Foxmail vs Microsoft Outlook (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Microsoft Outlook: it is first in our ranking of email apps, and it grades higher too, 3.6 against 2.8.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Foxmail grades higher on the free plan. Microsoft Outlook grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web
Which one is for you
Pick Foxmail if
- Fits if your mail is on QQ Mail or Tencent Exmail and you want a desktop app for it
- Works for Windows or Mac users who also want a notepad synced with QQ Mail
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you use mostly Gmail or Outlook accounts, as the listing only names QQ Mail and Exmail
- Skip it if you need a phone or Linux app, as none is listed
- Watch out: some Exmail features need authorisation from the account's administrator
- Watch out: the Windows build no longer supports Windows XP
Pick Microsoft Outlook if
- Fits if you have three or four email addresses and want them in one app with your calendar
- Works for offices on Microsoft 365, where mail, calendar and Teams sit together
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if ads in your inbox would wind you up and you won't pay $1.99 a month to lose them
- Pricey if you want Copilot: it's on the $9.99 plan, and only for Microsoft addresses and the account owner
- Pricey if your business wants its own email domain and the desktop apps in one plan, at $23.50 a person
- Watch out: there's no Linux app, and on Windows the new Outlook lacks macros and old add-ins
- Too light for sorting mail on your phone, where reviewers say rules and subfolders need a computer
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFoxmailGood | 3.6GPAMicrosoft OutlookExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download for Windows and Mac. That is under 60% of the cheapest paid email tool, so it is an A for value. | AMicrosoft 365 Basic is $1.99 a month, or $19.99 a year, when the middle for this category is $8 and its lowest-priced quarter is $4. That takes the ads out and lifts your mailbox from 15 GB to 100 GB. Proton's lowest paid plan is $3.99 and stops at 15 GB. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright with no paid tier shown on the download pages. | BA free plan, not a trial: 15 GB for mail, apps for your phone and your computer, and your Gmail, Yahoo and iCloud accounts in the same place. What holds it back is the price you do pay, ads sitting in the inbox, plus a 15 GB ceiling. |
| Features | CA mail client with a notepad, calendar, large mailboxes and large attachments, working with QQ Mail and Tencent Exmail. Some Exmail features need an administrator to authorise them. | BFocused Inbox, Sweep, snooze, a calendar, contacts and to-do lists in one window, parcel and flight tracking, Office files from the inbox. The fine print keeps it off the top mark: Copilot is on the $9.99 plan and Microsoft addresses only, and Focused Inbox on Windows skips Gmail. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You install it and connect a QQ or Exmail account, so there is an account to set up. | A4.79 from about 9.3 million App Store ratings, the most ratings in this category. Computers are messier: Windows has a new Outlook and a classic one, and Microsoft keeps a help page called "What version of Outlook do I have?" |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows and Mac only. The download pages list no mobile or Linux app. | AWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, where Gmail lists no desktop app at all. It plugs into Teams, OneDrive, Word and Excel as well. No Linux app, though. |
| Best for | a free desktop app for QQ Mail and Exmail | all your inboxes and a calendar in one app |
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: Foxmail and Microsoft Outlook. How we grade
Price against what you get
Foxmail has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Microsoft Outlook starts at $1.67 a month when paid by the year and scores 3.7.
Microsoft Outlook scores higher, and starts $1.67 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than Foxmail for less, and none scores higher than Microsoft Outlook for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Foxmail also covers notes.
- Microsoft Outlook also covers tasks and inbox filtering.
At a glance
| Foxmail | Microsoft Outlook | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic) |
| Free plan | Free to download for Windows and for Mac. | Free Outlook for 1 person: email and calendar on the web, desktop and mobile apps, 15 GB of mailbox storage, 5 GB of cloud storage and core spam filtering. The free inbox shows ads. |
| Free trial | None listed | One-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 business plans, credit card required; Personal and Family also offer a free trial |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Tencent | Microsoft |
| Price read from | foxmail.com | microsoft.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Foxmail
- The download pages list Windows and Mac only; no mobile or Linux app.
- Some Exmail features need authorization from the account's administrator.
- The Windows build no longer supports Windows XP.
Microsoft Outlook
- Free accounts show ads in the inbox; a Microsoft 365 Basic, Personal or Family subscription removes them.
