Ranking Email Applications: The Best to Worst

In this video, the host ranks various email applications, offering insights into their features and personal opinions on their effectiveness. Polymail is praised for its team collaboration and beautiful email crafting but is considered good with slightly higher pricing. Spike stands out for its messaging-like interface and document functionality, earning an epic status. Spark is also rated epic for its reliability, speed, and recent team features by Rebuild, a respected productivity developer. Newton is considered good, with a balance between premium and simple email applications, though it has faced instability due to past buyouts. Hey.com is another epic choice, focusing on productivity with a well-thought-out process-based email system. Airmail is categorized as 'meh' due to its lack of recent progress. Outlook is good, with continued investment making it visually appealing and functional. Missive is between epic and good, offering extensive customization and a strong collaborative experience. Lastly, Superhuman is the host's top pick, deemed epic for its speed and reliability, though it's on the higher end of pricing and best suited for those heavily invested in email communication.

Takeaways

• 📧 **Polymail**: Once popular for teams, now offers a collaborative email experience with good team connectivity and email aesthetics, though priced higher compared to some other apps.
• 🚀 **Spike**: Offers an 'epic' status for its conversational email style and recent technological advancements, with a good free plan and pro options, highly rated for reliability.
• 🌟 **Spark**: Reaches 'epic' status, developed by Rebuild, offers fast and reliable email services with added team functionalities, suitable for both simple and in-depth triage.
• 📈 **Newton**: Rated as 'good', with a well-designed interface and recent features to calm email interactions, positioned mid-range in pricing with a history of company instability.
• 🎯 **Hey**: Given 'epic' status, focuses on productivity with a process-based approach to email management, offers a free Hey.com email after a yearly subscription.
• 🤔 **Airmail**: Once a well-produced app in 2017, but has not progressed significantly since then, reliable and good for Mac users but not on the forefront currently.
• 🌐 **Outlook**: Maintains a 'good' status with continued investment in design and functionality, integrating features from the acquired Sunrise calendar app for improved personal and team productivity.
• 🔄 **Missive**: Positioned between 'epic' and 'good', known for reliability and speed, suitable for collaborative work and offering extensive customization settings.
• ⚡ **Superhuman**: The speaker's email app of choice, placed in 'epic' category for its fast, reliable service and transformative impact on email productivity, though with a higher pricing plan aimed at heavy email users.
• 🔍 **General Overview**: All mentioned email applications are solid options, each with their unique strengths and targeted user base, with a promise of a more in-depth review in the future.

Q & A

What is the current focus of Polymail according to the speaker?

Polymail is focused on providing a collaborative email experience, helping users connect with team members and enhance the process of writing emails.

What is the speaker's opinion on Spike's recent developments?

The speaker considers Spike to be in an 'epic' status due to its recent developments in interesting technologies and its conversational approach to email communication.

How does the speaker describe the functionality of Spark?

Spark is described as a reliable and fast email application with team abilities and a strong focus on personal productivity, offering both simple and in-depth triage options.

What is the speaker's view on Newton's current status?

The speaker places Newton in the 'good' category, noting its well-designed interface and recent features that promote a calm approach to email management.

How does the speaker characterize the Hey.com email application?

Hey.com is seen as an 'epic' email application that emphasizes productivity and structure, helping users manage their inbox more effectively and mindfully.

What is the speaker's opinion on Airmail?

The speaker considers Airmail to be 'meh', meaning it is reliable and good for Mac users but has not progressed significantly since 2017.

Why does the speaker rate Outlook as 'good'?

Outlook is rated as 'good' because of its beautiful design, integration of features from the Sunrise calendar application, and its effectiveness in managing both personal and team productivity.

What is the speaker's assessment of Missive?

The speaker places Missive between 'epic' and 'good', praising its reliability, speed, collaborative experience, and extensive customization options.

Which email application does the speaker use personally and why?

