When I reviewed Airmail last year, it was arguably the best mail app available for the Mac. Since then, I've used a handful of other apps before ultimately settling on the Mailbox for Mac beta. However, Airmail 2 just landed, combining the same advanced features with an even better Yosemite-style interface. So, is it enough to regain my heart, and the OS X mail app crown?
Airmail 2 includes the ability to upload attachments for iCloud accounts, a Today View widget, action extensions, and sharing extensions. This makes Airmail even more convenient on the Mac. As usual, you can set universal shortcuts for both composing new messages and for calling up Airmail.
Airmail 2 supports almost every account type you can throw at it, including Exchange. Airmail is also a pro with aliases and Gmail labels. I've had very few times that I've added labels or had syncing problems. If I did, Airmail has a nifty tool in settings that allows you to easily rescan folders. This has fixed any syncing problems 100% of the time. You can also scan your local address books too right from the start so Airmail can easily auto-complete emails as you type them.
One of my biggest concerns when switching back to Airmail was my habit of "snoozing" messages in Mailbox. I manage most of my mail on my Mac and only really use mobile when I need to quickly respond to something or refer to something. While Airmail has a more traditional approach to mail, you do have the option to mark items as starred or transforming them into todos.
If you star a message, it'll show up as flagged in other mail apps, including Apple's Mail app for iOS. The todo option highlights the message as red in Airmail for Mac and also shows them in the Todo section of the Today Widget. If you want another level of organization, you can also mark messages as memos.
For the first 24 hours I twitched slightly about having messages in my inbox since I have become so accustomed to clearing it out on a regular basis. With Mailbox, I'm at "inbox zero" whenever possible and "snooze things" where appropriate for later. However, since I deal with most of my mail on my Mac, the todo and memo workflow works really well. I only wish it translated better to iOS, whether in the form of an Airmail app or something else.
The good
- Keyboard shortcuts for archive and trash make triaging your inbox a breeze
- Lots of advanced features to play with for all kinds of account types
- Yosemite interface is very nicely done and includes many welcome features such as a today widget
The bad
- No snooze options like other email apps such as Mailbox
- No iOS app
The bottom line
Airmail 2 is one of the most customizable and powerful mail apps available for Mac. If you can think of a setting you want to customize, you most likely can. However, all of that may be more than most people need. If you want complete control, Airmail is for you. If you want simplicity, or you're an inbox-zero kind of person, you might want something else.
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