Aqua Mail vs Nine (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Aqua Mail if

• Fits if you read three or four mailboxes from different providers on your phone
• Works for people who would sooner pay once than every month

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a desktop or web app too, as it's phones only
• Tight if you stay free: one account, with ads and only part of the features
• Pricey if you go monthly, at $9.99 a month
• Watch out: the $1 first-term offer renews at $9.99 a month
• Watch out: the pricing page loads prices with JavaScript, so the yearly view is not on record

Pick Nine if

• Fits if your work mailbox runs on Exchange or Office 365 and you read it on a phone
• Works for people who want to pay once for a mail app

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want calendar and tasks from an IMAP mailbox, as those need ActiveSync
• Skip it if you need a desktop or web app too
• Watch out: the price comes from the Google Play listing, which also shows in-app purchases
• Watch out: Nine Work, the enterprise edition, was Android-only, with iOS described as coming
• Watch out: Play lists a different developer name from the vendor site

Aqua Mail

• The free version is limited to one account and shows ads.
• The pricing page loads prices with JavaScript; a Yearly toggle exists that was not captured, so only the monthly view is recorded.
• The $1 first-term offer renews at $9.99 a month, per the page's footnote.
• Phone apps only; no desktop client is listed.

Nine

• IMAP accounts sync email only; calendar, contacts, tasks and notes need ActiveSync.
• The price comes from the app's Google Play listing, whose wording may be out of date, and the listing also shows in-app purchases.
• Nine Work, the enterprise edition, was Android-only with iOS products described as coming.
• Play lists NextIntelligence.ai as the developer, while the vendor site is branded JiranSoft.

Aqua Mail

Many accounts, one inbox

Supports unlimited accounts on paid plans, covering major providers and manually entered IMAP or POP3 servers.

Privacy approach

The vendor says the app is not cloud based and does not store passwords or emails on its servers.

Customization

The site advertises hundreds of settings for personalizing the mail experience, such as color-coding accounts.

Scheduled backups

The vendor's blog covers scheduled backups so messages are not lost if an account or phone changes.

Android and iOS

Download buttons for both platforms are on the site, and the app lists in-app purchases on Google Play.

Nine

Exchange ActiveSync

Direct Push sync with Exchange Server 2003 SP2 through 2019, Office 365 and Exchange Online, with modern authentication for Office 365.

Email, calendar, contacts and tasks

Calendar and contacts tie into the phone's stock apps, with task and notes sync on supported Exchange versions.

Security features

The listing names S/MIME, client certificates, IRM, SSL and a global address list for corporate accounts.

Device-only data

The listing says Nine has no server for user data, connecting directly to the user's server and storing data on the device.

Widgets and folder push

Widgets for unread count, shortcuts, email list, tasks and calendar agenda, plus per-folder push notifications.

Aqua Mail

• Free$0

  One account, with ads and limited access to features.

• Premium$9.99

  per month

  Unlimited accounts, no ads and full access; the page also offers a first-term promotion.

• Family$1.99

  per user / month, billed annually ($144 a year)

  For up to 6 users; unlimited accounts, no ads and full access.

• One-off$99.99

  one-time

  Unlimited accounts, no ads and full access; shown with $199 crossed out.

Nine

• Nine license$14.99

  one-time per license

  Full app after a 2-week trial, as stated on the Google Play listing.

Aqua Mail

• Other savings

  First term for $1, 80% off Premium

  The pricing page promotes Aqua Mail for only $1 with the footnote that it renews at $9.99 a month, cancel anytime.

Nine

No public discounts listed.