3 Best Free Alternatives To Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft’s Outlook is the big brother of Outlook Express, which is Window’s default desktop eMail client.
Outlook is part of Microsoft’s Office suite. It comes with a lot of extra features compared to Outlook Express, including time/event management, contact management, and Microsoft Exchange Server support to synchronize and share information.
Arguably, Outlook Express is a good enough tool for those who don’t expect a lot of flexibility from their software. But what if you want more without having to spend money? Which free alternatives to Outlook should you look into?
Thunderbird
What is it?
Thunderbird is Mozilla’s desktop eMail client. As such, it’s an open source application and supports various addons, which enhance its functionality.
Like Outlook, Thunderbird supports POP, IMAP, and SMTP. Using the Account Wizard, you also can subscribe to RSS News & Blogs, hook up to your Newsgroup account, and launch a quick Gmail setup.
What makes it a better alternative to Outlook?
Thunderbird is available not just for Windows, but also for Mac OS X and Linux. Localized versions of Thunderbird exist for dozens of the most common languages.
Thunderbird is much better than Outlook, in case you enjoy to customize your eMail client. There is a vast collection of themes and extensions available. These will also cover up for most features that are not integrated into Thunderbird by default.
MakeUseOf has dozens of articles regarding Thunderbird. Below is a small selection:
- Saikat wrote How to Set Up Mozilla Thunderbird to Send Mass Emails.
- Mark explained how to Synchronize Your Google Contacts, Calendar & RSS In Thunderbird.
- Kyle showed you how to Update Your Thunderbird Address Book with Address Crawler.
- I have written articles explaining How to Set Up Message Filters in Thunderbird, How To Integrate Google Calendar Into Thunderbird, and How To Recover Deleted eMails in Thunderbird.
Gmail
What is it?
Gmail or Google Mail is Google’s free webmail client.
Although it is only an online eMail application, Gmail is a very powerful tool that easily rivals most common desktop clients. Gmail supports POP and IMAP and it is fully integrated with the Google Apps suite.
What makes it better than Outlook?
The clear advantage of an online eMail client is its global availability. Wherever you go, whichever computer you use, your eMail is already there.
Gmail provides a complex selection of settings and features. Gmail tracks conversations and optionally compiles all eMails belonging to one conversation into a single thread. Within settings you can create filters, enable Google Mail Labs experimental features, manage multiple inboxes, and switch themes.
There are tons of Gmail hacks that provide interesting options. MakeUseOf has covered them extensively. Here are some of the highlights:
- Mark has compiled a list of Essential Shortcuts to Browse through Gmail faster.
- Saikat covered 5 Ways To Create Custom Multiple Signatures in GMail.
- David shared 7 Tips to Make Gmail The Best Free Email Service For Productive People.
- Sharninder explained How To Access & Use Gmail Offline.
- Karl wrote about How To Backup Your Gmail account To YOUR Hard Drive.
- Aibek revealed 1 Awesome Gmail tip You Didn’t Know about.
Angelina has written a series of posts on How To Turn Gmail Into a Multitasking Machine. In Part 1 she explains how to best configure Gmail, how to consolidate your eMail, and set up labels. In Part2 she provides tips for eMail filtering. Finally, in Part 3, Angelina explores options for the sidebar and the use of multiple inboxes.
Zimbra Desktop
What is it?
Yahoo’s Zimbra Desktop is a desktop eMail client that rivals Gmail, Thunderbird, and Outlook alike. Interestingly, it is powered by Mozilla.
What makes it a better alternative to Outlook?
Much like its Mozilla companion Thunderbird, Zimbra is available in 20 different language versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The design is sleek and Zimbra offers several more theme options. Best of all, it’s easy and intuitive to use with a ton of useful features.
Zimbra supports its own online webmail client Zimbra as well as Yahoo! Mail, Gmail, Microsoft Live Hotmail, AOL Mail, Microsoft Exchange IMAP, IMAP, and POP.
Zimbra has a built-in calendar, contacts, task manager, documents, and briefcase.
Obviously, language integration is not yet perfect. Although I selected the US English language installation and confirmed this language preference within options, some tabs and menus are still displayed in the language of my operating system: German. This should not be an issue if you select the language of your operating system.
Zimbra synchronizes eMails, contacts, and calendars with Zimbra, Yahoo! Mail, and Gmail.
Like Gmail, Zimbra offers an optional conversation view, i.e. threaded conversations. It also comes with advanced tagging options.
Contacts can be grouped and tagged, you can add photos, and import/export via .csv files is supported.
Zimbra comes with great search features. You can quickly search your mailbox for all or specified item types or use the advanced search to add several search criteria, such as file size, date and time, tag, status, folder, and more. The best is that searches can be saved as virtual folders.
Zimbra extensions are called Zimlets.
For more details on how Zimbra compares to Outlook and Thunderbird, check out the Feature Comparison list.
