I use Gmail so much now that in many ways, I prefer it to even using Outlook. However, integration with Windows is nowhere near as good as Microsoft Outlook for obvious reasons.

gAttach! bridges that gap somewhat by allowing you to attach files directly to Gmail or Google Apps Mail directly from Windows. In other words, just right click on a file, select "Send To" and "Mail recipient" and the plugin will automatically open your Gmail client with the file already attached. It not only attaches files directly from Windows Explorer - it also opens up a whole new world of attachment possibilities from Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.

There's not much more too it than that - it integrates perfectly into Windows Explorer. However, you may experience some glitches. If you are sending a file attachment whose filename is in a different alphabet to the one you use normally (e.g. your computer uses English but you're sending a Spanish attachment), it may not recognize or attach the file. It's also limited by Gmail's 20MB file attachment restriction. If you're logged into your Gmail, it won't prompt you for your details but if you are not, then it does ask you for your username and password which you may or not feel comfortable submitting.

For any Gmail fan, this is an excellent utility that makes attaching and sending files so much easier than opening your web client all the time.

Download gAttach! 1.2008.7.7 in Softonic

Sylpheed is an email client and news reader based on GTK+ GUI toolkit. It's full of features designed to help you get more from your messages and improve the speed at which you receive and process news feeds.

Although it's designed for Unix systems, it also works on Windows although the GUI is not exactly what you might expect from an e-mail client. It's very no thrills with few graphical attractions but as you would expect from a program designed for Unix platforms, it's very secure and functional. The program is also remarkably well-organized, lightweight and supports just about every e-mail protocol you'll ever need. It's also designed for those that need maximum security because it supports not only the standard SSL protocol but also GnuPG and TLSv1.

In addition, it comes with more standard functions you would expect such as a powerful filtering and search tool, junk mail control and external commander that allows you to do away with the mouse for a while. It doesn't seem to allow you to retrieve mail from other POP3 accounts though although there is an extensive forum that no doubt, allows you to do this.

A very secure and highly professional e-mail client that doesn't make it easy for beginners but will certainly please those that need high security and work across platforms.

Download Sylpheed 2.5.0 in Softonic

Do you have several computers? And Outlook? You need Easy2Sync for Outlook to keep your emails, contacts, tasks, etc. in sync. No matter which mail you change, write or read - Easy2Sync for Outlook keeps your computers in sync. And it uses the industrial strength design and rules which already makes Easy2Sync for Files so secure.

Features:

• Makes it easy to synchronize Outlook
• Security, Security, Security for your e-mails, contacts, etc. because of the Easy2Sync for Outlook Engine
• Unlimited directory tree size, unlimited number of mails
• Very easy to use
• Your emails are in sync by the touch of a button
• Very fast (up to 650 mails/second)
• Freeware version for trying without risk
• Reasonable price for the Home- and Business Edition

Download Easy2Sync for Outlook 2.01 in Softonic

Although web-based e-mail has meant that many desktop based clients are redundant, there's nothing that beats your own personal client. Koma-mail is the sort of client you can take anywhere on a USB stick which makes it ideal for those that are worried about the security of web based mail.

Best of all, it requires absolutely no installation and supports the all important SSL and APOP protocols. It also features support, as you would expect, for POP3 and IMAP plus it includes some other extra security add-ons such as ActiveX script blocking. From an aesthetic perspective, it's not the best looking e-mail client you'll ever use but it's very easy to find your way around, much simpler than something like Outlook and has everything you need. If you share the client amongst colleagues and employees, you can

You can define multiple user profiles so that each of them have their own settings and it supports multiple accounts, use of templates and both a simple spam filter and RSS reader.

If you're looking for a portable e-mail client to use between various people, then you'll find this helps you easily configure multiple profiles and does a simple but effective job.

Download Koma-Mail 3.7 in Softonic

Mail PassView allows you to view detailed information on each of the email accounts you have configured on your system. Mainly, it's used for the recovery of passwords although undoubtedly, some people will use it to crack passwords. The information it reveals includes details such as account name, name and e-mail server type of application you use, user name and password. You can save all this information in a text file or copy it to the Clipboard.