The speaker uses Superhuman, which they find revolutionary for their email productivity. It is fast, reliable, and offers a high-quality experience, although it is priced higher and more suited for those who heavily invest in email communication.

What is the speaker's view on the overall quality of the email applications discussed?

The speaker believes that all the email applications discussed are good and solid options in the market, each with their own strengths and features.

Does the speaker plan to do more in-depth analysis of email applications in the future?

Yes, the speaker intends to conduct a more in-depth analysis of email applications in the future, with a possible follow-up in January.

Outlines

00:00

📧 Introduction to Email Applications Review

The video script introduces a guide to ranking various email applications, offering a quick summary and the presenter's personal opinions on their features and usability. The video is sponsored by ClickUp, a project management tool, and mentions the launch of a new channel called 'Keep Productive with ClickUp'. The review starts with Polymail, an application that gained popularity for team use but has evolved into a more personal productivity tool. The presenter finds it good but not outstanding. The pricing is noted as higher compared to other options. Spike is next, an app that has gained epic status for its innovative technologies and conversational email experience, making it suitable for those who prefer a messaging interface. It is praised for its speed, especially in conversations with other Spike users. Spark is highlighted as an epic application, known for its reliability and speed, with recent team features added by its developer, Rebuild. It is recommended for both simple and in-depth email triage. Newton, where the presenter previously worked, is described as good, with a well-designed interface and new features aimed at calming email use. However, it is not placed in the epic category due to past instability from being bought and sold. Hey is another epic application, noted for its process-based approach to email and its focus on productivity, with features that help manage and categorize incoming emails effectively. Airmail is mentioned as reliable but not having progressed much since 2017. Outlook is recognized for its continued investment and beautiful design, with features like Outlook boards for personal and team productivity. Missive is placed between epic and good, praised for its reliability, speed, and extensive customization options. Lastly, Superhuman is the presenter's current email application of choice, described as revolutionary for their productivity, with a focus on speed and reliability, though it is noted as being on the higher end in terms of pricing.

05:01

🔍 Deep Dive into Personal Email Application Preferences

The presenter discusses their personal experience with each email application, starting with Hey.com, which offers a mindful approach to email management and a free email address upon payment of a yearly subscription. They mention a commitment offer where Hey.com forwards emails to Gmail indefinitely if a user decides not to continue after the first year. Airmail is described as a well-produced application from 2017 but not as advanced as current email apps. Outlook is noted for its aesthetic appeal and integration of features from the Sunrise calendar app, which Microsoft acquired. Missive is praised for its reliability, speed, and collaborative features, making it suitable for teams and customer support. The settings are described as extensive, catering to users who desire customization. Superhuman is the presenter's preferred application, which they have been using for nearly a year. It is commended for its speed, reliability, and transformative impact on the presenter's email productivity. However, it is noted to be a premium service with a higher pricing plan, suitable for those heavily invested in email communication. The presenter concludes by summarizing their opinions on the email applications and hints at a more in-depth review in the future, encouraging viewers to subscribe for updates.

Keywords

Polymail

Polymail is an email application that gained popularity a few years ago, known for its focus on team collaboration. It has evolved to compete with personal productivity email applications. The speaker is moderately impressed with its features, which include team connectivity and the creation of visually appealing emails. However, the pricing is noted to be higher compared to other applications, which is a consideration for those seeking collaborative email solutions.

Spike

Spike is an email application that is likened to messaging platforms like Slack, offering a conversational approach to email communication. It has been recognized for its development of interesting technologies and is praised for its speed and reliability. The application has a good free plan and Pro plans, and it is highly rated in app stores. It is particularly suitable for users who prefer a more open and messaging-like email experience.

Spark

Spark is an email application that the speaker places in an 'epic' status due to its reliability and speed. Developed by Rebuild, a productivity-focused company, Spark has added team functionalities that are considered excellent. It is a strong choice for personal users, with the option for upgrades for more in-depth features. The application is noted for its triage capabilities, both simple and detailed, making it a favorite among productivity enthusiasts.