Runners-Up
If none of the above alternatives seem entirely satisfying to you, please have a look at the following two clients:
IncrediMail was reviewed by Saikat: Have Some Fun With This Email Client (Windows).
Zenbe received a review from Sam: All Your Emails In One Place.
What is your favorite eMail client and what makes it valuable to you?
(By) Tina has been writing for MakeUseOf since late 2007. In her other lifes she is a researcher, scientific writer, senior customer service representative or blogger. Tina is also an experienced host with CouchSurfing.
One thing that outlook does that none of these do is FULLY integrate Microsoft Office into the email client which is really important if you work in a corporate environment. It works flawlessly with SharePoint services as well. That’s something that no one else can boast of.
The UI as well…. is familiar to what people are used to working with. By the way, i’ve used all the email clients above extensively. I’m a huge open source proponent but outlook has its perks.
If you don’t care about any of those, I advise you stick to GMAIL.
Judith,
thank you very much for the elaborate comment!
I agree that currently no free alternative can replace Outlook in a corporate environment, where you either have to use it for what it does or are simply used to working with it.
On the other hand, the free alternatives themselves provide options that are not available in Outlook. Personally, I find these features a lot more interesting and valuable than for example MS Office integration.
And let’s be honest, who needs MS Office or SharePoint, when there are free alternatives.
Correct Tina ! Although in the corporate world rules but i dont see that day far when all companies will shift to open source and free software.As far as small companies are concerned … they live on open source software !
(Comments wont nest below this level)srry i meant to say in the corporate world Microsoft rules !
Just a note on “outlook Express” – this ceased to be Microsoft’s free email client with Vista, when it was replaced by “Mail.” Win 7 lets you find your own.
interesting write-up
I’m actually using a combination of the above-
Gmail is set as the everything storage & archive-
that is it is set to go out & retrieve from my other accounts, and I use it’s spam filtering. Outlook is on my pc, and is configured to touch gmail only. Works very well, and is it’s built in redundancy with my pst file located on a secondary partition and regularly backed up itself.
I normally use the Opera browser and this comes with a free email client called M2.
This is a very simple client, nothing special besides the fact that it also can read Newsgroups, but I love having my internet browser and email client integrated in the same interface.
I normally use the Opera browser and this comes with a free email client called M2.
This is a very simple client, nothing special besides the fact that it also can read Newsgroups, but I love having my internet browser and email client integrated in the same interface.
There are still some fields that are not covered that great with the proposed alternatives.
First of all, synchronization with devices still works best when using Outlook. Google has some nice things going but I still can’t synchronize my DECT phone with it.
Second, the spell and grammar check in all alternatives is at best mediocre. Actually it’s nothing more than a very cheap dictionary lookup while Office provides a very solid checker.
Third, Outlook is also very extensible and offers some nice automations.
Finally, putting only “price and open source” in a comparison table is not very helpful. Especially as “open sources” implies “free as in freedom AND free as in beer” and as such is a bit redundant.
You forgot emClient. Great email client. And it’s free.
Thunderbird? As anything other than an e-mail client? You’re joking, right?
Thunderbird still needs to create an address book that isn’t worthless and lacks a calendar feature (unless you want to try and integrate the very rough Lightning). It’s a solid e-mail client and that’s why I use it instead of Outlook’s, but let’s not pretend that Thunderbird is an all-in-one that’s a true alternative to Outlook.
The comparisons all seem slanted against Outlook. Outlook is indeed a very good email client. Because the others are free doesn’t make them better. Be more objective in your comparisons please.
Are you serious? Thunderbird better than Outlook? I’ll have whatever you’re drinking.
Another 2 good free alternatives are emClient (http://emclient.com/) and Opera Mail.
Hope you will like this.
Although its not as powerful as Outlook, theres an e-mail client called Element Mail, which sure does stand up very well next to it!
If this had appointments and a calender, I think it would make a very good alternative to Outlook.
Its freeware though, not open source which is a shame
Web link: http://www.elementsoftware.co.uk/mail
So far I see no comments addressing what in my opinion is the most compelling reason to use Outlook in the first place, namely its integrated calendar, task, reminder and organizer features. A lot of my professional acquaintences over the years use Outlook for those features more than for email.
If you want to compare apples to apples, compare Outlook Express (not Outlook) with other email readers. If you want to compare Outlook with alternatives you need to include a caomparison of the features that distinguish Outlook from a mere email reader and which make it a great productivity tool.
I would love to find an open source alternative to Outlook that truly provides a replacement for its best features, but so far I know of absolutely none. The above-mentioned so-called alternatives are actually only alternatives to Outlook Express, they are not viable alternatives to Outlook.
I use Outlook (at Work) and Thunderbird (for Personal). For me, the biggest selling point for Outlook is the Task Management; I have yet seen other application that lets you assign and track Tasks, using online/offline synchronization method, that integrates with other productivity tools (email, calendar, contacts).