The Best Free “Standalone” Gmail App for OS X

Apple Mail has been hinky since I upgraded my older Mini to Yosemite. Almost all my email is through Gmail. So I made a project of trying all the free email apps in the App Store.

SPOILER: They all work about the same. Some have more lag than others; some have unfortunate design choices … but all require you to sign out of one Gmail account before you can access another. I.e., you already have an app for that: the browser.

I like to use a dedicated app for email (habit)—AND I’m lazy. So I’m a fan of Mailbox Lite. Its snappy and the design is well thought-out. For a 1-time fee, you can have multiple Gmail accounts open simultaneously. Other apps offer this—but Mailbox Lite uses a simple tabbed interface to switch between open acounts. That’s typical of Halfbit’s approach to UI design: they work to reduce friction for the user.

I’ve emailed with the developer, who is responsive & detailed in his replies. This is more important than is usually observed: we’re all used to dealing with faceless devs at quite a remove (if we ever do), but can you think of a designer whose products you use more frequently than an app’s? Your car, maybe—& when was the last time you had input on dashboard design with Nissan or BMW?

If you want to use Gmail in its own windowed app—& especially if you want to switch between Gmail accounts without having to sign out of Account A & then in to Account B, as in the browser—you should give Mailbox Lite a try. Hell, it’s free.

I predict you’ll like the interface & pop for the multiple-accounts feature. I did.

Flagnab about Mailbox for Gmail Lite