Gmail vs Outlook – Which One Is Better? The battle of the email clients is on. Both Google and Microsoft have their own take on the world of email, each with their own pros and cons.
The two companies are also planning to integrate their offerings in the coming months, and so far, users have been divided over the features each app offers. Even though this doesn’t mean that Gmail vs Outlook is a fight to take lightly, understanding each app’s standard features and benefits and the cons will help you make the right decision for your email needs.
Read on to find out more about the battle of Gmail vs. Outlook and whether you should switch to one over the other.
Gmail vs. Outlook overview
If you’re currently using Outlook or Gmail, then you should know that Microsoft and Google are getting ready to fight it out. Microsoft is planning to bring Office and Outlook 365 to Android and iOS, while Google is working on integrating the core services of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Drive into one app.
True to their word, Microsoft has announced that it plans to bring the core features of Outlook to Android and iOS by the end of the year. And with the next version of Gmail, we can expect many new features and improvements.
Both companies have also confirmed that they plan to integrate the core services of Google, such as search, communication, and Calender, together with the core services of Outlook, such as email and tasks. However, they haven’t specified the exact date when this will happen.
Outlook – the basics
Outlook is a top-rated email app for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone, and it’s also available on the web, it has been around since the late 90s, and it has been updated many times since then. Outlook has been redesigned for a few years now, and all the recent versions look very similar.
While the app has been primarily unchanged over the last few years, it still has a massive following from both new and old users. Outlook was the first email app to have integrated task management, giving users the ability to create, view, and manage tasks right inside the app.
In addition, Outlook has a great search feature, allowing users to find relevant information instantly. Unfortunately, Gmail and other email apps have started providing with similar features in the past few years, so Outlook has been left behind. However, it’s still one of the best email apps out there.
Gmail – the basics
Gmail is Google’s email service, and it’s been around since 2004. While it does come with many other Google services, it’s primarily an email app. As a result, Gmail has a straightforward, clean, and organised interface. It also includes many valuable features, including auto-suggest, which shows you suggestions for your next phrase just by typing.
Another noteworthy feature worth mentioning is the snooze, which lets you automatically postpone an email for a few days.
There’s also an Undo Send button, which allows you to take back a sent email and change the recipient or contents. Gmail is one of the most popular email apps, with over a billion users.
Gmail has a lot more features
– Multiple accounts – You can have multiple Gmail or Google Drive accounts and switch between them. With this feature, you can avoid spam and access your account from multiple devices.
– Search filters – Another helpful feature that Gmail offers is the ability to create search filters. These allow you to quickly find information, such as documents you may be looking for, people you want to message, or even locations you want to go.
– Smart Reply – Reading through emails with all the links and attachments is a real pain. Luckily, Gmail has an easy solution to this problem. With smart replies, you can set up a quick reply that will respond to common questions, such as “Do you need help?” or “Do you want to buy this?”
- Clutter alerts – Clutter alerts help you stay on top of your emails. They’re triggered when Gmail detects that you’ve received many emails with the same subject or sender. This lets you focus on the ones that are most important to you.
- Categories – Categories are a great way to organise your emails. You can create different categories for different types of emails, such as social media, travel, work, or anything else. This makes it easy to find your emails quickly.
- Snooze – The snooze option is similar to the one in Outlook. It lets you automatically postpone an email for a few days at the sender’s discretion. It’s a great way to save your inbox for later.
- Smart search – This feature is similar to Outlook’s, but it also includes results that match topics, people you’re looking for, or even locations. –
- Auto-suggest – This feature is also similar to that of Outlook. When you type in an address or a person’s name, Gmail shows you similar words and suggestions. This makes your search much faster.
- Search in images – This is a useful feature that lets you search through all the images you’ve attached to your emails. This makes it easy to find relevant information, such as documents you may be looking for, people you want to message, or even locations you want to go. –
- Read Later – This is a great way to save articles for later. It lets you download all the articles you want for offline reading. This is a handy feature for those who spend a lot of time in the car.
- Search through documents – This is another helpful feature that lets you quickly search through all the documents you’ve attached to the emails. Again, this saves you time when searching through those documents.
- Search through photos – This is yet another useful feature that lets you search through all the images you’ve attached to your emails.
- Voice search – This feature allows you to search with your voice. It’s beneficial when you’re trying to find something but you don’t want to open the app.
- Priority inbox – This feature lets you organise your emails by priority. This makes it easy to manage the most important emails to you.
- Snippets – This is a great way to save and format your emails quickly. Snippets are snippets of text that you can type into the Gmail app. This saves you a lot of time.
- Translation – This is a very useful feature that lets you translate emails and texts. It’s especially useful for those who travel a lot and need help communicating in another language.
- Backup – This is an important feature that lets you easily back up your emails. You can also get them backed up through Gmail Google Drive.
- Custom themes – This is a great way to personalise your Gmail experience. You can choose from various themes, such as light or dark, or even create your own theme.
- Pin messages – This is a great way to find important emails and pin them to your board quickly. This saves you a lot of time.
Gmail’s app is simple to use on mobile devices
Outlook is more than just an email app
Outlook has a much more comprehensive range of core features than Gmail.
The app is not just about email; it is also a calendar, a task manager, and an address book.
All of these features can be accessed from within one app. In addition, users can also manage their email’s organisation, create folders, move mail from one folder to another, and search their email.
The task manager in Outlook can help users easily assign tasks to themselves or others. It can also help keep track of the tasks assigned by others.
You can assign due dates, categories, and assignees and create notes for each task. It is also possible to set up recurring tasks so that you don’t have to create them every time manually.
As Outlook integrates with the Microsoft family of Apps, including Teams, it is an essential tool for managing and collaborating with others in a group. Organisations of all sizes can benefit from the ease of sharing files and documents while organising meetings with Outlook contacts is a breeze.
Gmail has a better mobile app
Google’s email app is much more noteworthy than Outlook’s. The Gmail app has a unified design across all devices, including Android, iOS, and the web.
The Gmail app is available on many more devices than Outlook, and is available on multiple platforms, including Android, Windows, and macOS.
The Gmail app is also designed to work seamlessly on mobile. It comes with a simple design, with only the essentials present. The app does not have too many bells and whistles, making it quick and straightforward to use. It also works with a minimal amount of data.
You also have the option to set up email aliases. This makes it easy to manage several email addresses from a single account. Furthermore, the email can be customised with a custom signature, making it easy to differentiate the emails. The Gmail app also lets you schedule future emails and postpone some of them until later.
Outlook integrates with Google services
With the upcoming Gmail vs. Outlook integration, managing your email account with one app will be easier.
This makes it easier to send and receive emails and save storage on Gmail. In addition, the new Outlook app will come with an Indicators section, similar to how Gmail’s tabbed interface works. This will allow you to have quick access to important emails.
Moreover, you can also have quick access to a list of vital Google services, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, and more. With this, you need not open multiple apps to manage your account. The integration will also allow you to sync your Outlook email with your Google contacts.
You can also have the option to link your Outlook calendar with your Google one automatically. This makes it easier to create an event on both platforms and see if there are conflicts. The Outlook app also comes with a search feature, which allows you to find what you need quickly.
Conclusion
The battle of Gmail vs Outlook is tough, as both apps have their own pros and cons.
The pros of Outlook are its wide range of features, as well as its ease of use. It is also a good choice for business use. On the other hand, Gmail has a better mobile app, better support, and a unified design.
Whether you should use Gmail or Outlook depends on your needs. Now that you know which one is better suited for you, you can decide which one you want to use.
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