Best Mac email program?

January 29, 2010 8:17 AM

Customizable Mac email program?

I currently use Apple mail. It's ok, but annoying in some ways, the search feature is weak and I can't customize the look of it. I also have Thunderbird, but it's the same.
Does anyone recommend a fairly simple but smooth running email program for MAc OS, that I can customize? I'm trying to get a look that isn't so stark and clinical. Aesthetics are important to me. I don't need a complicated multi account program like Entourage. Thanks.

posted by Liquidwolf to computers & internet (8 answers total)

What would you like in an email search feature? Boolean searches? This'll help narrow it down, though I'm not aware of any in any case.

I came in to suggest Thunderbird, but I guess not. Sorry!
posted by InsanePenguin at 8:41 AM on January 29, 2010

Gmail has themes. I forward all my email to my Gmail account and read it there. It's possible to have it work offline to with google gears.
posted by bhnyc at 8:55 AM on January 29, 2010

I found a lot of suggestions (even ones I hadn't heard of!) in this other thread on Ask MeFi.

Maybe you'll find what you want there.
posted by soroush at 9:03 AM on January 29, 2010

Yesterday's WSJ Mossberg review of the new Thunderbird 3 release was + on its search and organizational features; not so + on some other things. You mentioned you have T-Bird, but didn't say which version, so if you don't have recently released v. 3.0.x, you might take a look at it. Obviously, Mossberg is writing for a more general (and by implication, less technically-adept) audience.
posted by webhund at 9:14 AM on January 29, 2010

Before ditching Apple Mail, you may want to visit Hawk Wings, a nice little blog devoted solely to tracking add-ons, extensions, customizations, etc. for Apple Mail. There's TONS of stuff you can change about it.

By the way, Apple Mail is a "complicated, multi-account program." :-)
posted by CommonSense at 9:45 AM on January 29, 2010

I've been trying to find a decent mail program as well. (I just installed Zimbra this morning, and am hoping it's good.) Currently using Entourage, and if you do happen to wind up settling on that program, please be sure to backup your database frequently. Microsoft inexplicably chose to use a single file database system. If it becomes corrupted and can't be rebuilt, you might lose everything if you're not backed up.
posted by zarq at 9:55 AM on January 29, 2010

It does not exist yet – and may possibly never exist – but a number of the more respected minds in the Mac software universe have gotten together to work on a "power user" e-mail application, tentatively called Letters. Discussion on the project is taking place here. It's not an answer to your question currently, but down the road may be so.
posted by MikeHarris at 10:54 AM on January 29, 2010

Could you add just a bit about what features you're looking for?

For example: Search in mail is ok....but when you get into smart folders it's way more powerful. Add mail tags ....way more powerful yet...
posted by filmgeek at 12:43 PM on January 29, 2010