The program supports the most popular email clients such as Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook 2000 and 2002, IncrediMail, Eudora and Group Mail Free. It also reveals passwords and info for IncrediMail, Eudora, Netscape 6.x/7.x, Mozilla Thunderbird, Group Mail Free, Yahoo! Mail & Hotmail/MSN Live Mail (If the password is saved in the applications.). It can even work for Gmail if the password is saved by the Gmail Notifier application, Google Desktop, or by Google Talk.

If you've lost your passwords or just want to snoop, it's worth a try but very hit and miss in it's effectiveness.

Download Mail PassView 1.44 in Softonic

One of the easiest ways to save time and speed-up your productivity is to record your e-mails by voice.

At first this might seem like an odd idea - why not just make a phone call? However, leaving a voice e-mail message allows the recipient to pick them up when they want, forward it on to other people, and generally get a much better idea of how you are feeling based on the tone of your voice. HandyBits Voice Mail makes it incredibly easy to get going by allowing you to record and playback voice messages in literally a few clicks. It's also very good at compressing voice messages so there's no need to worry about huge files blocking your inbox or bringing down your mail sever (which can be a common problem with such programs). In fact, according to the developers, it will compress messages to less than 10 times their original size which is pretty impressive. You can drag voice mail messages any way you want so you can drop them out of the interface and onto your desktop but unfortunately not directly into the attachment of an e-mail. It does offer regular tips which can be useful depending on how familiar you are with the program but they can be annoying when they pop up all the time.

Get yourself into the world of voice e-mails with HandyBits Voice Mail and you'll be surprised at how much your productivity can increase although in my mind, nothing beats the simplicity of sending an e-mail when you don't want to talk.

Download HandyBits Voice Mail 6.0 in Softonic

Have you ever been worried of losing your archive of e-mails? MailStore Server is an alternative way of storing your precious mails.

The program supports multiple clients including those offered by Microsoft and Mozilla. This means it can work with Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail Accounts Exchange, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey mail accounts and those based on the POP3 or IMAP protocols. To set it up, you select the type of customer or mail account you want to use, establish a connection and then instruct MailStore to back it all up. While you are backing up email, you are kept informed of the status via messages delivered to your internet browser and if your files and attachments are too big to be backed up, there's also a compression tool and functions to export and burn your backups. The advantages to all this are several - first of all it provides you with peace of mind that your mail is backed up, it keeps all your e-mail in one place and it also frees up valuable space that may be being taken up on your server. It can also be an invaluable resource in the case of legal disputes to have backed up e-mails as evidence.

If you need a fast and easy way to backup your e-mail from a non web based client, then MailStore Server is as simple as they come.

Download MailStore 2.5.1 in Softonic

There's nothing more annoying than your personal inbox getting filled with spam trying to sell you viagra, financial services and all manner of other things you don't want.

Mailwasher Free is an easy solution for those that want to try and stop the avalanche of spam that may be clogging your inbox. These programs can be hard to setup but Mailwasher is refreshingly free of jargon and will help you get setup on just about any mail client in a matter of seconds. The program has even received glowing write ups by the BBC and CNN so you know you're getting something pretty decent here. Mailwasher has a clever preview utility which allows you to preview spam before downloading it onto your desktop - this is especially useful if it's malicious mail that could do damage to your hard drive. You can customise it to make it more sensitive to your needs too such as by adding friends to your contact list and also instructing it to bounce suspicious mail back to the sender. This is particularly useful as it will make the sender think your address is no longer active so your name is removed from their list meaning they won't be bothering you again.

A very simple but highly effective and powerful spam management tool that makes sure your inbox stays junk free.

Download Mailwasher Free 6.1 in Softonic

If you're a Thunderbird user, and you're always receiving links from friends but can't be bothered opening them in your browser, then this extension could be what you've been looking for. It simply adds URL bar to the Thunderbird interface which allows you to view websites without having to even touch Firefox, IE or whichever browser you use.

