MailMate vs Mimestream

MailMate

• Mac users who prefer writing email in plain text or Markdown
• People who want to run their inbox from the keyboard
• Building detailed smart mailboxes and saved searches

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

MailMate

• It runs on macOS only and connects to email through IMAP accounts.
• The composer is plain text only: formatting comes from Markdown rather than from toolbar buttons.
• The recommended download is a 2.0 beta that needs macOS 10.12 or later; the last public release is more than 4 years old.
• Businesses are required to stay in Paid Mode, and the subscription does not guarantee a reply to support emails.

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.

MailMate

Markdown composing

Emails are written in a plain text editor. Optional Markdown is converted to HTML for lists, tables, code segments and inline images, with a preview of what recipients will see.

Keyboard control

The app is designed to be driven from the keyboard, with shortcuts for searching, moving messages to a mailbox and tagging, and support for custom key bindings.

Smart mailboxes and search

Smart mailboxes are built from conditions on any message header, with nested All/Any rules, and any search can be saved as one. Clicking a name or subject runs a related search.

OpenPGP and S/MIME

Messages can be encrypted and signed with either OpenPGP or S/MIME from within the client.

Bundles for other apps

Bundles connect MailMate to third-party task managers, calendar managers and external text editors. They are fetched and updated separately from the app itself.

Alternative layouts

Besides the standard view there is a widescreen layout, a Correspondence layout showing related messages, a Statistics layout that counts header values, and Thread Arcs.

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.

MailMate

• Paid Mode$10

  every 3 months, plus any VAT

  The MailMate Development subscription issues the license key and pays for ongoing development. All features are included, and business use requires it.

• Free Mode$0

  After a subscription ends, all features keep working for non-business use, and outgoing mail is labelled "MailMate Free Mode" in its headers.

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.

MailMate

• Nonprofit

  Non-profit use can stay in Free Mode

  The pricing page says non-profit use does not require Paid Mode, so the subscription can be cancelled and MailMate keeps all of its features in Free Mode.

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.