Gmail vs. Thunderbird, Outlook or Apple Mail: Gmail wins!
Posted Sunday, February 24th, 2008 4:58 pm by Dave Moyer
As many know, I recently switched to Thunderbird from Outlook for my email and have been loving it! Well, since then, I’ve seen lots of posts talking about Gmail, and how it’s the ultimate email client. I pretty much assumed it was the best webmail service out there, but nothing could beat the speed and usability of having an installed email app like Thunderbird or Outlook.
After seeing many Lifehacker posts and others saying that Gmail was even better than a local program, I decided to give it a try. I was already loving Gmail in the first twenty minutes! It allows for POP access, so you can access almost any other email account you have through Gmail, with the exception of Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail, and you can even send mail through other accounts (this includes Yahoo! and Hotmail) without the use of SMTP. Most other programs, including Mail, Outlook and Thunderbird all use SMTP to send mail through the specific server. Gmail does things differently, sending messages through its own server, and making the “from” address whatever email you want it to be. It’s perfectly secure, though, as you need to verify you own that email before sending anything with a simple link or entering a code. This method is a definite plus as it’s faster than SMTP, and it gives those without SMTP relaying available the capability to send messages through Gmail.
So, I set up all my accounts, which was surprisingly simple. The first thing I noticed was how fast it was! Switching back and forth between messages and my inbox was almost immediate, even on a slow hotel connection! I also liked many of the features that you don’t find in other clients, such as a very nice search and the “quick reply” box at the bottom of a message. Gmail also has a very nice method for handling replies, almost like a message board or forum. Rather than seeing many rows of “RE:” in your inbox, Gmail groups messages into “conversations”. For instance, if I send an email to Beth Skinner with a change in the WordCast recording time, I won’t see RE: next to the subject when she replies. Instead, I’ll see something like “Beth (2)”. Gmail places the conversation at the top of my inbox, leaving me room for more messages. The more I reply, the conversation’s thread count increases, but it all stays within one entry in my inbox.
Another cool feature is the easy contact management. It’s got a 3 column layout to add and manage different contacts and groups. The whole Gmail UI is incredibly intuitive. The POP access works perfectly, and I have experienced no problems sending from other accounts. I made my regular email my default sending address, and it’s not had any problems! (The sending address can be changed when composing a message.) The filters work fine, and tagging (”labeling” in Gmail) works just like any other! All of these features, rolled into a webmail client that I can access anywhere and is faster than any installed program! Plus, it all works seamlessly with my Google Calendar (that’s another article), Google Docs, and more!
On top of all of this, I downloaded and installed the free Firefox extension by Gina [INSERT NAME] of Lifehacker, Better Gmail 2. It gave me even more cool features, like an alternate skins, message highlighting, default secure connections when accessing my mail, and setting Gmail as my default email client when I click on “mailto:” links when browsing.
Gmail is the definite winner in this battle, and I’d recommend it to anyone from zero to infinite experience with email. I don’t plan on going back to a local application anytime soon.
UPDATE: I’ve talked about the Gmail switch with many people, and nearly all with them have been skeptical. However, once they tried it out, they were loving it, just like I was. For instance, Kym Huynh wasn’t too keen on the idea, concerned about transferring messages. But once he tried it out, he was crazed about it, saying “I. Love. Gmail. Period!” Beth Skinner, once she switched, wrote, “I really hate having to admit this but my Web Kid was right, it’s a great product. (Plus it’s FREE!)” Bottom line: Just try it out, no matter how scared you may be.
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I. Love. Gmail. Period!
I’ve been using Gmail for a while now, but just to receive messages and newsletters from forums and website. Although whenever I need to email something with an attachment I always go over to Gmail. It’s fast, secure and has a tonne of space!
The only problem with gmail is how do you work on email stuff when you don’t have internet access???
You can compose emails offline just as you would in a normal program with Google Gears.
I love Gmail. But, if I have to check my Gmail account offline, can I do that in Apple Mail and keep the conversations? If not, what could I use?
Yes you can use pretty much any if not any email client to access gmail, IE thunderbird, outlook and yep even apple mail.
Yep! Gmail uses something called IMAP, which works in all the major email programs out there. It’s a lot better than POP in the sense that it syncs your inboxes and folders on both rather than simply downloading.
I know lots of people who like to use Thunderbird for their email at home and Gmail on the go and at work. It’s a great system, I just like to use Gmail all the time because it’s easier for me to keep track of things and organize messages when I only have one client to deal with.
Dave, you are right on with this one.
I found this post because my system crashed, and I had to do an Erase & Install. Being a long-time Thunderbird user, I was set to start over with it, but got curious, and went searching. Thank goodness I did!
Just like you said, within a day I was sold. Not only is it easy, but the way GMail gathers replies into conversations is a huge time-saver for me. Not to mention I decided to pass on Address Book by using the Contacts feature, and bypassed iCal with Google Calendar.
Now, if I ever lose my local data again, I’ve got no worries. Same goes for when I get my next new mac… just login to Google, and everything’s there.
I’m also using the Firefox/Stylish add-on, to use Gmail Redesigned, so it’s more aesthetically pleasing and functional (hiding the chat section, for example).
I’m a new evangelist for this method - thanks again.
Thanks for your comment, Adam! It’s definitely the best method in my book, and I don’t think I’ve ever talked to a person who regretted the switch.