If you are tired of the email service you are using and looking forward to change, then there are several email options available.
The best thing is that they are free of charge.
Though Gmail has exist for long, to the point that when some people hear about email, the first thing that crosses their mind is Gmail.
It is facing competition from other mail service providers such as Outlook, AOL mail and yahoo services.
These mail providers have decided to upgrade their features to attract many users.
To help you pick your best email service provider, follow along and chose the best that suits you.
- Must Read:- How to block someone on Gmail?
Comparison between Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo mail.
Here is the in-depth review of email provider where we have compared Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo mail according to-
Interface:-
All three-mail services have a similar basic template. Folders are on the left side while the mail pane is at the centre while settings and options you will get them on the right upper corner.
In Yahoo and Gmail, at the top page, you will see a search bar while on outlook.com a smaller search bar is displayed in the left corner at the top.
Yahoo mail has a clean and clutter-free design.
Folders in this mail provider are organized well making it easy to navigate increasing user experience.
You can get additional folders in the drop-down menu, and they are labelled clearly. There is a compose button at the top of the folders. When you click the compose button, a blank email will replace the email panellist.
Above that, some tabs will let you see mail, calendar, contacts, yahoo messenger and notepad.
The icons are clear and make it easy to click on the tabs. However, if you are confused, hover over the icons, and you will see tooltips.
- Also Read:- Best Free Email Providers Online [Ad Free]
Gmail also has a great design but somehow less intuitive.
Common labels such as drafts, sent mail and inbox are on the left side of the screen while other labels like trash and spam are located in the drop-down menu hidden in the hangouts pane.
This is located on the left side and shares a space similar to the labels. Once you hover over any visible label, Hangouts pane will shift downward to expose those remaining labels.
Unfortunately, there are no textual or visual indicators provided by Google to tell how it works. Furthermore, you can click on a chat icon to get rid of the hangouts pane.
This chat icon is very small, and if you are not keen, you will not see it. You will find it at the left bottom of your screen.
In Gmail, it is difficult to find your contacts. To access contacts, you will have to tap the drop-down menu available above the compose button, and it is labelled “Gmail”.
From here, select contacts. However, Gmail does not have any indicators that could clarify this functionality.
- Also Read:- MacBook Maintenance tips
Outlook.com
Outlook.com has an interface that somehow differs from that of Gmail and Yahoo Mail in many essential ways.
For instance, the compose button is above the email panellist and not above folders. When you compose a message in Outlook.com, folders located on the left side will entirely disappear.
Another thing that will annoy you while using this mail service is that it does not allow you to edit contacts while on it.
To edit contacts, you will click the arrow that is next from the Outlook.com button.
You will see a drop-down click and select people. You will see the contact list opening in a different tab.
So in terms of interface, yahoo takes it all due to its intuitive interface, thus providing a user-friendly environment while editing contacts, viewing a calendar and composing emails.
Storage Comparison:-
Gmail provides you with 15GB storage capacity free.
This is more than enough. You can save all emails without having to delete some to create space.
However, Gmail shares this storage with Google plus and Google Drive. This means when you upload many videos and pictures to Google’s social platform or save big files in Google Drive, the space in your inbox may quickly filled up.
However, you can pay for premium plans, and Google will provide you with additional storage capacity. For $2, you can get a storage capacity of 100GB.
If you need a large storage capacity, you can go for 30TB for $300. Both are monthly plans.
Yahoo mail on the other side provides its users with 1TB storage capacity free.
This storage capacity is also available on Google, but you will pay a fee of $10 in a month to access the service.
With this storage capacity, it is going to be a special case if you will still need extra storage space. However, there are no monthly plans to get expanded capacity with yahoo mail.
Outlook provides unlimited storage capacity.
This is because the storage will increase the more you need it.
In reality, Outlook offers its users with 5GB storage free or 10GB for those who had paid for ad-free mail services by Outlook.com.
At first, the capacity is less than 5GB and increases as the inbox is filling up to the point where you react to the limit that is 5GB.
You are encouraged to store your large attachments and files in OneDrive. You can as well get 100GB for $2 every month or 200B for $4 in a month.
- Also Read:- Cloud Computing: Why you should adopt?
Mobile Apps Comparison:-
Once you have the Gmail app, you can enjoy all the services provided by webmail services by Google.
The good thing is that this app is compatible with both iOS and Android. All you need to do is installing the app on your mobile gadget and start enjoying the mailing services.
Gmail App:-
Gmail has its inbox divided into tabs (promotions, social, primary and several categories you can choose from) similar to desktop site.
You can sort messages basing on labels. You can easily find the email you want by using the search button.
