People search Gmail alternative for two different jobs. One is leaving Google and getting a new address. The other is keeping @gmail.com and getting a better app. This page is the second.
If you want a new provider, Faraday is the wrong tool. It connects to a Gmail or Outlook account you already have. It does not issue an address, and it does not sign into iCloud, Yahoo, or AOL.
What is a Gmail alternative?
Either a new email provider, or a different client on the Gmail account you have. Search results mix the two.
Outlook.com, Fastmail, and Proton Mail are the first kind: a new host and, usually, a new address. Apple Mail, Spark, Superhuman, Shortwave, and Faraday are the second kind: another way to read the Gmail you already have. Pick a client if you wanted a calmer inbox. Move providers if you wanted to stop using Google. Doing the wrong one wastes a weekend.
If you want to leave Gmail entirely
That is a provider move. You get a new address, you forward the old one or you tell people, and you live with whatever that host does. Outlook.com, Fastmail, and Proton Mail are the names people compare for that job. This page does not review them.
Faraday does not replace Google as your provider. Of the two hosts it does connect to, the practical difference is in Gmail vs Outlook.
If you want to keep your Gmail address
Then you want a client. The mail stays at Google. You sign into it from another app. Gmail's own site and apps are the default, they are free, and they are a fair answer when tabs and the Gmail app are how you like to work. An alternative earns its place when that is no longer true.
Apple Mail
Free on Mac and iPhone, and it can add a Gmail account. It is the right Gmail alternative when the requirement is free and built in. It will not sort the inbox for you. The longer writeup is the best email app for Mac and the best email app for iPhone, including the free options.
Spark
Spark is a client with a large how-to library, and it is a real product competitor if you are choosing an app rather than a new address. The head-to-head is Faraday vs Spark, and the wider list is Spark alternatives.
Superhuman
Superhuman is a paid client built around speed and shortcuts. Read Faraday vs Superhuman if that is the comparison you are actually making, or Superhuman alternatives if you have already decided against it.
Shortwave
Shortwave is a Gmail client, not an Outlook one. The comparison, including what it costs and where the AI differs, is Shortwave vs Faraday.
Faraday
Faraday connects the Gmail or Outlook account you already have and classifies what arrives without you writing a prompt for each sender. Auto-write drafts replies in your voice. The Mac app is about 10 MB. iPhone is on TestFlight, not the App Store yet, and there is no Android app yet.
In the US the published price is $14 a month, or $12 a month billed annually, with a one-week trial. The current numbers are on pricing. It is not a new @gmail.com, and it is not a way off Google. It is the client in front of the account.
The product page is Faraday. The category, if you were searching for software rather than a Gmail-specific app, is email management software. The head-to-head with Gmail's own interface is Faraday vs Gmail. A wider set of AI clients is the best AI email clients.
Which Gmail alternative should you use?
Stay in Gmail, or use Apple Mail, if you want free and you are fine with a normal inbox. Use Faraday if you want that same Gmail or Outlook account sorted, and replies drafted, without a new address. Use Superhuman if you already know you want a speed client and you are choosing among paid ones — read the comparison first, rather than treating this paragraph as the review.
Is Faraday a Gmail alternative?
Yes, as a client. No, as a new address. Your @gmail.com stays. Faraday is the app you read it in, on desktop and, via TestFlight, on iPhone.
What is the best free Gmail alternative?
Apple Mail on a Mac or iPhone, or the Gmail app itself. Faraday has a one-week trial and is paid after that, so it is not the free answer. The free breakdowns are in the Mac and iPhone guides.
Gmail alternative for Mac
There is no official Gmail desktop app. On a Mac the practical choices are Gmail in the browser, Apple Mail, and a third-party client. That comparison, with Faraday in it, is the best Gmail client for Mac.
Gmail alternative for iPhone
The Gmail app and Apple Mail are free and already installed for a lot of people. Faraday for iPhone is on TestFlight, which is not the same as the App Store. The rest of that choice is in the best email app for iPhone.
