The Microsoft Outlook Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Microsoft Outlook in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Microsoft Outlook
The Insider’s Guide
Microsoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from Microsoft Outlook’s own pages.
Made by Microsoft · checked Oct 9, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02Insider tipsWhat most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
- 03What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 04What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 05Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 06After you payGetting your money back, getting out, and getting help
- 07The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 08Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 09About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Microsoft Outlook’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Microsoft Outlook’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 9, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.6
GPA, above 51 of the 51 other email apps we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 10 things to know about Microsoft Outlook, taken from its own pages and our grades.
If inbox ads would bother you, look elsewhere.
- 1
Best for all your inboxes and a calendar in one app
Outlook is Microsoft's mail and calendar app, free on web, Windows, Mac and phones, and it takes Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and work accounts too.
- 2
Paid plans start at $1.67 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic).
- 3
There is 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.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
Refunds: 30 days
Outlook's paid plans are Microsoft 365 subscriptions, so Microsoft's account-wide policy applies: 30 days to change your mind, and once per product it will hand back a renewal charge too if you cancel within 30 days of being billed. You cancel yourself in your account dashboard, and the Outlook.com mailbox stays for free afterwards.
- 9
A 3.6 GPA, above 51 of 51
That is against the other email apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 10
Keep it
To replace Microsoft Outlook you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Microsoft Outlook at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- One-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 business plans, credit card required; Personal and Family also offer a free trial
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Microsoft
- Category
- Email Apps
- Our grade
- 3.6 GPA, excellent
- Store rating
- 4.8 on the App Store, 9,298,244 ratings
The report card
Best for all your inboxes and a calendar in one app
Outlook is Microsoft's mail and calendar app, free on web, Windows, Mac and phones, and it takes Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and work accounts too. The free inbox shows ads until you pay $1.99 a month, Windows has a new and a classic Outlook that do different things, the phone app can't set rules, and there's no Linux app. If inbox ads would bother you, look elsewhere.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Microsoft 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 | B | A 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 | B | Focused 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 | A | 4.79 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 | A | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Microsoft Outlook is for
- 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
Who it is not for
- 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
Good to know
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 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.
What people say
- 4.8on the App Store, from 9,298,244 ratings
What they like
- 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.
- 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.
What they don’t
- 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.
- Several commenters say desktop Outlook has been neglected in recent years, and two of them single out the Mac version.
- Spam filtering draws complaints, from junk that keeps reaching the inbox to Microsoft's own messages being marked as spam.
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
Part 02 · Tips
Insider tips
What most people miss: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches
7
Things most people miss, each from its own help pages
The things about Microsoft Outlook that are easy to miss until they cost you: ways to pay less, settings worth changing and the catches at renewal or when you leave. Each one is from Microsoft Outlook’s own pages, linked beside it.
Read on Oct 17, 2026. Read from Microsoft's support pages on storage, subscription expiry, refunds, account activity, Outlook keyboard shortcuts, ads and linking accounts on 17 October 2026. Not tried out: these tips are what its own pages say.
- 1
Renewal
Let your subscription lapse and new mail can bounce back to senders
When Microsoft 365 ends, your cloud storage drops back to the free 5 GB. Microsoft's help page says that once you're over either your cloud or your mailbox limit you can't send or receive email, and incoming mail is returned to the sender. Clear space before the plan runs out.
support.microsoft.com - 2
Renewal
Cancel within 30 days of a renewal charge to get it back, once
Microsoft's refund policy says you're entitled to a refund of your latest recurring charge if you cancel within 30 days of paying. That's one time per account, per product. In the US there are no part refunds on Basic, Personal or Family, so after that you just keep it until the period ends.
support.microsoft.com - 3
Leaving
Sign in once every two years or the free account can be closed
Microsoft's activity policy says you have to sign in to your Microsoft account at least once in any two-year stretch to keep it. An active subscription or an unspent gift card balance also keeps it open. Got an old Hotmail address you want to hang on to? Sign in now and then.
support.microsoft.com - 4
Shortcut
Coming from Gmail? Switch Outlook's shortcuts to Gmail's
In Outlook.com and Outlook on the web, go to Settings → General → Accessibility and pick a shortcut set under Keyboard shortcuts: Outlook, Outlook.com, Gmail or Yahoo Mail. You can turn them off too. Shift+? shows the list for whichever set you chose.
