Apple Mail vs Mimestream

Apple Mail

• iPhone, iPad and Mac owners who want a mail app at no cost
• Reading iCloud, Gmail, Exchange and Yahoo mail in one inbox
• People who want protection from email tracking built in

Mimestream

• Mac users whose email lives in Gmail or Google Workspace
• People with several Gmail accounts who want one unified inbox
• Households: an Individual license can be shared with immediate family

Apple Mail

• The app is listed only for Apple devices. Elsewhere, iCloud Mail is reached in a browser at iCloud.com, which Apple describes for iCloud Mail accounts, or in Outlook on Windows.
• iCloud Mail counts against iCloud storage, 5 GB on the free tier. When it runs out, the iCloud address stops receiving new mail until space is freed or bought.
• Hide My Email and Custom Email Domain need iCloud+, and Apple notes that Custom Email Domain is not available in all countries or regions.
• Priority Messages, summaries and Writing Tools depend on Apple Intelligence, which Apple labels a beta and limits to certain languages and regions.

Mimestream

• Mac only: it requires macOS 12 Monterey or newer, and the site lists no iOS, Windows or web version.
• Built for Gmail accounts; the site does not mention support for other email providers.
• Subscription only, with no one-time purchase, and an active subscription is required to keep using the app.
• A license covers up to 5 devices, and monthly plans are not refundable.

Apple Mail

Every account in one inbox

Add iCloud, Gmail, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook and other accounts, then read them in a single inbox or one mailbox at a time, with filters for unread or flagged messages.

Automatic categories

Mail sorts incoming messages into Primary, Transactions, Updates and Promotions, which keeps receipts and marketing email out of the main list.

Priority Messages and summaries

With Apple Intelligence, urgent messages are shown in a section at the top of the inbox, messages and threads can be summarized, and Smart Reply drafts quick responses.

Send later, snooze and unsend

Schedule a message to send later, snooze one to come back to, or unsend it. On Mac, Mail can also remind you about messages that got no response.

Mail Privacy Protection

Hides your IP address from senders and downloads remote content privately in the background, so senders cannot tell whether or when a message was opened.

Hide My Email and custom domains

With iCloud+, send from unique, random addresses that forward to your real one, and use a domain you own with iCloud Mail, shared with up to five other people.

Mimestream

Gmail features in a Mac app

Powered by the Gmail API, so inbox categories, color-coded labels and Gmail-backed search behave the way they do in Gmail.

Server-side filters and vacation replies

Create and edit Gmail filters and vacation responses from inside the app instead of going to Gmail's web settings.

Multiple accounts and unified inbox

Add all of your Gmail accounts, combine them in an optional unified inbox and send from any configured Gmail alias.

Tracking prevention

Blocks email trackers from more than 75 common services.

Templates, snooze and undo send

Pre-written templates with variables, snoozing a message to return later, send and archive in one step, and reopening a draft after sending.

macOS integration

Dark mode, keyboard shortcuts, system notifications, swipe gestures, a menu bar extra, image markup and Apple silicon optimization.

Apple Mail

• Mail$0

  The Mail app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision, plus iCloud Mail within the 5 GB of free iCloud storage.

• iCloud+ 50 GB$0.99

  per month

  50 GB of iCloud storage, which iCloud Mail counts against, plus Hide My Email and Custom Email Domain.

• iCloud+ 200 GB$2.99

  per month

  200 GB of iCloud storage with the same Hide My Email and Custom Email Domain features.

• iCloud+ 2 TB$9.99

  per month

  2 TB of iCloud storage with the same mail features. Apple also sells 6 TB at $29.99 and 12 TB at $59.99 per month.

Mimestream

• Individual$49.99

  per year, or $4.99 billed monthly

  All of your Google accounts on up to 5 devices, with free sharing for immediate family in the same household.

• Group$49.99

  per seat / year, or $4.99 per seat billed monthly

  Everything in Individual, plus centralized billing and seat management for teams and organizations.

Apple Mail

No public discounts listed.

Mimestream

• Annual discount

  About 17% less with annual billing

  The annual plan is $49.99 a year, against $4.99 a month ($59.88 over twelve months) on monthly billing. Annual plans can also be refunded within 30 days.