Modern email clients are held to high standards. The world of digital advancement and AI asks for more than just writing, sending, and receiving emails. We can organize our inboxes, manage our schedules, keep track of contacts, and much more using the top email applications. They also work with our other tools, like apps for videoconferencing.

The fact that 200 million people use Microsoft Outlook every month is not surprising, given how loaded it is with extra features. Outlook, created by Microsoft Corporation, is a widely used email program. Other tools like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel can be smoothly used with this tool. It supports scanning and getting rid of harmful email files.

On the other hand, Microsoft Outlook has a few drawbacks, such as its complex password recovery procedure, the absence of task management tools, and calendar overload. It prioritizes your Exchange account over other email accounts that might disrupt your workflow.

Take a look at what Microsoft Outlook has to offer before we compare it to its main competitors. Among the comprehensive features of Outlook, listed below are some important ones:

You may sort your inbox into several categories and configure rules to automatically direct incoming messages to the appropriate inbox.

Meet and arrange appointments easily with Outlook Calendar, which allows you to browse several calendars simultaneously.

You can make lists of things you need to do, give them due dates, get notes, and share your lists with other people using To Do.

Make digital notes and see them in Outlook or your desktop. You can also set your notes up in lists or color-code them.

Thunderbird is a Mozilla-developed open-source email client. If you are using Windows, Mac, and Linux, you can avail Thunderbird's free version on your device. Most people find it more straightforward to set up compared to Outlook. You can download Mozilla's Lightning calendar, which works perfectly with Thunderbird. Still, it doesn't come with a calendar like Outlook does. Mozilla Firefox and other famous computers have features that let you open multiple emails in different tabs. Thunderbird does the same.

Free to use

You can get a business version of Gmail through Google Workspace (formerly G set), the company's set of work and communication apps. It works with Google Chat, Meet, and Rooms and comes with a range of cloud storage plans, from 30 GB to unlimited.

Google Calendar, Drive, and Docs are all part of the free Gmail suite, and the premium edition of Google Workspace gives customers access to all of them. They can also use the complete Google Workspace toolkit, which includes better security, a work optimization tool, custom domains, and a website builder. Google Workspace also comes with a Gmail add-on to personalize it further.

For Mac and Windows users, eM Client provides an email client with many of the same capabilities as Microsoft Outlook, such as creating calendars, assigning tasks, and organizing notes. It has a clean, modern-looking interface that's intuitive to use. eM Client promises a "superfast" search that works even within documents like PDFs. It is compatible with Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Dropbox.

Front is an email app that will help you communicate effectively with your team and customers. Teams can work together by sharing inboxes and assigning emails to each other. This way, everyone knows who is responsible for responding to which message. Email threads allow you to converse with your team members by commenting and @mentioning other users.

Mailbird is a Microsoft Windows email client. A free version with one email account is available, and there are paid plans for personal and company use. A clean layout is also available, offering many customization options. Mailbird lets you put emails into groups but doesn't automatically sort emails as Outlook does.

Price: $5.75/month.

Shift is a desktop option to Outlook that puts all your essential tabs, apps, and files in one place, making it easier for your team to work together.

The reason Shift is on our list is because of its email service. Connecting accounts like Gmail, Outlook, and Office 365 brings all of your emails together. The iCloud and Yahoo Mail apps also work with it. Another convenient feature is the one-click access to your Google Mail, Calendar, and Drive accounts. Setting up alerts for each account is also up to you. Shift keeps everything in sync across all your devices so you can keep working without problems.

Spark learns by doing, automatically stacking and ranking the emails in your account.

Among its many advantages is the ease with which a group of people may collaborate on an email draft or post comments visible to those in your group. It's also possible to give texts to someone else, set due dates, and be notified when they're done.

One of the most incredible email programs out there right now is Spike. Email, chat, sharing inbox, collaboration, and analytics are all being rethought and simplified in one central location.

Paid plans start at $5/month/user

If safety is essential, ProtonMail is an excellent option for Outlook. However, it provides end-to-end encryption and robust security measures for your email account, making up for its lack of a unified email experience compared to other applications on our list.

Plans start from $7.99/month/user

Helpwise's uniform folder puts all customer questions in one place and makes it easy for them to contact you. You can better communicate with customers using its automatic and teamwork features.

This email management tool lets the customer service, support, and sales teams work together on shared emails. It makes it easier and faster to handle talks.

Microsoft Outlook is one of the best email apps in the world, but not everyone can use it. For one thing, it costs a lot if you need a PC program. You may want something that focuses more on protection or teamwork based on your goals. There are a lot of other options to try, though.

Google Workspace offers shared drives and more storage space. Depending on your needs, both Gmail and Google Workspace can be appropriate Outlook alternatives. While Gmail is usually an email service, you can also use it as an email client for multiple email accounts, including non-Google addresses.

The upcoming version employs a browser engine for HTML rendering, aligning it closer to the web version of Outlook. This move aligns with Microsoft's objective of achieving consistency across their applications, making it a welcome change for HTML email developers.

In 2023, Microsoft Outlook introduced a significant overhaul to its Inbox View to enhance user experience and productivity. As a loyal Outlook user, adapting to these changes can seem daunting. However, fear not, for this article is your guide to understanding and mastering the Outlook View Change of 2023.