support.microsoft.com - 5
Privacy
Turn off personalised ads in Advertising Preferences
On a free inbox, Settings → General → Advertising Preferences controls how Microsoft picks your ads (Settings → Privacy Settings on the phone apps). In some regions Outlook can also read which brands email you to guess where you shop, if you opt in. You'll still see ads, just less targeted ones.
support.microsoft.com - 6
Setting
Still seeing ads after paying? Add the address that holds the plan
The ad-free perk belongs to the Microsoft account that bought Microsoft 365. Microsoft's help page says that if you're paying and still see ads, check that the Outlook.com address tied to the subscription is added to the Outlook app you're reading in, not just your other accounts.
support.microsoft.com - 7
Easy to miss
Copilot can work on a Gmail address in new Outlook for Windows
If your Microsoft 365 Personal, Family or Premium plan sits on a Microsoft account that uses your Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud address, new Outlook for Windows can link the two. Go to Accounts → Your accounts → Manage → Add Account. The option only shows when the addresses match.
support.microsoft.com
Part 03 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$1.67
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Microsoft Outlook has a free plan. Paid plans start at $1.99 per month, or $19.99 per year (Microsoft 365 Basic).
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.
The 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.
Trying it first
One-month free trial of the Microsoft 365 business plans, credit card required; Personal and Family also offer a free trial
Read from microsoft.com on Oct 9, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on microsoft.comEducation
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.
Stated on microsoft.comNonprofit
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.
Stated on microsoft.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Microsoft 365 Basic”, against $1.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺51,99 | $1.06 | 47% less |
| Canada | $1.99 | $1.40 | 30% less |
| India | ₹ 149 | $1.54 | 23% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 29ribu | $1.62 | 18% less |
| Germany | 1,99 € | $2.23 | 12% more |
| South Africa | R39.00 | $2.36 | 19% more |
| Brazil | R$ 11,90 | $2.38 | 19% more |
| United Kingdom | £1.99 | $2.63 | 32% more |
Part 04 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
5
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, iOS and Android
Microsoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, tasks, calendar, email client, inbox filtering.
Focused Inbox, Sweep, snooze, a calendar, contacts and to-do lists in one window, parcel and flight tracking, Office files from the inbox.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Microsoft Teams
- OneDrive
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
- Gmail
- Yahoo Mail
- iCloud
Microsoft Outlook is made by Microsoft.
Part 05 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
51/51
Other email apps it is graded above
Microsoft Outlook's GPA of 3.6 is higher than 51 of the 51 other email apps we grade.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 48 of 51) and worst on features (B, above 30).
Its paid plans start at $1.67 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 5 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 52 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Microsoft Outlook’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 41 of 51
- BFree plan and trialAbove 37 of 51
- BFeaturesAbove 30 of 51
- AEase of useAbove 48 of 51
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 41 of 51
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 50 email apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Microsoft Outlook is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Microsoft Outlook you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.6 is higher than 51 of the 51 other email apps we grade. It costs $19.99 a year.
What you could make
- Calendar and tasks: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- Filters that read every message as it arrives.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft Teams, OneDrive and Word among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Microsoft Outlook’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 06 · Refunds
After you pay
Getting your money back, getting out, and getting help
What happens once you have paid: whether you can get your money back, how to leave, and how to reach a person when something goes wrong. Each is graded from Microsoft Outlook’s own terms and help pages.
Refunds and cancelling
Excellent · checked Oct 18, 2026
Outlook's paid plans are Microsoft 365 subscriptions, so Microsoft's account-wide policy applies: 30 days to change your mind, and once per product it will hand back a renewal charge too if you cancel within 30 days of being billed. You cancel yourself in your account dashboard, and the Outlook.com mailbox stays for free afterwards. Business plans are tighter, which is what the watch list is for.
- Refund window
- 30 days
- How you cancel
- Yourself, in settings
- Getting your money back
Microsoft says a subscription bought directly from it may be refunded within 30 days of the initial purchase or before the first recurring billing date, whichever is sooner, by cancelling. It adds a right to a refund of the most recent recurring charge if you cancel within 30 days of that payment, once per Microsoft account per subscription product. Prorated refunds are offered only in a listed set of countries.
