Table of contents
Start for free
Jason Ginsberg / 9.02.2023Home / Email Security
Android Outlook alternative—four apps reviewed
If Microsoft’s stock mobile email solution isn’t meeting your needs, you can shift to one of many other options. Discover the best Android Outlook alternative.
While Outlook is free and has features sufficient for an average user, it suffers from a few notable shortcomings. It’s not particularly user-friendly due to its somewhat complex layout compared to other leading providers.Security isn’t ideal, either. Spam detection occasionally lets phishing emails into the primary inbox, exposing you to considerable risks of account breaches. You also can’t end-to-end encrypt your emails beyond using the S/MIME protocol, the drawbacks of which will be explained in this guide.Most importantly, you’ll learn what to look for in an Android Outlook alternative and discover some popular options worth considering.
Source: GmailThe main reason Gmail is on this list is the fact that Google owns Android, making Gmail the platform’s native email provider and client. The app is well-optimized, which is no surprise. You shouldn’t encounter many bugs or usability issues, so your email experience will be smooth enough.Gmail’s user interface is clean and modern, so there aren’t any particular objections in this area. The main screen shows your inbox with the search bar at the top and the hamburger menu that opens the familiar left-side pane with email folders. At the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the Google Meet icon, so you can organize and enter meetings directly from the main screen.The main design flaw is the limited swipe gestures. Whichever way you slide an email, you only get an option to archive it. Other platforms like Apple Mail and its alternatives feature a far more elaborate solution with more actions, making it easier to manage incoming mail.Gmail is free to use, but you only get 15 GB of combined storage, compared to Outlook’s dedicated 15 GB for email, plus 5 GB for OneDrive. You’d have to sign up for Google One or one of the Business tiers to expand it.The free version also doesn’t offer sufficient security—your emails are only protected by the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol, while Google reserves hosted S/MIME encryption for select paid tiers.
Source: BlueMailBlueMail is a third-party email client you can use to manage multiple accounts (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.). It offers multi-platform support, including a well-designed Android app focused on customization and personalization.You can switch between a light and dark theme or choose automatic switching depending on the time of day. There are also various design options and custom color schemes that let you make the interface more esthetically pleasing.BlueMail also comes with excellent organizational features. You can organize mail in clusters based on senders, groups, and other criteria to enjoy a cleaner-looking inbox. This can be particularly valuable if you add several accounts to the platform.The Later Board feature is also quite useful—it lets you assign tasks related to emails and add them to one place for a clear overview. This way, there’s a lower chance of forgetting to read or reply to an important email.Security-wise, BlueMail isn’t particularly impressive. You get TLS encryption by default and optional S/MIME integration. The upside is that you don’t need to upgrade to a paid plan to use S/MIME, but you still need to buy the certificate separately.Besides this, there aren’t many downsides, barring an occasional complaint about the platform not showing timely notifications and lagging if you add several email addresses at once. While the latter is mostly an annoyance, missed messages could lead to more serious problems.
Source: Spark MailSpark Mail is another third-party email platform worth considering if you’re only looking to leave the stock app behind while retaining your Outlook account. It’s equipped with various features that set it apart from other solutions, so it’s suitable for beginners and advanced users.The platform lets you prioritize conversations and contacts by pinning them in your inbox, which is a decent way to avoid clutter. You can also schedule email sessions, which is helpful if you tend to check your email too often and want to set some boundaries.Spark Mail’s standout feature is the AI assistant, which helps you write emails more quickly and summarizes messages to give you the necessary highlights. It can streamline your emailing experience and significantly reduce manual labor.Unfortunately, the AI assistant and prioritization are only available with Spark Mail’s paid plans:
Source: SkiffSkiff Mail is an end-to-end encrypted email service providing complete privacy and security to every user. Each email you send and receive is protected by two separate keys—public and private. The public key encrypts the message on your device and is shared with the recipient, while the private decryption key is safely stored on the recipient’s device.This type of encryption ensures Skiff doesn’t own your keys and can’t access plaintext copies of your emails—they’re only visible to the recipient.Unlike most email clients and providers, Skiff Mail lets you sign up without revealing private information like your phone number. Zero-knowledge login enables complete confidentiality, and the Secure Remote Password algorithm encrypts critical account data to provide enhanced security.The above security measures are combined with various features that streamline your workflow, most notably:
Source: SkiffSkiff is open source, and the codebase is publicly available on GitHub. You can also read the whitepaper for additional information.The platform’s main downside is that it can’t guarantee protection if your device is corrupted by malware. Make sure to follow the necessary security practices and keep your device safe.
