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

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

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

Reluctantly, I use Thunderbird—

but only because it sucks less that the alternatives. Still not even CLOSE to Outlook in functionality or ease-of-use. Just try to get an email address out of the Mac Address book and into Thunderbird. Can't find way to do it. Can't group my contacts, so obviously can't pull a contact group into the "To:" address; you have to option-select each email address and drag them.

—Guest Ben

Nothing yet

I'm still looking to find a good multi-platform email client. I would like to find that Java application called e/mail which was previously mentioned, but it seems to have vanished from the internet.

—Guest Tom

Using Mail, hoping for the future

Loathed Entourage, never got Thunderbird to work properly (disappointing as a FF [i.e. Mozilla Firefox] fan), and hold onto Mail for some stupid reason, because it is terribly unstable for me. I will give Eudora a try, but someone please tell me that there is something for the Mac at least as good as Outlook is for the PC (and hopefully better) on the horizon.

—Guest htgoody

Eudora, but…

have always used Eudora, but got new computer with Snow Leopard, and now Eudora is misbehaving. Won't send from some of my email accounts. Receives OK.

—Guest Franny