When you receive an email, it comes with a push notification, including the subject line and the sender.
The first line of the message appears in the notification, plus the total number of messages you have not read yet.
You can also reply or delete emails while in the drawer notification if you are using a tablet or android phone.
With the Gmail app, you can create a vacation auto-response. You can set them to have an adjustable end and start dates.
You can use vacation responders whenever you want to reply to emails from your contacts or all messages.
Yahoo Mail App:-
Yahoo mail has its iOS and Android apps identical to the Gmail app. You can access the folders by swiping from left to right.
Use the search bar at the top of the inbox to search the messages you want. Yahoo has a unique feature that allows you to apply different background themes.
This feature is not available in Gmail. Whenever you have a new message, push notifications to inform you.
You can reply or delete messages from the notification drawer, unlike Gmail.
One thing that might annoy you when using yahoo mail services is the sponsored ads displaying at the inbox.
Outlook App:-
Outlook application is only available for android users. The app isn’t compatible with iOS.
You can access the search and compose buttons on the lower side of the display.
Switch accounts, change folders and adjust settings by swiping on your screen from left to right.
You can reply or delete email messages from the android drawer notifications, view the sender of that particular email, the first line of your text and the subject. Push notifications will display all this to you.
Outlook has its settings more comprehensive compared to Gmail and Yahoo mail apps.
You can create your email auto-responders to reply to emails from your contacts or all the email messages. This is different from Gmail since there are no end and start dates.
- Also Read:- Get Free Google Play Codes and Credits
Organization:-
Gmail
Gmail provides you with fantastic tools to ensure that your inbox is well organized. For instance, you can choose to put your emails into categories using labels.
These categories are the same as folders in functionality, having small key differences.
You can label important emails, drafts and sent emails, and the good thing is that you are not limited to the number of labels you want to create.
Unlike folders, you are allowed to apply many labels to one email. This is important, especially when dealing with overlapping categories, like shipping and shopping updates.
You can also colour code and nest the labels. Gmail has the labels displayed in the email list pane, making it clear to see emails available in that particular category.
With Gmail, you can de-cutter the inbox without having to delete emails by simply archiving them.
Archived messages will not be visible at the email panellist, but they will be available in your contacts.
There is a search bar located at the top of your screen, use it whenever you want to find the archived emails.
Gmail was recently updated, and a new innovative feature (tabbed inbox) was introduced.
Once you enable this feature, Gmail will automatically filter your emails into categories basing on subjects and arrange them at the top side of the mail list pane in tabs.
Default categories available in Gmail include social, primary, forums, promotions, and updates, although you can add your categories.
When you receive an email in a specific category, the sender will be displayed in the tab located above the mail list pane.
This tool is important since it ensures the inbox is organized and tidy and sorts emails accurately.
In Outlook.com
the labels are known as categories, and this mail service is said to use a hybrid approach. Here you are provided with both email folders and labels.
The list comprised of labels is extensive in a way- categories include documents, social updates, and photos, among other things. You can as well create your categories.
With Outlook.com, you can also archive messages. When you click the archive button, the selected messages will move from inbox to the folder named “Archive”.
Compared to Outlook and Gmail, Yahoo provides basic organizational features. Unlike the other email services that use labels, yahoo will allow you to sort your messages in folders like sent mail, drafts, Trash, and Spam.
You are also allowed to create folders on your own, or mark emails using a star of the flag. However, these folders have disadvantages when you compare them to labels.
For instance, when you move a message to a folder, it will be removed from your inbox. Labels allow you to categorize emails in the inbox.
All three services allow users to sort the messages according to sender, date, unread/read status, among other criteria.
Each service has email filters with different degrees in complexity. Outlook has the simplest and basic email filter since with it. You can only filter the messages according to the sender.
- Also Read:- What Causes Motherboard Failure? How to Fix it?
Yahoo Mail
Yahoo has the best mail filter that can automatically move your messages into your preferred folders according to the recipient, email text body, subject or sender.
Gmail has the most complex mail filter that allows users to sort their messages according to recipient, sender, subject, file size, body text and attachment if one exists.
Apart from it allowing you to apply the label you want, you can set the filter to forward messages, delete messages, star them, mark them as read or archive them.
You can decide to set filters so that they are blocked from sending some messages to spam and never or always mark some messages as very important.
Gmail has the best organizational tools that include inbox tabs, robust filter, and labels making it the best out of the three.
If you utilize these features well, you will always be on the right track while dealing with the emails.
Advertisements-
Gmail has two unobtrusive and small adverts that are located below and above the email panellist.
However, this depends on how you configure your inbox. The ads occupy a single line space and are text-only.
