In today’s technical world, email is an essential service that all of us need to avail for both personal and professional purposes. While social media and other messenger applications have become quite popular, Email still remains one of the most preferred modes of business and professional communication. Therefore it is essential in modern workspaces. While there are many email providers, two of the most common among them are Gmail and Apple Mail, and there are many comparisons between Gmail vs Apple Mail.
Are you wondering which one is better, or trying to decide whether you should switch to one of these services? This blog will be very helpful as we will provide you with a comprehensive comparison of Gmail vs Apple Mail, including its features, security, integrations, user experience, AI functions, pricing, and much more. So keep reading till the end!
Gmail vs Apple Mail: The Core Difference
Let us consider the core differences between Gmail vs Apple Mail. As the name suggests, Apple Mail is only available on iOS and macOS devices, while Gmail users can access it from various devices and browsers. The basic distinction between them is that Gmail is an email service provider by Google that helps you send and receive emails. On the other hand, Apple Mail is an email client present on iOS and MacOS devices where you can use different email services like Gmail, iCloud Mail, Outlook, and others.
Gmail vs Apple Mail: Features Face-Off
Now that we know the fundamental difference between Gmail vs Apple Mail, let us delve deep into the distinct features and functionality that they offer.
Accessibility
Gmail: The benefit of Gmail over Apple Mail is that it is compatible with all devices and web browsers. You can access Gmail from the web or download the Gmail app on your device to avail of its services. However, it does not integrate with the Apple ecosystem as well as Apple Mail does.
Apple Mail: Apple Mail is a pre-installed app that is available only on Apple devices like phones, desktops, and computers operating with iOS and macOS. You can avail of various email services through Apple Mail like Gmail, Outlook, and more.
Security and Privacy
When choosing an email service or hosting, determining the security and privacy features that they offer is essential. Let us take a look at how the privacy factors look like while comparing Gmail vs Apple Mail.
Gmail: Here are some of the security features that Gmail offers:
- It uses end-to-end encryption to provide a secure emailing experience.
- Provides security against spam messages and phishing attacks.
- It does not scan or read your emails for advertising.
- Supports multi-factor authentication.
- Lock email features.
- Spam filtering.
- Confidential mode.
Apple Mail: Apple Mail provides privacy and security features that are quite similar to Gmail, and there are also some added functionalities to look forward to. So let’s take a quick look at them.
- Apple Mail ensures a safe and secure emailing experience with industry-leading encryption.
- Protects against spam, malware, and phishing attacks.
- Do not scan or read emails for advertising purposes.
- ‘Hide my Email Service’ allows you to hide your email id and have a smooth mailing experience without sharing your email address.
- Ad-free inbox.
- Two-factor authentication.
Interface and Ease of Use
Different mailing services and platforms are available nowadays, and they are suitable for a varied range of users with different technical skills. A good email service is one that is smooth to navigate and user-friendly enough so that beginners and experts can handle it efficiently. Let us now compare the interface and user experience of Gmail vs Apple Mail.
Gmail: The Gmail user interface is very simple, organized, and easy to navigate. It has an impressive smart inbox that promotes a smoother user experience. The inbox is segmented into various categories like social, promotions, forums, etc. You can also perform quick actions like smart reply, smart compose, and emoji reactions. Your account icon is present in the top left corner, and you can quickly switch accounts.
Apple Mail: Apple Mail is known for its minimal yet aesthetic appeal for its users. However, it does not have a categorically organized inbox like Gmail. Apple Mail offers a unified inbox but you can switch between multiple accounts and email services. It has quite impressive gesture controls for quick actions and provides some extra features like setting email reminders, creating a VIP to save emails from important contacts, and creating customizable notifications.
Integrations
Gmail: Gmail can seamlessly integrate with Google Workspace applications like Docs, Meet, Drive, Calendar, etc. These integrative features are essential as they help you to maintain a streamlined workflow and you can get every necessary application in one place. There are also third-party services that help you to integrate Gmail with other applications, but you should do some thorough research before availing of their services.
Apple Mail: Apple Mail offers easy and seamless integration with Apple applications like iWork suite applications, iCloud, Notes, etc. However, Apple Mail offers comparatively fewer third-party integrations than Gmail.