Discover a comprehensive emailing solutionWith its beautifully designed feature-rich interface, Skiff gives you secure email and collaboration tools for enhanced productivity
Sign up
How to choose the best Outlook alternative for Android
Whether you only want to change your email client or switch to a different provider altogether, you should consider four factors when comparing different options:- Security
- Features
- User interface
- Pricing
Security
Your email service’s ultimate goal should be to provide convenient and safe correspondence. You’ll likely send sensitive data and share files via email, so no feature can make up for insufficient security that fails to keep your information away from prying eyes.The most common security layers you can expect from an email provider include the following:- Spam and phishing detection
- Email password protection
- Malware scanning
Features
The features you’ll look for in an email provider depend on your needs, though there are some universal functionalities every service should offer, such as:- Email organization features (labels, folders, etc.)
- Thorough email search, preferably allowing you to search email contents
- Email aliases and custom domains
User interface
A well-designed user interface is important on any device, but it’s absolutely essential on smartphones due to the smaller footprint. Intuitively structuring all the necessary features is quite a challenge when you don’t have much space, and not every email provider gets it right.If you’re unsure what makes an excellent mobile user interface, pay attention to the following:- Clearly visible key functions while composing an email
- Swipe gestures for convenient management
- Minimalistic design
Pricing
If you’re switching from Outlook’s free version, you likely aren’t looking to invest in an email solution unless you need some advanced features. The good news is that there are numerous free services that should meet the needs of regular users, though you might encounter some trade-offs.Specifically, free email providers often don’t offer sufficient security. The only exceptions are privacy-first options, one of which you’ll learn about in the review section of this guide. Carefully choosing between secure providers is also imperative as some of them sacrifice user experience for privacy, offering low storage or omitting features like advanced search.The good news is that you don’t have to make compromises as finding an app that checks all the necessary boxes is possible.Simplify your email management with Skiff MailSkiff Mail's user-friendly design and encrypted communication make it a perfect choice if you value security and feature variety
Sign up
Four Outlook Android alternatives reviewed
To give you some variety and cover apps with unique selling points, we’ve picked the following four alternatives to Outlook:- Gmail
- BlueMail
- Spark Mail
- Skiff Mail
Gmail
| Pros | Cons |
| Native to Android | Low storage compared to Outlook |
| Clean interface | Weak security |
| Integrated Google Meet | . |
BlueMail
| Pros | Cons |
| Robust customization | Basic security |
| Useful organization features | Occasional bugs and missed notifications |
| Support for multiple email addresses | . |
Spark Mail
- Premium Individual—$4.99 per month
- Premium Teams—$6.99/user per month
- Send Later
- Reminders
- Snooze
- Smart Inbox
| Pros | Cons |
| Email grouping and prioritization | AI assistant unavailable with the free plan |
| Various email management features | No web version |
| Scheduled email sessions | . |
Skiff Mail
- Beautifully-designed user interface
- 10 GB of end-to-end encrypted storage
- Fast email and text search
- Integration with various crypto wallets
- Folders, labels, and filters
- One custom domain and four Skiff.com aliases
| Pros | Cons |
| End-to-end encryption by default | Can’t ensure complete protection if the device is compromised by malware |
| Rich free plan | . |
| Crypto wallet integrations | . |
Leverage Skiff’s E2EE productivity suite
When you sign up for Skiff Mail, you get access to a comprehensive online workspace consisting of three additional end-to-end encrypted platforms:- Skiff Pages, a secure alternative to Big Tech document editing tools that keeps every file’s metadata and contents encrypted
- Skiff Drive, which lets you upload, store, and share files of any type and size while providing optional InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) integration
- Skiff Calendar, a scheduling app that syncs with Skiff Mail and has built-in video conferencing
If you want to create a private online workspace and send sensitive information more securely, you can get started with Skiff in three steps:
- Visit the signup page
- Choose a username and password
- Explore Skiff’s end-to-end encrypted products