When you are using the new Gmail tabbed inbox, which will separate the emails in categories such as promotions, social and primary, you cannot see the advertisements.
Yahoo mail has high number of unpleasant ads.
There will be a vertical banner made of ads at the right of your screen.
Besides, on the left side below the folders, there will be sponsored advertisements.
One of the things that will annoy you most is the sponsored advertisement that looks like an email that you have not opened or read.
That’s seriously very irritating!!
This ad is located at the top of the email list, making it hard to read your mails. However, you can subscribe to premium services and enjoy an ad-free yahoo mail.
Compared to Yahoo, Outlook has a less prominent vertical banner of ads on the right side.
The good thing with Outlook is that it does not display the ads below your folders on in the list mail pane.
Similar to yahoo, you can get an ad-free outlook by subscribing to premium services.
Both mail services will provide the ads basing on your subject interest. This means that the services scan keywords from your mails and use the data to display relevant ads to you.
If you find that this feature is annoying you, you can opt-out anytime you wish to. Outlook.com, however, does not deal with targeting advertising.
As much as ads are the only thing that might annoy you most while using the mail services, text-only ads by Gmail are less intrusive.
You can as well choose paid subscriptions by the other mail services and enjoy an ad-free experience.
However, Gmail is the best since you will not be dealing with advertisements or banner ads in your inbox masquerading like email messages.
Special features comparison-
Gmail offers its users with a bunch of innovative features. You can track the packages and see online orders using action buttons available in your inbox without having to open any message.
These buttons appear near relevant messages. These might be shipment orders by great sites like Amazon.com.
When you click the RSVP, you will open a drop-down where you can add relevant events to the calendar. A new tab opens on Amazon.com by the package track button.
Gmail allows users to view files and attachments within the inbox.
For instance, when you click word document, a pop up read-only will open.
Some buttons will appear to allow you open documents in the Google Docs, download them to your computer, print them or save your documents in Google Drive.
Two buttons appear once you hover over that attachment without clicking it. These buttons allow you to save the attachment to Google Drive or download the attachments.
When a YouTube link is sent to your inbox, you can view the content without having to leave your inbox.
Gmail will display an image sample of that video in the message sent (at the bottom of that message). Once you click the picture, the video opens in a popup.
A compose window is another unique Gmail feature.
When composing new emails or replying to your messages, Gmail will open a window on your screen at the bottom corner.
With this, you can compose new emails while simultaneously browsing your inbox.
This feature saves a lot of time and helpful, especially when you want to compose an email and at the same time referring to an email that was sent earlier to your inbox.
The compose window in Gmail will allow you to compose two email messages at once. This is a unique feature not found in any email services but Gmail.
Email conversation participants will be displayed at the right side of your screen when using Gmail as your preferred mail service providers.
This includes recent pictures shared by your conversation participants. Below the profile photos of your participants, you will find a button for video chat, emails and chatting that you can use to converse with them.
With this feature, you can start another conversation with the participants without leaving you in progress email pane.
Yahoo mail also allows its users to view sent attachments in the inbox. Once you click a document or photo, the attachments open in a popup.
You can download the attachment to your either computer or dropbox using options provided by a button above the pop-up.
Yahoo also provides Enhanced Contacts that display recent messages from your contacts, shared attachments and photos, including standard information contact like phone numbers and email addresses.
This eases the process of finding received files, even in a situation where you forget the email containing the attachments.
Outlook.com has much secure integration comprised of Microsoft Products then the other two.
Just within the inbox, you can edit word, Powerpoint documents, and Excel without installing Office on your laptop.
Copying the documents online retains the original formatting; unfortunately, there are no advanced features like comments.
There is a unique feature in Outlook.com known as Sweep. When you select an email in the inbox or open, it, clicking on the Sweep button available at the upper side of the page, opens a dropdown.
From the menu, you can choose to delete and block future messages from a certain sender, delete messages from a given sender, delete messages that are 10 days older, delete old emails and leaving behind new ones.
This tool is very powerful and essential. You can use it to get rid of unwanted emails like forum updates and promotional offers.
Just like Gmail, you can watch YouTube content from your inbox in Outlook.com.
The videos open once you click the preview image available at the message inbox in the bottom. A pop-up window will appear, and from there you can watch your videos.
Final Words-
Looking at the list of features analyzed from the context, you can see how the different mail service providers have advantages of the others.
Each of them has features that make it stand out a bit in the market. Choose the one that suits you best according to your needs and budget.
There are also paid subscription that will allow you more interesting access features.
However, Gmail service providers remain the top free mailing service. Its tabbed inbox, labels and the filters make the work of organizing emails easier.
Leave a Reply