Newton

Newton is an email application that the speaker has a personal connection with, having worked as a marketing consultant for the company. It is categorized as 'good' due to its well-designed interface and recent features that promote a calm approach to email management. Newton strikes a balance between being a premium application and a simple email tool, with a mid-range pricing in the productivity space. Despite past instability due to buyouts, it is currently stable and updating well.

Hey.com

Hey.com is an email application that the speaker considers to be in an 'epic' status. It is described as a process-based email application that focuses on productivity, guiding users through a structured approach to email management. The application sorts emails into different locations for users to check at their convenience, a feature that sets it apart from other email apps. It offers a free Hey.com email after a yearly subscription, and even provides a transition to Gmail if the user decides not to continue after the first year.

Airmail

Airmail is mentioned as a well-produced application from 2017, but the speaker feels that email applications have advanced rapidly since then, and it has not kept pace. While it remains reliable and is particularly good for Mac users, it is not currently on the speaker's radar for its lack of progression.

Outlook

Outlook is recognized as a good email application that continues to receive investment and improvements. It is noted for its beautiful design, incorporating elements from the Sunrise calendar application that Microsoft acquired. Outlook is praised for its effectiveness in both personal and team productivity management, with the introduction of Outlook boards adding to its appeal.

Missive

Missive is placed between 'epic' and 'good' in the ranking. The speaker has used it for three years and found it reliable and fast, with a strong collaborative aspect. It is suitable for teams and customer support email management. Missive is also highlighted for its extensive settings menu, offering a high level of customization for email application preferences.

Superhuman

Superhuman is an email application that the speaker uses personally and highly recommends. It is described as having revolutionized the speaker's productivity in terms of email usage. Superhuman is noted for its speed and reliability, offering a premium experience for those who invest heavily in email communication. It is particularly designed for freelancers, teams, and those with larger budgets for email management.

Productivity

Productivity is a central theme in the video, with each email application being evaluated based on its ability to enhance the user's efficiency in managing emails. The speaker discusses how different applications contribute to personal and team productivity, with features like triage, structured email sorting, and collaborative tools being key factors in their assessment.

Collaboration

Collaboration is a key concept when discussing email applications, especially in a team context. The video mentions how certain applications like Polymail and Missive are designed to facilitate team communication and shared email management. Collaboration features are important for teams looking to streamline their workflow and improve communication.

Highlights

Polymail is a collaborative email experience with a focus on team connectivity and beautiful email drafting.

Spike is a messaging-like email application with a conversational interface and document functionality.

Spark is a fast and reliable email application with team abilities and in-depth triage options.

Newton has a well-put-together design and features to calm email management, offering a balance between premium and simple applications.

Hey.com is a process-based email application that helps users follow a structured approach to email management.

Airmail is a reliable application for Mac users but has not progressed significantly since its introduction in 2017.

Outlook is a beautifully designed application with features from the Sunrise calendar and new Outlook boards for productivity.

Missive offers extensive settings for customization and is great for reliability and collaborative email management.

Superhuman is a fast and reliable email application that has revolutionized the user's productivity in email management.

ClickUp is a fast, reliable, and flexible project management tool with templates for teams.

The new channel 'Keep Productive with ClickUp' has been launched for productivity tips and insights.

Spike's free plan and Pro plans are well-rated for reliability and offer a good messaging experience.

Spark's developer, Rebuild, is known for creating fantastic productivity tools and apps.

Newton's recent features aim to provide a calm approach to email management.

Hey.com offers a free email and a one-year trial with the option to forward all emails to Gmail after the trial.

Outlook has continued to invest in its application, integrating features from the acquired Sunrise calendar app.

Missive is positioned between epic and good, offering extensive customization options for email management.

Superhuman's pricing is on the higher side, aimed at freelancers and teams that heavily invest in email communication.