Gmail vs Apple Mail
Since the world has started to go paperless, you now get receipts, bank statements, documents and more via email. Email applications are developed to allow more organisation for messages you receive daily. Email apps also have more appealing and easy-to-use interfaces than email providers can offer.
Since you have so many choices to organise and edit your mailbox, you are going to want to choose the best email client.
So, Apple Mail vs Gmail?
Is it worth having two email apps installed on your iOS device? You already have Apple Mail on your iPhone by default, Gmail will be an added email app.
About Gmail App
The Gmail email app can be easily downloaded onto any device, including Android and iOS. It uses POP and IMAP protocols and is a generally very secure emailing service.
Because it's an email client and an email service, you receive wider benefits. This includes being able to integrate other Google applications.
Gmail is updated often to ensure its user experience is the best for the current time. The Gmail interface is also very aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate.
About Apple Mail App
Also known as Mail on iOS devices, Apple Mail is an email client that serves as a huge inbox for all your mail accounts. You can view all inboxes or tap specific accounts.
This app is only for use on iOS or macOS operating systems. It uses SMPT servers, POP3, Exchange and IMAP for messages and S/MIME for encryption.
Apple Mail supports iCloud Mail and many other email providers such as Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, and more.
Here's how to add a Gmail account to Apple Mail on iPhone:
- On your iPhone, go to Settings → Mail → Accounts.
- Click Add Account → Select Google.
- Enter your email address and password.
- Tap Next to verify or tap Save to finish the setup.
Cost
Now, let’s compare the Gmail app vs Apple Mail in terms of how much they cost.
Both Apple Mail and Gmail are free. Your iPhone will already have the Apple Mail app installed, and Gmail is free to install.
You can pay for an upgraded version of Gmail, known as Google Workspace (formerly G Suite). It is a set of collaborative productivity apps such as shared calendars, video meetings, and more. The starting price is $6/per user/per month.
As for Apple Mail, you will only need to make payments when your iCloud storage is full. Gmail’s free version also has limited storage space.
Security
Apple Mail is an email client that connects with email accounts from various mail providers. So, not only do you need to worry about the security of Apple Mail itself, the security of the email provider you are using comes into play as well.
Gmail has optional security features including the option to create multi-factor authentication to log in, lock emails, and ask recipients to enter a code to access the message, and more options when you click the lock icon when composing a message.
Security hasn’t been a concern for either email client for some time. If you create strong passwords and lock your mobile device when you’re not using it, you will be fine.
Personal or Business Usage?
Apple Mail is great for personal use. It’s simple, it's easy, and that’s about it! You can view all your inboxes in one place and search for messages you need.
Gmail is also great for personal use if you retrieve and send many emails.
However, Gmail is also a good choice for businesses due to its helpful features, personalisation, and organisation abilities. With Gmail, you can create chats, video calls, and more.
You also won't need to worry too much about your storage with Gmail.
Check out our post about how to create a professional email account.
Special Features
Both email apps have some special features, let's go through Apple Mail first.
Apple Mail:
- The interface is simple and functional. You can also use the iPhone’s dark theme with the Mail app.
- Although there aren’t many organisational features, you can set contacts as VIPs to create a separate folder.
- When composing a message you will see a toolbar, this gives you a range of options to edit your message. You can edit the size, font, layout, add bullet points, and more.
- Use the 3D touch feature to preview emails in detail. You can then choose an option to respond to or organise the message.
- The swipe features within Apple Mail give you lots of options such as archive, mark as read, and move to trash.
Gmail:
- You can quickly switch between Gmail accounts by clicking your profile picture.
- Uses a Smart Compose function. When you’re typing, you will receive suggestions. You can also use Smart Replies to quickly respond to messages.
- You can schedule when to send your messages.
- Gmail allows you to create your signature at the bottom of your messages.
- You can set Out-of-Office replies to be automatically sent.
- You can utilise Siri to send messages.
- Google Tasks can be integrated with Gmail to add emails to tasks.
Conclusion
To conclude, Apple Mail is great for personal use and it is already installed on your Apple device and is so easy-to-use. However, if you are looking for an email app with more complex features for your business email address, Gmail is the one.
If you don’t use emails a lot, Apple Mail is simple and quite enough to keep track of all your inboxes. Hopefully, you have managed to decide for yourself after reading this article!
Mailbox Organisation With Clean Email
Clean Email helps keep your email account decluttered and organised. It's not an email client itself (like Apple Mail), but you can use it in addition to any other email client to extend their email cleaning capabilities. The app supports all email IMAP-based providers such as Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL, and more.
The app’s Auto Clean feature allows you to automate any routine email tasks. You can forget having to manually sort through emails ever again!
Just click the Auto Clean icon on the left sidebar and tap the Create Rule button. Then follow the steps to fill in the rule criteria and you're done!
For example, you can set a rule for all emails from a certain sender to go straight to the Trash once they hit your Inbox. No manual work is required! You can edit or remove the Auto Clean rules whenever you like.
The app’s Unsubscriber tool is a quick and convenient way to remove yourself from unwanted mailing lists, especially if they are causing too much spam in your inbox.
Click Unsubscriber from the left sidebar to see all your available subscriptions, click the subscription, and choose one of the following options: Unsubscribe, Deliver to Read Later (this will send emails to a separate folder), Keep Receiving, and more.
The Smart Folders feature bundles your emails into easy-to-view groups. For example, all shopping-related emails can be found in one place. This tool makes it easy to locate, organise, and manage your mailbox.
You can also narrow your search further by clicking one of the filtering options located under the search bar. For example, you can search for ‘older than…’ or ‘larger than…’ messages.
If you enjoyed this article, why not read these:
- The list of the best Gmail apps for Mac
- The comparison of ProtonMail vs Gmail
- The comparison of Zoho Mail vs Gmail
- The comparison of Gmail vs. iCloud Mail
Apple Mail vs Gmail - FAQs
Does Gmail work with Apple Mail?
You can add your Gmail email address to your Apple Mail app. You can then see your emails within the Apple Mail app.
Is it better to use Gmail or Apple Mail?
It depends on what you use emails for. With Apple Mail, it’s easy and simple. But there isn’t much organisation. If you have a lot of emails, Gmail allows you to organise your mail better and holds more features.
What is the best email app for iPhones?
The best email apps for Apple products are the Apple Mail app, Canary Mail, Spark, and Airmail.
What is the best email for Apple products?
You can use any email address with your Apple products. If you are using an email client like Apple Mail, you can add Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, AOL addresses, and more.
Is Apple Mail secure?
Apple Mail itself is a secure application, however, you need to remember you integrate Apple Mail with more than just your iCloud account. Your Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo account can affect your security.