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Picking a new Email App/Service

TheConnoisseur

TheConnoisseur

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 2, 2021
6
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Hi All, i'm trying to migrate my emails to a new email service as my old email service is deciding to close their doors. I have been looking at a few options and wanted some advice on which service to go to next.

  • iCloud Mail: I've heard iffy reviews from people here but they do seem a bit dated? Does anyone still use iCloud mail and if so what are your thoughts?
  • FastMail: This one has been thrown a bit here and there and it sounds good, but i don't see anything special with it.
  • OnMail: This one looks amazing, isn't too expensive and is good at sorting emails and such. It is in an Open Beta right now.
  • Any other options?

I'm mostly seeking for something that can be functional if possible to sort lets say newsletters in it's own folder, have a nice interface if possible and have a decent privacy policy.

Let me know your thoughts and thank you in advance!
 
I use iCloud Mail all the time and don't have a problem receiving and sending mail. I also haven't had problems being able to search my email. I like iCloud because it is secure.

On a forum like this, seeing a few posts of people having an actual problem can appear to be more wide spread than it really is. Most of the time you see people complaining over personal preference issues.
 
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Apple_Robert said:
I use iCloud Mail all the time and don't have a problem receiving and sending mail. I also haven't had problems being able to search my email. I like iCloud because it is secure.

On a forum like this, seeing a few posts of people have an actual problem can appear to be more wide spread than it really is. Most of the time you see people complaining over personal preference issues.
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and that's what i've been seeing here. Mostly people just complaining but oh well.

I was wondering, would you recommend using iCloud and then integrating it with a 3rd party client like OnMail and such?

I was from the get-go thinking of using iCloud because of Security and Privacy and even if i leave the Apple Ecosystem, i can still integrate it with IMAP and such right?

Thanks again for your feedback.
 
TheConnoisseur said:
and that's what i've been seeing here. Mostly people just complaining but oh well.

I was wondering, would you recommend using iCloud and then integrating it with a 3rd party client like OnMail and such?

I was from the get-go thinking of using iCloud because of Security and Privacy and even if i leave the Apple Ecosystem, i can still integrate it with IMAP and such right?

Thanks again for your feedback.
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Yes, you can continue to use iCloud Mail should you ever leave the ecosystem.

As far as your first question, there is nothing wrong with adding your iCloud account(s) into another email provider, provided you understand and agree to their privacy terms. I don't suggest using PUSH with a third party provider unless they use Auth tokens. What you don't want to have happen is the third party service storing your credentials on their server. Your mail credentials should stay secure on your devices, in my opinion.
 
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Fastmail has a great webmail user interface and a matching iOS app. Mail is their primary service, so they know what they're doing. Fastmail's calendar is pretty darn good too. I believe Fastmail is worth the cost and I'm not big on subscriptions.

MXroute isn't bad, especially their $100 10GB lifetime promo - https://mxroute.com/pricing/ .

Whichever service you opt for, I'd suggest having your own domain with Cloudflare - https://www.cloudflare.com/products/registrar/ .
 
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I second the advice of getting your own domain. This will give you control…you can host the email at different services in the future and keep the same email address. That rules out iCloud!

You should be able to get top-notch hosting for around $4-$5/month per account. Some email hosting features to consider (or not) for now or later:

Storage capacity
Push capability
Good server-side rules capability
Good server-side spam filtering
Good integrated calDAV (or Exchange) calendar and contacts
Web interface

I have one domain hosted at Google and one at Office 365. With a third one there's only one account and I'm just using the built-in email hosting that comes with the cheap web host I use.
 
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Serious question. Why do you discount mainstream providers like O365 where you can get an exchange based mailbox for reasonable pricing? iOS it functionality, security or other?
 
sharpimage said:
Serious question. Why do you discount mainstream providers like O365 where you can get an exchange based mailbox for reasonable pricing? iOS it functionality, security or other?
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Doesn't that tie you into a subscription for other Office products as well (Word, excel, etc.)? If you're already buying that then it's a "free" add on if you have your own domain. But if not . . .
 
Le Big Mac said:
Doesn't that tie you into a subscription for other Office products as well (Word, excel, etc.)? If you're already buying that then it's a "free" add on if you have your own domain. But if not . . .
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You can purchase Office 365 email hosting without purchasing subscriptions to Office products. I'm paying $4/month plus tax per account.

No one has said anything negative about Office 365 here, sharpimage. Not sure what you mean by that…but I'll throw something in: In iOS, I am unable to freely move email between my Office 365 Exchange account folders and my other accounts' IMAP folders. Therefore, I have set up Office 365 as IMAP on my iPhone…losing "push" mail.
 
Been a FastMail/PoBox user for years -- can't recommend them highly enough. Solid, great customer service, and standards-based allows for easy portability/manipulation of your data as you like. They just rolled out some features for their browser mail site that are GMail-like but without the surveillance for marketing purposes. :)
 
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Odd question for you all, does Fastmail Support Reply as: iCloud?

The reason why im asking is because i realized that already have some people emailing me on iCloud and have already moved them over there but i'd like to stick to using my iCloud email for now for these recipients.

Is that possible?
 
rforno said:
Yes. You can send on behalf of another account (eg, thru Fastmail's SMTP servers) if you're logged into FastMail.
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So testing it out now, i mean i cannot complain but i still cant put together if Fastmail is a much better alternative for me as most of my data is on iCloud and i am anyways paying for iCloud which means id have to pay for both iCloud and Fastmail, correct?

Unless im missing something?
 
TheConnoisseur said:
So testing it out now, i mean i cannot complain but i still cant put together if Fastmail is a much better alternative for me as most of my data is on iCloud and i am anyways paying for iCloud which means id have to pay for both iCloud and Fastmail, correct?

Unless im missing something?
Click to expand...

Correct, you'd be paying for 2 separate services. However, FastMail offers much much much more in terms of email functionality, aliases, storage, calendering/contact management, etc. as well. For me the price I pay for an annual Mailstore account there is a heck of a value.

Speaking for myself, I'm not a fan of Apple when it comes to being able to run non-proprietary and/or critical services, so I tend to avoid them.
 
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rforno said:
Correct, you'd be paying for 2 separate services. However, FastMail offers much much much more in terms of email functionality, aliases, storage, calendering/contact management, etc. as well. For me the price I pay for an annual Mailstore account there is a heck of a value.

Speaking for myself, I'm not a fan of Apple when it comes to being able to run non-proprietary and/or critical services, so I tend to avoid them.
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Funny enough, emails are currently down with iCloud hahahaha.

Well i guess its a factor to consider ;)
 
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