AI Features
Now that AI has been all the rage in the tech realm for a while, we don’t expect Gmail and Apple Mail to remain far behind. Both Gmail and Apple Mail do not have an AI assistant, but there are quite a few interesting features. Let us explore the exciting AI features in our comparison of Gmail vs Apple Mail.
Gmail: Let us explore some of the features that Gmail offers:
- The “Help me write” prompt can help you draft a whole email as per your instructions.
- The Smart Compose feature can help you draft emails from scratch and it is available in different languages like English, Spanish, French, and Italian.
- Gmail takes the help of AI to sort messages and enhance the Tabbed Inbox feature.
- The Smart Reply feature helps to send quick and crisp responses to emails.
- Gmail uses AI to help summarize long and complicated emails.
Apple Mail: When it comes to incorporating AI features, Gmail is far ahead of Apple Mail. Apple Mail uses some minimal AI features like integrating with Siri to accept voice commands and a Smart Search feature that accelerates the search process. However, Apple Mail can be integrated with other AI tools to unlock some added AI functionalities.
Gmail vs Apple Mail Comparison: At a Glance
| Features | Gmail | Apple Mail |
| Accessibility | Compatible with all devices and web browsers. | Compatible only with Apple devices . |
| Security and Privacy | Data encryption, protection against spam and phishing attacks, multi-factor authentication, spam filtering, lock email features, Confidential mode. | Data encryption, protection against spam and phishing, two-factor authentication, ‘Hide my Email Service feature’, and Ad-free inbox. |
| Interface and Ease-of-Use | Simple, organized, easily navigable interface; smart, segregated inbox; perform quick action; quickly switch accounts. | Minimal and aesthetic interface; unified inbox; provides easy switch between multiple accounts and services; supports gesture control for quick actions. |
| Integrations | Offers easy integration with Google Workspace applications like Docs, Meet, Drive, Calendar, etc. | Offers seamless integration with Apple applications like iWork suite applications, iCloud, Notes, etc. |
| AI Features | No AI assistant; offers lots of AI features like ‘Help me write’ prompt and Smart Compose to draft emails; AI helps in maintaining Tabbed Inbox feature; Smart Reply, and email summary features. | No AI assistant; can easily integrate with Siri to accept voice commands; Smart Search feature helps to accelerate the email searching process. |
Pricing
Gmail Prices
| Plans | Pricing |
| Business Starter (30 GB/ user) | $6/mo |
| Business Standard (2 TB/ user) | $12/mo |
| Business Plus (5 TB/ user) | $18/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom |
iCloud+ Prices in the USA
| Plans | Pricing |
| 50 GB | $0.99 |
| 200 GB | $2.99 |
| 2 TB | $9.99 |
| 6 TB | $29.99 |
| 12 TB | $59.99 |
The Future of Email Clients
In an ever-evolving digital and technical space, there is still a lot to look forward to for future innovations in the emailing experience. Set against today’s digital scenario of social media and instant messaging, Email remains one of the earliest modes of digital communication. However, new innovations are taking over this world with every passing day. Here are some future advancements we can look forward to for Gmail vs Apple Mail:
- Better Security: With emerging concerns about data security and privacy, the day is not far when email accounts will be protected with better security than only password protection. In the future, we may witness stronger protection like biometric security and device-based authentication.
- More Email Clients to Choose From: We do not need to wait too long for that. There are already emerging email clients in the market that promise better email integration and features. But it will be interesting to see how Gmail and Apple Mail will stay on par in the game with them.
- More Advancements in AI: In a few years, we can expect new innovations in AI features for email clients. From AI assistance to mail drafting according to a particular tone, or data analysis and insights, all of these can be achieved in the coming days.
Final Verdict: Gmail vs Apple Mail
Both Gmail vs Apple Mail come with their unique set of features and functionalities. In some respects, like AI features, integrations, and organization, Gmail proves ahead of Apple Mail. However, Apple Mail also excels in its seamless compatibility with Apple devices and provides slightly better security features. In this blog, we have done a full-fledged comparison of Gmail vs Apple Mail and their various features, so that you can understand what suits you best and choose accordingly.
Srijita Datta is a content writer with over 4+ years of experience in various niches. Her active interest in exploring new and emerging SaaS software and the evolving world of AI motivates her to write crisp, engaging, and informative articles to share her knowledge. She is working with How to Buy SaaS as a content writer and curating fresh and unique content every week with an added expertise in SaaS content.
