Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web
Our verdict
First of our top three email apps
For: Most people
Outlook is free with an Outlook.com address and runs on the web, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. The same app also takes Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and work or school accounts, and keeps email, calendar, contacts and to-do lists in one view. The free plan has 15 GB of mailbox storage, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 from about 9.3 million ratings. Know the limits: the free inbox shows ads, which Microsoft 365 Basic removes for $1.99 a month or $19.99 a year, no Linux app is listed, and on home plans Copilot in Outlook works only with Microsoft's own addresses, such as outlook.com and hotmail.com.
See all three and how we rankWhat is Microsoft Outlook?
Outlook is Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts app for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the web. It is free with an Outlook.com address and also connects Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and work or school accounts in the same app. Paid plans are sold as Microsoft 365 rather than as Outlook on its own: the individual plans remove ads and raise mailbox storage, and the business plans add email at a company's own domain, hosted on Exchange.
Microsoft Outlook has a free plan. Paid plans start at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic). See every plan
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Microsoft Outlook pricing
- Starts at
- $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic)
- Free plan
- 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
- One-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 business plans, credit card required; Personal and Family also offer a free trial
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $1.99per 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 | $7.00per 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 | $9.99per 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 | $12.99per 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 | $23.50per 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. |
Read from microsoft.com on Oct 5, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Microsoft Outlook before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAbout 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.
Stated on microsoft.com - EducationStudents 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.
Stated on microsoft.com - NonprofitBusiness 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.
Stated on microsoft.com
What people say about Microsoft Outlook
4.8
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars84%
- 4 stars12%
- 3 stars2%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star<1%
9,298,244 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 7, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Often praised
- Reviewers who have used the iPhone and iPad app over several years say it has steadily improved and lets them do more from the phone than it used to. App Store reviews
- Commenters say email and calendar together on Exchange are hard to replace at work, and that other mail apps fall short for them without that support. Hacker News 1, 2, 3
Often criticised
- Reviewers say the phone app leaves out things the desktop and web versions do, such as setting up rules, making subfolders or colour-coding calendar events. App Store reviews
- Several commenters say desktop Outlook has been neglected in recent years, and two of them single out the Mac version. Hacker News 1, 2, 3
- Spam filtering draws complaints, from junk that keeps reaching the inbox to Microsoft's own messages being marked as spam. App Store reviews · Hacker News 1, 2
Based on 10 App Store reviews of the iPhone and iPad app, seven of them more than three years old, and about 20 Hacker News comments from October 2025 to September 2026, read Oct 7, 2026. These are themes summarised in our words, not our own verdict. Follow the links to read what was said.
Works with
Microsoft Outlook alternatives
- Microsoft Outlook vs Gmail
Free plan · from $7/mo
- Microsoft Outlook vs Apple Mail
Free plan · from $0.99/mo
- Microsoft Outlook vs eM Client
Free plan · from $39.95/yr
- Microsoft Outlook vs Spark Mail
Free plan · from $8.25/mo
Common questions
Is Microsoft Outlook free?
Microsoft Outlook has a free plan. 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. Paid plans start at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic).
How much does Microsoft Outlook cost?
Microsoft Outlook lists 6 plans. Outlook: $0. Microsoft 365 Basic: $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year. Business Basic: $7.00 per user / month, paid yearly ($5.40 without Teams). Microsoft 365 Personal: $9.99 per month, or $99.99 per year. Microsoft 365 Family: $12.99 per month, or $129.99 per year. Business Standard with Copilot: $23.50 per user / month, paid yearly ($20.30 without Teams). Prices were read from microsoft.com on Oct 5, 2026.
What platforms does Microsoft Outlook work on?
Microsoft Outlook is available on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Does Microsoft Outlook offer any discounts?
Microsoft Outlook publicly lists the following: About 16% lower with yearly billing; Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal; Business Basic free for eligible nonprofits.
How is Microsoft Outlook rated?
Microsoft Outlook's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9,298,244 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 7, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Is Microsoft Outlook any good?
We have not tested Microsoft Outlook, so this is what reviewers say. Often praised: Reviewers who have used the iPhone and iPad app over several years say it has steadily improved and lets them do more from the phone than it used to. Often criticised: Reviewers say the phone app leaves out things the desktop and web versions do, such as setting up rules, making subfolders or colour-coding calendar events. The reviews page has every theme with its sources.
Does Microsoft Outlook have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Microsoft Outlook is listed for Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
Is Microsoft Outlook open source?
Microsoft Outlook is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
What does Microsoft Outlook integrate with?
Microsoft Outlook's listing names Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Gmail, Yahoo Mail and iCloud. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Microsoft Outlook have a student discount?
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.
Does Microsoft Outlook have a free trial?
Yes. One-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 business plans, credit card required; Personal and Family also offer a free trial.
Who makes Microsoft Outlook?
Microsoft Outlook is made by Microsoft.
What are the alternatives to Microsoft Outlook?
The closest alternatives to Microsoft Outlook in our directory are Gmail, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, eM Client and Spark Mail. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Microsoft Outlook.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 5, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/outlook/email-and-calendar-software-microsoft-outlook
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/compare-all-microsoft-365-business-products
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/college-student-pricing
- microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/nonprofit-plans-and-pricing