Gmail vs Apple Mail | Find Out Which One is Better
In the email communication, we can say there are two titans: Gmail and Apple Mail. While both serve the fundamental purpose of sending and receiving emails, they also provide a distinctly different user experience tailored to the user’s requirements and preferences. The comprehensive guide will provide you with complete details on Gmail vs Apple Mail features, security, pricing, privacy, and overall user experience to help you determine which email client is better in 2025.
We will cover all the details along with the effective approaches to safeguard the emails in the account locally.
Understand Core Differences: Service Vs Client
Before we go deep into the Gmail vs Apple Mail features to understand which one is better, it is crucial to understand the fundamental difference:
- Apple Mail: It is an email client pre-installed on Apple devices. It integrates with Apple’s iCloud Service, and it can also manage Apple’s cloud Mail service, and it can also be configured to manage emails from other services such as Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo.
- Gmail: Google’s offering is primarily as an email service that also functions as an email client. This means Gmail provides the email address and infrastructure for receiving and sending messages. It is accessible via its web interface and dedicated app on any platform.
This difference means that you can use IMAP/SMTP for Apple Mail to access the Gmail account, but you cannot use Gmail to access the iCloud Mail directly from the Gmail web interface.
Feature set: Gmail vs Apple Mail
In this write-up, we will cover all the core features of an email client that every user should know before using it. From the interface to the storage space, all the details to find the difference between Apple Mail and Gmail.
User Interface and Experience
Both platforms prioritise ease of use, but they have different approaches:
- Gmail: The interface, while intuitive, can be functional and less minimalist than Apple Mail. As it offers extensive features and integrations. We can easily switch between multiple Gmail accounts.
- Apple Mail: It offers a sleek and minimal design, which makes the user navigate easily, especially the new users. Apple Mail traditionally lack the customisation options; however, the upcoming iOS 18 updates are bringing up more organised features like AI-generated email overview, other categories, and Digest View, which groups emails from a single sender.
Gmail vs Apple Mail: Security and Privacy Features
How email clients offer a secure platform is the key differentiator.
- Gmail: Google employs advanced AI and machine learning to detect and block phishing attacks, spam and malware. Other robust security measures are two-step verification and industry-standard encryption for data at rest and transit.
- Apple Mail: Apple offers a strong stance on users’ privacy. With the end-to-end encryption for iCloud Mail, however, if you have email service integrated into the client, it does not apply. More importantly, Apple does not read or analyse the emails to target ads to you, unlike other email clients that used to scan emails.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
- Gmail: As a known fact that Gmail excels in cross-platform compatibility. It can be accessed via a web browser on any OS (Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS) and also has dedicated apps for iOS and Android. This makes it a good choice for users who access Gmail via different devices.
- Apple Mail: The default application is for Apple devices. It can only be accessed in the Apple ecosystem. It seamlessly integrates with macOS, iOS and iPadOS. It can be configured with other non-Apple email accounts; its full features are better experienced on Apple devices.
Gmail vs Apple Mail: Offline Access
Both application has offline capabilities.
- Gmail: The Gmail app for Web and mobile allows for offline access to recently synced emails. The user can read, compose, and send emails, which will be queued and sent once the internet connection is established. To turn on the offline mode in Gmail, the user must follow these steps:
- Go to Gmail in Chrome.
- Click the gear icon > See all settings.
- Navigate to the Offline tab.
- Check “Enable offline mail“.
- Choose how many days of messages to store
- Click “Save Changes“.
- Apple Mail: Since Apple Mail is a native application, it has a robust offline capability. It downloads and stores the emails locally on the device, allowing you to access and manage the files without an internet connection. For more details, visit: Where is mail storage on Mac?
Storage Space and Pricing
- Gmail: The Free version of Gmail comes with 15GB of free storage, which is collectively shared in Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. It has an upgrade plan for business and advanced user requirements, which starts from $7 per month. As you upgrade, you will get a significant offer. This paid plan comes with significantly more storage space, from 30GB to 5TB, depending on the plan, customer support, 24/7 premium support, etc.
- Apple Mail: In iCloud Mail, Apple provides 5GB of free iCloud storage, which is shared across Mail, backup, iCloud Drive, and iCloud Photos. To increase storage, users can subscribe to iCloud+ plans. The plans include 50GB, 200GB, 2TB, 6TB, or 12TB of storage along with other advanced features. Pricing for iCloud+ in the US starts at $0.99 for 50GB, $2.99 for 200GB, and $9.99 for 2TB per month.
Customizability
- Gmail: Gmail is known for its higher degree of customisation for its interface. The user can choose a theme, create filters, adjust display density, manage emails, etc. Moreover, the third-party add-ons and extensions expand its customizability.
- Apple Mail: Apple Mail provides a clean and functional interface, but its customisation options are limited and primarily focus on email sorting. However, the upcoming “Apple Intelligence” features and new categorisation options, as we discussed earlier, indicate a better personalised organisation within the app.
Recommendation for Backup: Gmail vs Apple Mail
Use the Gmail Backup Tool to extract the emails from a Google Mail account to different file formats. It allows you to securely download the emails from the account to your local hard drive or any other preferred storage location. With this, users can safeguard their email from any accidental deletion, service outage, etc.
To back up Apple Mail to external hard drive, use the Apple Mail Converter. With this tool, users can create a backup of their emails, attachments, and mailbox structure in a universally accepted file format.
Conclusion
Both email client has their feature that provide simple and advanced email management. In essence, Gmail is a powerful, feature-rich email service suited for users who want advanced, productive tools, seamless integration with the broader Google ecosystem. On the other hand, Apple Mail is an elegant and highly integrated email client that excels in simplicity, privacy and a unified experience in the Apple world.