The good thing is it's easy to use and unobtrusive because it doesn't require anymore buttons adding to your toolbar because it simply adds it to the message pane that you are reading. if you do want to use your custom browser you can simply right click a link and choose to "Visit in Browser". It's also remarkably customisable for an extension allowing you to configure various Hotkeys with "about:commands" in the URL bar.

The obvious downside is that it is very small. It's often hard to read text and graphics although you can select a full screen mode. Nevertheless, this is an excellent tool for Thunderbird users and will save valuable RAM and productivity time spent reverting back and forth between your browser.

Download ThunderBrowse 3.2.1.2 in Softonic

Believe it or not there was a time when using email was something of a novelty, rather than the routine means of communication it's become today. If you're yearning for those halcyon days when emailing was new and exciting then maybe it's time you found a way to spice up your text life. Incredimail is an email client that allows you to inject a bit of fun into your mail.

The application, which has been around in various forms for some years now, allows you to insert audio and visual elements such as background images, animated pictures or humorous (or at least supposedly humorous) noises. It's clear from the outset that the program is aimed at the less technical user from the set-up wizard that makes it incredibly easy to register your accounts and import your existing mail from either Outlook or your webmail account.

Once you've got the app up and running, you'll find a truly impressive range of backgrounds, fonts, emoticons and all manner of other bells and whistles that you can browse through and add to your messages effortlessly. There's also a wealth of downloadable extras you can find on the web should you want to add even more variety to your outgoing mail.

In terms of its basic mail features Incredimail is very similar to Outlook Express, though the junk filtering system is a little difficult to set up, which isn't really in keeping with the rest of the program. Another interesting touch is the addition of a 'mail servant,' which notifies you of new mail even before you've opened the client. The default is in the form of an animated butler, although this can be changed if, or should we say when, you become annoyed with him.

There's no doubt that the program provides an interesting way of making your emails appear more interesting. The trouble is, one person's idea of fun is another's vision of tackiness hell, and festooning your messages with all these gimmicks means mail takes longer to download, which is doubly annoying for dial-up users. Although we personally wouldn't want to subject our friends to animated kisses, jumping clowns or burp sounds, Incredimail certainly provides a novel way of making your emails stand out from the rest.

Download IncrediMail Xe 5.70 build 3524 in Softonic

Spamihilator works between your E-Mail client and the Internet and examines every incoming E-Mail. Useless spam mails (Junk) will be filtered out. This process runs completely in the background.

The new Learning Filter (Bayesian Filter) uses the rules of Thomas Bayes (English mathematician, 18th century) and calculates a certain Spam-Probability for every E-Mail. You can train this filter! So it will know your messages even better than you. Hence the recognition rate will continuously increase.

In addition Spamihilator uses a Word-Filter, that searches messages for known keywords. Of course, Spamihilator supports Plugins. These useful additional filters protect your system against annoying spam mails.

The program works with almost every E-Mail client, such as Outlook 2000/XP/2003/Express, Eudora, Mozilla, Netscape, IncrediMail, Pegasus Mail, Phoenix Mail, Opera, etc...

Download Spamihilator 0.9.9.39 in Softonic

ImportExportTools is the new name of MboxImport and gives you a host of new features for exporting and importing Thunderbird messages. Now the extension allows you to export and import messages with more flexibility, with the following options:

Tools Menu --> Import/Export in mbox/eml format
Context menu on folders panel --> Import/Export in mbox/eml format

You can exporta folder in a single file (mbox format), with even the subfolders if you want. You can also export all messages in single files (eml format) and export all messages in single files (html or plain text format), with an index.

Download ImportExportTools 1.6.1 in Softonic

The good thing about the POP3 e-mail protocol is that most webmail accounts are based on it which means you can easily link your e-mail client to it.

