Gmail is one of the most popular email platforms for good reason: it’s secure, easy-to-use, and has a large number of features that can boost productivity.
But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. To fill in the gaps, developers have created hundreds of apps and extensions to make the popular platform even better.
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Here, we’re going to cover 11 of the best Gmail apps for Mac that you need to know about.
Top 11 Gmail Apps for Mac in 2024
1. Mimestream
One of the major issues with Gmail is that it doesn’t have a native desktop app. That means that unless you use a third-party app, you need to view your email via the web app. This is one of the reasons some users may opt for Outlook, which is desktop-based.
Mimestream fills in this gap. It’s a native macOS app that lets you use all of Gmail’s functionality with all the convenience of a desktop app that you can load up quickly and easily.
It’s secure, lightweight, easy-to-use, and it has an attractive user interface to boot.
2. Boxy Suite for Gmail
Like Mimestream, Boxy Suite offers a clean and intuitive desktop app that you can use to close out all those endless Gmail tabs you have and switch over to a native macOS experience instead.
Boxy Suite boasts unique features like minimal mode for a cleaner UI, and auto dark mode, which syncs with the dark theme settings on your Mac. Plus, it will let you know when the emails you receive are tracking you, so that you can stay more aware of who’s monitoring you.
3. Mailplane
The Mailplane Gmail client aims to make your Gmail experience quicker and easier than ever. Not only does it sync with Gmail, but it also connects to Google Calendar and Contacts, which lets you keep everything in one place.
Mailplane can also send native push notifications and will display the number of items in your inbox on your Mac’s menu bar, so you can always stay on top of your email.
Plus, it integrates with other tools, like Evernote, Omnifocus, and Apple Photos, and it has a useful tool that allows you to quickly add annotations to attachments from right within Mailplane.
4. Kiwi for Gmail
Kiwi for Gmail is a bit of a misnomer. While the app does focus on Gmail first and foremost, it also offers a native macOS desktop experience for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides as well.
Kiwi can essentially provide you the Microsoft 365 experience with Google. With useful tools like inbox filtering, detached compose windows, and global shortcuts, Kiwi really ups the ante and delivers a fantastic email experience for Gmail users on Mac.
5. Wavebox for Mac
Unlike the other tools we’ve covered so far, Wavebox isn’t specifically for Gmail. Instead, it’s an app that’s designed to streamline all your business communications tools, like Slack, Gmail, LinkedIn, Trello, and more.
Its most useful feature is that it lets you access all these tools from one window without having to open up dozens of tabs in Chrome. But it does much more than that: it also lets you set up custom toolbars, workspaces, and it offers unlimited video and audio calls without having to deal with links.
6. Spark
Spark is an email client that’s designed to unite all your email accounts, whether they’re Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud, or something else entirely.
The client aims to help you intelligently prioritize your emails by automatically detecting which emails are from real people, and which are automated. You can also set it to only notify you of emails from people you know, so that you don’t keep notifications for every sale and promotional offer that makes its way to your inbox.
Spark will work on your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, so you can keep everything in one place no matter where you are.
7. Shift
Shift is an app that’s very similar to Wavebox. It aims to provide a way to declutter your desktop and browser by keeping you logged into all your accounts and allowing you to close out of the many tabs that plague modern workspaces.
Like Wavebox, Shift isn’t designed specifically for Gmail, but it does support the popular email platform. If you specifically want a tool for Gmail, there are more tailored options out there, but Shift is a great choice if you want to keep a bunch of apps more organized.
8. Mailtab
Mailtab is a Gmail tool that allows you to access your email straight from the menu bar on your Mac. This makes checking your email especially convenient – you don’t even have to boot up an app to do so.
However, Mailtab doesn’t have many features beyond that. It’s a useful tool, but it won’t offer you any extras, like email prioritization, dark mode, etc.
That said, it is free, so if all you’re looking for is an easier way to check your Gmail from your Mac, this is a good choice.
9. Unite 4
Unite is a unique tool that lets you create native macOS experiences for any website you want. Essentially, all you do is enter a URL, pick an icon, and Unite will turn it into a desktop app that you can fire up and use right away.
Since Gmail is a website, after all, Unite can turn it into a usable native macOS app for you. However, it’s not going to be as fine-tuned as other apps that specialize in Gmail, so be aware of that when you make your decisions.
10. Mozilla Thunderbird
When it comes to Mozilla, they are more well known for Firefox than anything else. Yet, Mozilla Thunderbird is also a force to be reckoned with.
To start, the app is completely free. But in terms of its features as a Gmail app, you can sort and even tag your emails at will. The calendar and chat features make it an incredibly convenient way to stay synced with remote teams.
While it doesn’t have a mobile option, Thunderbird does provide a robust desktop version for Mac and PC.
11. Unibox
Unibox may have somewhat of a learning curve. But once you get used to it, it’s incredibly intuitive. With Unibox, you can organize messages by contacts to keep your communications within the right context.
You’ll enjoy a clean, minimalist design, so you can get a quick overview of your inbox without being overwhelmed by other visual elements.
Features like preview attachments, continuing email conversations, and high-level views make it easy to maintain correspondence.
You can begin with a free trial, and after that point, Unibox comes with a paid subscription to access all of these features.
Key Takeaways
There is no shortage of great and useful tools that you can use to make your Gmail experience better than ever. This list of nine native macOS apps is a good starting point you can use to find the app that’s perfect for you.
As well as adding gmail apps to your mac you should also look at adding Gmail extensions to your Gmail. If you want to skyrocket your productivity in 2024, then using Gmail in conjunction with extensions is a great way to go. Right Inbox is a must-have extension that includes features such as email templates, email tracking, recurring emails, email sequences, and much more. Try for free today!
