, grinds to a halt and crashes Thunderbird: very flexible, multiple accounts with multiple personalities for each Mail: fancy and easy, but at times a bit slow Eudora: based on Thunderbird, but not an improvement My favourites: #2: Postbox: based on Thunderbird, has all the advantages of T. but with a significantly improved user interface #1: Opera: integrated email client in the beautiful web browser

—Guest Bob

Mozilla Thunderbird

I use Thunderbird after trying out Mail. Like having all my accounts in one place and the calendar that comes with it. Easier than iCal.

—Guest Howdydo

Default Mail

Mail is great - except every now and again it loses all my old emails which makes it really useless.

—Guest Maurice Clarke

Looking…

Used Mail for a while, thought Outlook was more feature-rich, so started using it, don't like the fact that you can't use aliases. I own several domains and use different names such as admin, my own name or PayPal as the first part of the email address, but Outlook 11 for Mac won't let me respond to anyone using more than the basic email address that receives the mail from those other addresses. Mail allows me to do that so I switched back. Now, I am looking for an Email client that will work like Mail, but has a Calendar like Outlook. I could just use the iCal program on my MacBook again, but I like the idea of having only one program open all the time. I've never had connection issues with either Outlook or Mail that weren't my own fault or the mail server's fault.

—Guest mei

Don't Use Outlook on Mac

I bought MS Office for Mac and made sure it was the version that included Outlook. I have used Outlook all the years I was on a PC (many). Switched to Mac, got everything set up in Outlook and BAM! Outlook crashed and erased ALL my email, account information, and contacts. That's too big of a bug for me to continue using it. Then paid for Sparrow to find out it won't support my POP3 accounts. Uh, no go. Avoid it.

—jbr0109

Mail

I currently use Mail. Used it in the past, switched to Entourage until it ran like a snail and crashed a lot, switched to Thunderbird until it slowed to a crawl, then back to Mail which has not problems for me using Gmail. Very satisfied with Mail.

—Guest BillT

I Use Mac Email

Tried Thunderbird, it was always having problems linking to my server - no such problems with the Mac Mail programme.

—Guest Cliff

I use Thunderbird!

It is probably the most reliable client that I know of as well as the most customizable.

—Guest cpupro

Mail Doesn't Work, Will Try GyazMail

I use Mail with Gmail and almost never receive all my mail. Mail is usually from the previous day. Not sure how to fix it. I like feature rich colorful mail so will try Gyaz.

—Guest Miss D

An Eye on Sparrow

Use Gmail… it [is] the best I have found so far. Am in the prices [process?] of trying Sparrow.

—Guest bill

IncrediMail?

I also used IncrediMail for years, but, as we know, it wont work with Apple! I wish they would come out with a compatible program. I am using web mail Gmail. Not happy!

—Camille6

I use Mac email

Don't like the fact that I can't install music in the background that automatically plays when opened. Also address book sucks. Miss Outlook Express. Would think Mac could come up with Outlook equal!

—dedowe

Thunderbird by Default

The more I use [Mozilla Thunderbird], the less I like it… but it is better than the AT&T/Yahoo associated with our internet service. I have had my email contact list compromised twice in a year.

—Guest John

Going Back to Outlook on a PC

After 1 year with Mail and T-Bird., I give! I have a PC, I'm going back to Outlook. The Mac has other glaring faults too, like the spell checker. Sheeesh!

—Guest Rob Wallace

Privacy counts

Mail is okay except for the problem that I have a Gmail account and Mail insists on using the IMAP protocol. My problem with IMAP, and Gmail by extension, is that I'm a privacy freak and am very uncomfortable with the fact that Gmail keeps ALL of my messages on their servers, which means I lose control of my stuff. While this may sound paranoid, just remember that the Patriot Act gives Govt snoops unlimited power to spy on any of us at any time for any reason, and they don't have to say they're doing it or get a warrant or anything. Google must comply with the Govt's order to give up the data and we signed EULA's agreeing to that. The problem is the NSA uses the same automated web crawlers and data-mining technologies that Google and others use, and presumably their own heavy duty proprietary spyware, to get what they're after. My problem with this is that I'm a law abiding guy, but these police have their own secret agenda that may catch me up w/out my knowledge. Download email.

—Guest Bradley