Outlook alternatives

Who Outlook suits

Outlook is Microsoft's mail app and the service behind Outlook.com and Microsoft 365 mail. Microsoft's guide to adding accounts says Outlook holds Outlook.com and Hotmail accounts, and work or school accounts. It also holds Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and Exchange accounts. Its Copilot FAQ says the Copilot features need a Microsoft Copilot (work) license.

If your organization runs on Microsoft 365 and you want the app your IT team supports, Outlook is the natural fit.

Why people look elsewhere

These are reasons people commonly give. We're not claiming any of them as faults.

Copilot in Outlook depends on a license, so people without one look for drafting and scheduling help they can buy themselves.

Some read a personal Gmail and a work Outlook address and want both handled the same way.

Others want tasks and calendar in the flow, with the follow-up and the meeting created from the thread without opening other tabs.

And some just like another app's feel. It can sort and snooze the same mailbox, or search it, the way they prefer, and your Outlook account keeps the mail either way.

Alternatives worth a look

Each of these opens an Outlook account you already have. Your address doesn't change.

• Otto puts Gmail and Outlook in one app, with your calendar and Microsoft To Do tasks beside the mail. The assistant can draft a reply, find a thread, book a meeting or file a message. Anything it sends or books, and any change it makes, waits for your approval. Free covers one connected account. Plus is $6.99 a month and Pro is $19.99 a month, with a lower rate on yearly billing. It runs on the web and on iPhone. Work or school accounts may need an IT administrator to approve Otto once.
• Spark's Free plan lists a Smart Inbox, unlimited email accounts and a calendar, plus smart notifications. Its home page says it works with Outlook, Exchange, Google, iCloud, Yahoo and IMAP accounts. AI features sit on paid plans.
• The Gmail app can hold an Outlook address too. Google's guide to adding accounts says it can hold a non-Gmail address such as Outlook, iCloud Mail or Yahoo.
• Apple Mail is another option. Apple's account guide says it can set up iCloud and Google accounts, as well as Microsoft Exchange and Yahoo ones, automatically. It doesn't name Outlook.com, so check your account type before you switch.

Two popular Gmail-first apps aren't options here. Shortwave's provider guide says Microsoft 365 and Exchange accounts aren't supported at this time, and Mimestream's home page describes a Mac client optimized for Gmail.

If it's a new address you're after

Changing the app doesn't change who hosts your mail. If you want to leave Microsoft's service itself, you need a different provider. Proton Mail, for example, describes itself on its home page as an encrypted email service based in Switzerland, with a free plan that includes one email address and a tool for moving contacts and messages across.

Otto doesn't do that. It connects to the Outlook or Gmail account you already have, and your mail stays with your provider. If a new mailbox is what you're after, a provider like Proton is the better answer.

What they cost

Otto Free costs nothing. The rest are each vendor's lowest paid plan, in USD on monthly billing, taken from their own pricing pages.

Product	Lowest paid plan	Price	Notes
Otto	Plus	from $6.99/month	Pro $19.99/month; $55.99/year for Plus
Spark	Plus	from $10/month	per seat, $8.25/month billed yearly

We last read this price in October 2026. The Gmail app and Apple Mail have no separate plan we read. Yearly billing is cheaper where a vendor offers it. The plans also differ in what they include, so don't judge on price alone.

Where Otto fits, and where it does not

Otto fits if you want to keep your Outlook address and add an assistant that waits for your approval, with your Outlook calendar and Microsoft To Do next to the mail, and Gmail in the same app if you use it.

It doesn't fit if you want a new address or provider, a native Windows or Mac app, or accounts other than Gmail and Outlook. It doesn't connect iCloud or Yahoo accounts, or generic IMAP. Folders and search follow Outlook's own rules, so some bulk actions behave differently from Gmail.

Side by side: Otto vs Outlook and Copilot. There's also a roundup of Outlook alternatives. To see how the pieces fit together, read email with a calendar and tasks in one app.

What to test before you switch

We'd connect one Outlook account and run an ordinary week. Check that your folders and rules look the way you expect, and that the calendar shows every meeting you have. Check, too, that your work account is allowed to connect at all, since some organizations need an administrator to approve a new app first.

Your mail never moves, so you can go back to Outlook in the same minute.

How we checked this

Last reviewed 2 November 2026. We read Microsoft's account guide and Copilot FAQ, Google's account guide, Apple's account guide, Spark's pricing page and home page, Shortwave's provider guide, Mimestream's home page, and Proton's Mail page. Otto is our product, so take what we say about it with that in mind. Nobody paid to be here and there are no affiliate links. We read each product's own pages on 2 November 2026 and didn't run a head-to-head test. Plans and limits change, so check the linked pages before you pay.