Stated on support.microsoft.com- How to cancel Microsoft Outlook
For a home subscription you sign in to the Microsoft account dashboard, open Services & subscriptions and select Cancel subscription; the page says eligibility for a refund is worked out during the cancellation. A business subscription is cancelled by an admin in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Purchases made through Google Play, the Apple App Store or a retailer are handled by that seller.
- Go to the Microsoft account dashboard and sign in with the account that bought the subscription
- Open Services & subscriptions and find the Microsoft 365 subscription
- Select Cancel subscription (the link may read Upgrade or Cancel)
- Read the Please review section at the top of the cancel page
- Select I don't want my subscription to go ahead, or I want to keep my benefits to stop
- What you keep afterwards
Microsoft says the storage allowance reverts to 5 GB of cloud storage, covering OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments, plus 15 GB of Outlook.com storage, and that everyone sharing a Family subscription is reduced too. Anyone over the free allowance cannot upload, edit or sync new files and cannot send or receive email in Outlook.com, and Microsoft says it may delete a OneDrive and all files in it after six months.
Stated on support.microsoft.com- Renewals
Subscriptions renew until recurring billing is turned off: the cancel article says a subscription that offers Turn on recurring billing instead of Cancel is already set to expire on the date shown. None of the pages read promises a reminder before a renewal. The refund policy adds that one recurring charge per product can be refunded if you cancel within 30 days of it.
Stated on support.microsoft.com
In your favour
- Thirty days to change your mind on a home plan, written down as policy rather than hinted at.
- Charged for a renewal you forgot about? Cancel within 30 days and that charge can come back, once per product.
- You cancel in your own account dashboard in a handful of clicks, with nobody to write to.
- The Outlook.com mailbox itself is free, so you keep your email and 15 GB after the subscription ends.
Watch out for
- Business subscriptions get seven days, not 30; after that you can only switch off the renewal and wait out the term.
- Go over the free storage after cancelling and Outlook.com stops sending and receiving mail until you are back under it.
- Microsoft says a OneDrive over the free allowance may be deleted, with everything in it, after six months.
- Bought it through the App Store, Google Play or a retailer? They decide the refund, not Microsoft.
Customer support
Excellent · checked Oct 18, 2026
You can get to a person. The contact page says live chat with a Microsoft specialist is among the options once you pick a product, and business admins can use the phone as well. Microsoft states its business hours too: technical support in English around the clock, billing support 9 to 5 on weekdays. Add one of the largest help libraries on the web and that is an A.
Ways to get help
Live chat
The contact page says that after you sign in and choose a product it shows self-help options first, and that more help is available if you need it, including live chat with a Microsoft specialist.
Stated on support.microsoft.comPhone
Microsoft's admin documentation describes phone support for Microsoft 365 for business, with a global list of numbers by country and a PIN-based verification step if you call from a number not registered to the organisation.
Stated on learn.microsoft.comContact form or ticket
An admin of a business subscription opens a service request in the Microsoft 365 admin center, chooses to be contacted by phone or email, and is shown the expected wait time in the Contact support pane. The contact page says this service is free.
Stated on learn.microsoft.comHelp centre
Outlook help and learning, part of Microsoft Support, with articles on the app, accounts and billing, readable by anyone without signing in, including the pages on cancelling and refunds.
Stated on support.microsoft.comCommunity or forum
Microsoft Q&A, the company's public question and answer site for its products, which anyone can read and post to. The contact page also links community forums.
Stated on learn.microsoft.com
- When people answer
For Microsoft 365 for business, Microsoft says technical support is provided in English 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and in some cases in local languages, while billing support in most countries is provided in English from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. No hours are stated for home subscriptions.
Stated on learn.microsoft.com- How fast it says it replies
Its pages do not say.
- What depends on your plan
The contact page splits home accounts from business ones: home users get support in the browser, while business support runs through the Microsoft 365 admin center and is meant for admins, with a self-help route for other users. Business Assist, advice from small-business specialists, is a separate subscription you sign up for.
Stated on support.microsoft.com
In your favour
- A real person is reachable by chat, and business customers can use the phone too.
- Microsoft states its business hours in writing: technical help around the clock, billing on weekdays.
- The help centre is huge, free to read without an account, and covers cancelling and refunds properly.
- Opening a service request from the business admin centre costs nothing extra.
Watch out for
- No hours and no reply time are stated for home plans like Personal and Family.
- Business support goes through the admin centre, so an ordinary user of a work account is sent to self-help.
