AltCatalog
Discontinued Mailbox was discontinued in February 2016. The alternatives below are active products you can switch to. All discontinued →

Alternatives to Mailbox

Swipe-based email Dropbox acquired

None of its 11 checklist rows are verified yet.

Swipe-based email Dropbox acquired. Mailbox has been discontinued; the active alternatives listed here are maintained products you can switch to.

Most compared with aercApple MailAqua Mail
Official site Suggest an edit Data history Work on Mailbox? Claim this page
Who it's for

iOS and Android users who wanted a faster way to process high email volumes, particularly Gmail and iCloud users looking for a more gesture-driven alternative to native mail apps.

What you get

Mailbox offered swipe gestures to archive or delete messages and to file them into lists, plus a signature 'snooze' feature that let you defer an email to reappear later at a set time or place. It also supported Auto-Swipe for quick, repeatable actions and integrated with Dropbox for viewing and saving attachments. The app used a one-inbox-at-a-time design meant to help users reach 'Inbox Zero.'

How it works

Users connected an email account (initially Gmail, later expanded to iCloud and other IMAP providers), then triaged messages by swiping right to archive/delete or left to snooze or file into a list, working through the inbox message by message.

Why people leave Mailbox

Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.

Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.

Ranked alternatives

Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.

Sponsored Paid slot. Never affects the ranked order below. Promote here →
01
a

Modern terminal email for developers.

MIT LinuxmacOS
02

The built-in Apple mail client.

Proprietary macOSiOS
03

Configurable Android mail client.

Proprietary Android
04

Cross-platform unified inbox.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSLinuxiOS +2
05

PGP-capable mail with AI writing.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
06

Full-featured desktop client with one-time license.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
07

GNOME's full groupware client.

LGPL-2.1 Linux
08

Privacy-first Android email.

GPL-3.0 Android
09

GNOME's lightweight mail app.

LGPL-2.1-or-later Linux
10

Open source Android mail, now Thunderbird Mobile.

Apache-2.0 Android
11

Windows-first unified inbox.

Proprietary WindowsmacOS
12
M

Open source client with read receipts.

GPL-3.0 WindowsmacOSLinux
13

Native macOS client for Gmail.

Proprietary macOS
14

Shared inboxes and team email collaboration.

Proprietary WebWindowsmacOSiOS +1
15

The terminal mail power tool.

GPL-2.0 LinuxmacOS
16

Microsoft's mail and calendar client.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid +1
17

Power-user desktop mail (acquired by eM Client).

Proprietary macOSWindows
18

AI-first Gmail client from ex-Googlers.

Proprietary WebmacOSWindowsiOS +1
19

Smart inbox with team comments.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
20

Speed-obsessed premium email.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid +1
21

Veteran secure Windows mail client.

Proprietary Windows
22

Mozilla's open source desktop mail.

MPL-2.0 WindowsmacOSLinux

FAQ

Yes. aerc, Apple Mail and Aqua Mail have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.

aerc, Evolution and FairEmail — every license claim links its source.