Mailspring vs Microsoft Outlook

Mailspring

• Linux users who want a modern desktop email client
• People who want a free client with unlimited accounts
• Anyone who wants read receipts and link tracking built into email

Microsoft Outlook

• People who want mail, calendar and contacts from several accounts in one app
• Organizations already paying for Microsoft 365 and Exchange email
• Windows users: Microsoft says Outlook is included free with Windows

Mailspring

• There is no iOS, Android or web version; the docs say the team is focused on the desktop app.
• Exchange (EWS and ActiveSync) and POP3 are not supported. Microsoft 365 accounts connect over IMAP and SMTP.
• The calendar is a read-only preview for Google accounts; a full calendar is described as coming later.
• No one-time or lifetime license is offered, and Pro does not include premium support.

Microsoft Outlook

• Free accounts show ads in the inbox; a Microsoft 365 Basic, Personal or Family subscription removes them.
• Business Basic includes only the web and mobile versions of Outlook. Business Standard with Copilot, at $23.50 per user / month, adds the desktop apps.
• 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.

Mailspring

Unified inbox

One inbox for Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, Fastmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo and other IMAP accounts. The free version puts no limit on the number of accounts.

Advanced search

Mailspring indexes mail so that Gmail-style search queries can look through message contents across every connected account.

Read receipts and link tracking

Notifies you when a recipient opens a message or clicks a link. A free Mailspring ID can track 5 messages a week of each kind, and Pro is unlimited.

Send later, snooze and reminders

Schedule a message, snooze a conversation, or get a reminder when nobody replies. The free allowance is 5 send-later messages, 5 reminders and 15 snoozes a week.

Translation and grammar check

Translates drafts and incoming messages and checks grammar in the composer with LanguageTool. Both have weekly caps, which are higher on Pro.

Open source with direct sync

The full codebase is published under the MIT license. Mail syncs over IMAP straight from the provider to your machine, not through Mailspring's servers.

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.

Mailspring

• Free$0

  Complete email client with unlimited accounts and a unified inbox. Weekly allowances of Pro features: 15 snoozes, 5 send-later messages and 5 tracked messages.

• Mailspring Pro$8

  per month, or $85 per year

  Unlimited snooze, send later, follow-up reminders, read receipts and link tracking, plus higher caps on translation, grammar check and contact profiles.

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, with 1 TB of cloud storage each. 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.

Mailspring

• Annual discount

  11% off with annual billing

  Mailspring Pro is billed monthly at $8 by default. The subscription docs list an annual plan at $85 a year, which they describe as an 11% discount.

• Other savings

  Multi-seat discounts for teams

  The subscription docs say discounts on multi-seat licenses and annual team plans are available by contacting Foundry376's sales address.

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.