Apple Mail vs Spark Mail
We give Apple Mail a 3.4 GPA and Spark Mail a 3.8, out of 4.0. Apple Mail grades higher on value for money. Spark Mail grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Apple Mail
Free built-in email app for iPhone, iPad and Mac
Spark Mail
Email client with a unified smart inbox, AI tools and team features
How we grade them
| 3.4GPAApple MailVery good | 3.8GPASpark MailExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AThe app costs nothing. iCloud+ at $0.99 a month adds 50 GB, throwaway addresses and email at your own domain, shared with up to five other people. Proton wants $3.99 for a plan with one custom domain. | BPlus is $8.25 a user a month billed annually, which is $99 a year, or $10 monthly. That's about what paid email apps usually start at, and it adds Gatekeeper, Priority and the AI tools. Shared inboxes need Pro at $16.58. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole app is free, and it reads Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and Exchange accounts as well as iCloud. The tight spot is an iCloud address, which shares 5 GB with the rest of your iCloud. | AUnlimited email accounts in one Smart Inbox, with snooze, send later, reminders and a calendar, free for good. Most people could stop here. The AI on Free is only a taster: 5 meeting notes in total, and 1 month of history for the AI Assistant. |
| Features | BCategories, snooze, send later, unsend, VIPs and tracker blocking are all built in. But it's a plain mail app next to Outlook. One reviewer notes rules only live on the Mac, and the AI summaries hang on Apple Intelligence, which is still a beta. | AA unified inbox that separates personal mail from newsletters, Gatekeeper to screen new senders, AI that drafts, summarizes and translates, and a built-in calendar. Teams can share a thread, comment on it privately and write the reply together. |
| Ease of use | A4.6 from about 4.5 million App Store ratings. It's already on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, so there's nothing to download. Add your Gmail or Outlook account and your mail turns up. | A4.6 from about 82,600 App Store ratings. Add your accounts and the Smart Inbox does the sorting for you. Snooze and send later are there from the start, on the free plan. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision, and that's where it ends. No Windows app, no Android app. An iCloud address can be read at iCloud.com or in Outlook on Windows, but that's not this app. | AMac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and it takes Google, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and IMAP accounts. Paid plans plug into Todoist, Asana, Trello, Notion and Slack. There's no web version and nothing for Linux, mind. |
| Best for | everyday email if all your devices are Apple | one inbox for all your email accounts |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Apple Mail and Spark Mail. How we grade
Where they differ
- Apple Mail starts at $0.99 per month (iCloud+ with 50 GB). Spark Mail starts at $8.25 per user / month, billed annually ($99 / year).
- Only Apple Mail lists a web app.
- Only Spark Mail lists Windows and Android apps.
- Apple Mail also covers inbox filtering.
- Spark Mail also covers meeting notes, templates, calendar and shared inbox.
At a glance
| Apple Mail | Spark Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $0.99 per month (iCloud+ with 50 GB) | $8.25 per user / month, billed annually ($99 / year) |
| Free plan | The Mail app is free on Apple devices and works with iCloud, Gmail, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook and other accounts. An iCloud Mail address draws on the 5 GB of free iCloud storage. | Unlimited email accounts in a unified Smart Inbox with snooze, send later, reminders and calendar, plus 5 AI meeting notes in total and an AI Assistant preview limited to 1 month of email history. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of Plus and Pro when you subscribe directly in the app |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Apple Inc. | Spark Mail Limited |
| Price read from | support.apple.com | sparkmailapp.com |
| Checked | Oct 9, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Spark Mail
- People juggling several email accounts across desktop and phone
- Individuals who want a free client with a unified inbox and send later
- Small teams that want to comment on emails and draft replies together
Worth knowing
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.
Spark Mail
- The vendor lists apps for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android only; there is no web or Linux version.
- Gatekeeper, Priority, Spark +AI and third-party integrations require Plus or higher.
- Shared inboxes, read statuses and the HubSpot integration are limited to Pro and Enterprise.
- The free plan's AI is a limited preview: 5 meeting notes in total and 1 month of email history for the AI Assistant.
Key features
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.
Spark Mail
- Smart Inbox and unified inbox
- Brings every connected account into one inbox and separates priority mail from newsletters and notifications. Included in the free plan.
- Gatekeeper and Priority
- Gatekeeper lets you accept or block new senders before they land in the inbox, and Priority highlights chosen senders. Both are part of Plus and above.
- Spark +AI and AI Assistant
- +AI drafts, proofreads, summarizes and translates email. The AI Assistant answers questions about your mail, reaching back 1 month on Free, 1 year on Plus and without limit on Pro.
- Snooze, Send Later and reminders
- Snooze a message, set it aside, schedule a send or get a follow-up reminder. These scheduling tools are in the free plan.
- Team collaboration
- Share a thread with teammates, discuss it in private comments and write drafts together in real time. Shared inboxes for addresses such as support@ need Pro.
- Calendar and AI meeting notes
- A built-in calendar can add Zoom, GoTo or Microsoft Teams call links. AI meeting notes are capped at 5 in total on Free and 40 a month on Plus, and unlimited on Pro.
Plans
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.
Spark Mail
Free$0
Unlimited accounts, Smart Inbox, unified inbox, snooze, send later, reminders, calendar and 5 lifetime AI meeting notes.
Plus$8.25
per user / month, billed annually ($99); $10 billed monthly
Adds Gatekeeper, Priority, Spark +AI, the AI Assistant with 1 year of history, 40 AI meeting notes a month, integrations and team collaboration.
Pro$16.58
per user / month, billed annually ($199); $20 billed monthly
Everything in Plus, plus shared inboxes, read statuses, unlimited AI meeting notes, HubSpot integration and Spark CLI triage access.
EnterpriseCustom
Everything in Pro, plus security and controls, a dedicated success manager and 1:1 productivity coaching.
Ways to pay less
Apple Mail
- By country
iCloud+ is priced by country or region
Apple lists a monthly iCloud+ price for each country or region. On October 9, 2026 the 50 GB plan was $0.99 in the United States and Rs 75 in India, and the 2 TB plan $9.99 and Rs 749.
Spark Mail
- Annual discount
Save 17% with annual billing
The pricing page shows Plus at $99 a year instead of $120 and Pro at $199 a year instead of $240 when billed annually, a 17% saving over paying monthly.