- You have to sign in before the contact page will show you which options you get.
- Business Assist is something you subscribe to, not part of the support your plan already includes.
What these two grades rest on. Read on 18 October 2026: Microsoft's pages on cancelling a Microsoft 365 subscription and its subscription refund policy, its documentation on cancelling a business subscription and on getting support, its contact page, the Outlook help centre and Microsoft Q&A. Outlook's paid plans are Microsoft 365 subscriptions, so this is Microsoft's account-wide policy. Nobody here cancelled a plan or contacted its support. They are graded apart from the five that make the GPA. How we grade refunds and support.
Part 07 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Gmail, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, eM Client and Spark Mail
The 5 tools Microsoft Outlook is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Gmail
Free plan · from $7/mo
Google's email service, free for personal use with 15 GB of storage.
- Only Microsoft Outlook lists Windows and macOS apps.
- Microsoft Outlook also covers tasks and calendar.
- 3.2GPA
Thunderbird
Free
Free, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android.
- Only Microsoft Outlook lists a web app.
- Only Microsoft Outlook lists an iOS app.
- Only Thunderbird lists a Linux app.
- 3.0GPA
Apple Mail
Free plan · from $0.99/mo
Free built-in email app for iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Only Microsoft Outlook lists Windows and Android apps.
- Microsoft Outlook also covers tasks and calendar.
- 2.6GPA
eM Client
Free plan · from $49.95/yr
Desktop email client for Windows and Mac with calendar and chat.
- Only Microsoft Outlook lists a web app.
- eM Client can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Microsoft Outlook also covers inbox filtering.
- 3.0GPA
Spark Mail
Free plan · from $8.25/mo
Email client with a unified smart inbox, AI tools and team features.
- Only Microsoft Outlook lists a web app.
- Microsoft Outlook also covers tasks and inbox filtering.
- Spark Mail also covers meeting notes, templates and shared inbox.
Part 08 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
20
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
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.
How much does Microsoft Outlook cost?
Microsoft Outlook lists 6 plans. Outlook: $0.
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.
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.
Does Microsoft Outlook have a Linux app?
No Linux app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 9, 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 9, 2026.
What does Microsoft Outlook integrate with?
Microsoft Outlook's listing names Microsoft Teams, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Gmail, Yahoo Mail and iCloud.
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.
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.
Does Microsoft Outlook give refunds?
Microsoft says a subscription bought directly from it may be refunded within 30 days of the initial purchase or before the first recurring billing date, whichever is sooner, by cancelling.
How do I cancel Microsoft Outlook?
For a home subscription you sign in to the Microsoft account dashboard, open Services & subscriptions and select Cancel subscription; the page says eligibility for a refund is worked out during the cancellation.
What happens to my data if I cancel Microsoft Outlook?
Microsoft says the storage allowance reverts to 5 GB of cloud storage, covering OneDrive and Outlook.com attachments, plus 15 GB of Outlook.com storage, and that everyone sharing a Family subscription is reduced too.
How do I contact Microsoft Outlook support?
Microsoft Outlook's pages list these ways to get help: live chat, phone, contact form or ticket, help centre and community or forum.
How does Microsoft Outlook compare with other email apps?
Microsoft Outlook's GPA of 3.6 is higher than 51 of the 51 other email apps we grade.
Is Microsoft Outlook good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Microsoft Outlook A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $1.67 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 5 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Microsoft Outlook?
To replace Microsoft Outlook you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Microsoft Outlook’s own pages on Oct 9, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Based on Microsoft's Outlook product and plans page, its business plans page and Outlook help pages as of 9 October 2026, its App Store reviews and Hacker News threads about it. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-06-01.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices change, so check microsoft.com before you buy.
- 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
- support.microsoft.com/en-us/onedrive/microsoft-storage-quotas
Part 09 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Microsoft Outlook, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-outlook
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Microsoft Outlook: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 9, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-outlook
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/microsoft-outlook/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after Microsoft Outlook, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 52 email apps we grade, compared
- BlueMail Insider's GuideCross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI3.2 GPA
- Thunderbird Insider's GuideFree, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android3.2 GPA
- Unroll.Me Insider's GuideFree tool to block or roll up subscription emails3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Microsoft Outlook’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Microsoft Outlook is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Microsoft. Prices and plans change: check microsoft.com before you buy.