- Business Basic has only web and mobile Outlook. Apps for business ($10.00) adds desktop Outlook without business email; Business Standard with Copilot ($23.50) has both.
- On home plans, Copilot in Outlook currently works only with outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com and msn.com addresses, and only for the subscription owner.
- Microsoft lists Outlook for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web. No Linux app is listed.
Key features
Foxmail
- Notepad
- Notes recorded in Foxmail are kept in sync with QQ Mail on the web and on mobile.
- Tencent Exmail features
- With Exmail accounts it offers auto-configuration, a company address book, email recall and sending on behalf of others.
- Calendar
- Meeting invitations and meeting emails can be processed in the built-in calendar, per the Windows changelog.
- Large mailboxes
- The Windows page says it stays responsive with mailboxes of up to millions of messages.
- Large attachments
- The Mac page says extra-large attachments can bypass server attachment size limits, with authorization.
- QR code login
- The changelog lists logging in to QQ Mail or Exmail accounts by scanning a QR code.
Microsoft Outlook
- Several accounts in one app
- The desktop and mobile apps take Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and other mail services alongside work or school accounts, and switch between them without leaving the app.
- Focused Inbox, Sweep and snooze
- Focused Inbox and Sweep clear clutter out of the main view. Messages can be snoozed until later or flagged as important.
- Calendar, contacts and to-do lists
- Email, calendars, contacts and to-do lists sit in one view. Outlook can schedule events, set reminders, and track packages and flights on supported platforms.
- Copilot in Outlook
- Drafts a message from a prompt, adjusts tone, length and clarity, and summarizes long threads. Included with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family, with usage limits.
- Mailbox protection
- Outlook scans attachments and links for threats on Microsoft email addresses. Paid plans add mailbox encryption, checks on suspicious links and removal of dangerous attachments.
- Office files from the inbox
- Open, edit or send Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from the inbox, and attach OneDrive files as links.
Plans
Foxmail
Free$0
Free download; the Mac version is on the Mac App Store.
Microsoft Outlook
Outlook$0
For 1 person: email and calendar on web, desktop and mobile, 15 GB of mailbox storage, 5 GB of cloud storage and core spam filtering, with ads.
Microsoft 365 Basic$1.99
per month, or $19.99 per year
For 1 person: ad-free Outlook, 100 GB of mailbox storage, 100 GB of cloud storage and advanced Outlook security features.
Business Basic$7.00
per user / month, paid yearly ($5.40 without Teams)
Custom business email on Exchange for up to 300 users, with the web and mobile versions of Outlook only and 1 TB of cloud storage per user.
Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99
per month, or $99.99 per year
For 1 person on up to 5 devices at once: the Outlook desktop app with Copilot, 1 TB of cloud storage and Microsoft Defender.
Microsoft 365 Family$12.99
per month, or $129.99 per year
The Personal benefits for 1 to 6 people, who share 2 TB of cloud storage between them. AI features are for the subscription owner only.
Business Standard with Copilot$23.50
per user / month, paid yearly ($20.30 without Teams)
Adds desktop versions of Outlook and the other Office apps, plus Copilot grounded in work data. Business Premium with Copilot is $32.00.
Ways to pay less
Foxmail
No public discounts listed.
Microsoft Outlook
- Annual discount
About 16% lower with yearly billing
Paying yearly costs $19.99 for Microsoft 365 Basic, $99.99 for Personal and $129.99 for Family, against $1.99, $9.99 and $12.99 a month.
- Education
Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal
College and university students who verify their status get 50% off Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes the Outlook desktop app with Copilot. Eligibility is re-verified each year.
- Nonprofit
Business Basic free for eligible nonprofits
Microsoft lists Business Basic as a grant, free for up to 300 users. Nonprofit staff pricing is $3.50 per user / month for Business Standard and $5.50 for Business Premium, paid yearly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Foxmail or Microsoft Outlook?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Foxmail is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $1.67 a month when paid by the year for Microsoft Outlook. Foxmail is free, and Microsoft Outlook starts at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic).
Which has a free plan, Foxmail or Microsoft Outlook?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Foxmail and Microsoft Outlook have a free plan.
Which platforms do Foxmail and Microsoft Outlook run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Microsoft Outlook lists a web app and iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.