Microsoft Outlook vs Yahoo Mail

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

Yahoo Mail

• People who want a free address with 20 GB of storage
• Clearing out newsletters and bulk mail quickly
• Managing Gmail, Outlook and AOL accounts from one inbox

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.

Yahoo Mail

• The free plan shows ads. Removing them needs Yahoo Mail Plus at $5 per month.
• Auto-forwarding to another account is a Plus feature, and free accounts are limited to 3 temporary addresses.
• Only Plus states that the account will not expire, or its mail be deleted, after long periods of inactivity.
• The US App Store listing shows other in-app purchases with no billing period, such as a 100GB plan at $1.99 and a 1TB plan at $9.99, which the Plus page does not describe.

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.

Yahoo Mail

Primary inbox

Puts the most important messages in a Primary tab so that newsletters and promotions stay out of the way.

AI summaries and AI compose

Summarizes long emails into key points and action items, and helps write messages in a professional, casual or friendly tone.

Planner

Turns emails into tasks and events. The mobile app gathers flights, reservations and bill due dates into one view, next to an existing Gmail calendar.

One-tap unsubscribe and delete by sender

Lists mailing-list subscriptions in one place for opting out, and bulk-deletes every message from a chosen sender.

Other accounts in the same inbox

Add Gmail, Outlook, AOL and other mailboxes and manage them from Yahoo Mail, including on the free plan.

Orders and package tracking

The mobile app shows tracking numbers and delivery updates at the top of the inbox and groups receipts and orders for later lookup.

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.

Yahoo Mail

• Standard$0

  20 GB of storage with ads. Add Gmail, Outlook or AOL accounts, see all attachments in one place and unsubscribe from mailing lists in one tap.

• Plus$5

  per month

  Ad-free mail with 200 GB of storage, up to 500 temporary addresses, auto-forwarding, an account that does not expire when inactive and 24/7 account support.

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.

Yahoo Mail

• Other savings

  Up to 20% off when bundling Yahoo Plus plans

  Buy More Save More takes 10%, 15% or 20% off the subscription fee for people who hold more than one eligible Yahoo Plus subscription, such as Yahoo Finance Plus. Terms are shown at checkout.