However, sometimes when configuring your e-mail to work with a POP3 account, you can experience problems with mail getting stuck, not delivered, etc etc. If you're not very good at e-mail configuration, then this can be quite a problem but POPDele is designed for those that need to fix stuck mail without delving into the technicalities of POP3 accounts. One good example is for when you need to remove mails from your webmail account that your external client (such as Outlook) can't handle i.e. very large or corrupt files.

There's not much to the configuration - simply add your ISP, e-mail address and POPDele will list all pending messages. This prevents the annoying issue of every time you connect, your client trying to download the same stuck messages. This has only been tested with Outlook Express so there's no guarantee it will work with other clients but if you've been having problems with stubborn mail, then it may be your best bet.

A useful utility for all those POP3 users who simply can't unblock their account or have struggled with corrupt mail in an external client.

Download POPDele 1.0 in Softonic

Backing up email is not always easy, mainly because you need to find the right tool for the specific email client you're using.. unless you use Amic Email Backup.

This excellent backup application enables you to save all data in your email client as a backup copy you can then restore on a fresh installation or a completely new computer by using exactly the same program. Amic Email Backup supports the most popular clients, including Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, Eudora, Netscape Messenger, IncrediMail and PocoMail.

The whole process is really easy: simply select your client, pick the data you want to include in the backup copy and let the program take care of the rest. What's more, you can also follow the program's wizard-style interface which is even easier.

Like I said, the program has also a restoring tool which you can use to bring your data back to the email client. Amic Email Backup also supports backup scheduling: use it to always keep an updated backup copy of your messages and you won't loose important information ever again. The only thing missing, apparently, is the ability to create incremental backups.

With Amic Email Backup you can easily create security copies of any data in the most popular email clients. Plus, the schedule tool lets you leave the hard work to the program.

Download Amic Email Backup 2.0 in Softonic

If you've got multiple e-mail accounts then keeping track of what you are receiving can be an absolute nightmare involving multiple browsers and lots of confusion.

A far better solution is something like POP Peeper which is an easy to use email notifier that runs in Windows task bar and alerts you when you have new email on POP3, IMAP, Windows LiveMail, Yahoo, GMail, Mail.com, MyWay, Excite, Lycos.com, RediffMail, Juno and NetZero accounts. The fact that it supports so many webmail accounts makes this a really attractive app although in reality, you may find that it doesn't detect mail until considerably after it has arrived in your account, if at all - especially with Windows Live Mail. However, it does allow you to send e-mail directly from POP Peeper and use the address book to email your frequently used contacts. Messages can be viewed in both HTML and plain text although newsletters and other mail with heavy graphics won't display properly in plain text. One major bonus is that POP Peeper is so small that it can be can be run from a portable device and password protected which means that it's fairly secure and is a decent solution for anyone on the move a lot.

Although it doesn't give you full control over your e-mail accounts, and may not even work properly with all webmail accoutns, this is worth trying if you have multiple e-mail accounts.

Download POP Peeper 3.2 in Softonic

Email is an area where there have been few major innovations in standalone e-mail clients for quite some time. However, eMailaya makes a valiant attempt to do so with some interesting features and facets. The program is essentially an email previewer, client, and notifier in one. However, it's particularly good for those that want to set up multiple e-mail accounts because it allows you to set up new accounts with minimum complications or administrative headaches.

You can protect all accounts with a password and enjoy the benefits of tabbed e-mailing and switch between text and html. One bonus is that the program also allows you to convert your mailbox into a simple backup and storage utility for large files. One particularly nice feature is that eMailaya can tell you in each e-mail how long it took to be sent and be received which is useful when diagnosing delivery issues.

This is certainly one of the most innovative e-mail clients you'll find and well worth a try for those looking for something a bit different in their e-mail experience.

Download eMailaya 3.1.5 in Softonic

ThunderStor offers the user a simple, fast and effective method to extract ThunderBird Mail from the mail box files to individual standard message files. A command line and windows interface offers a the use a clean method to extract, archive and protect your email.

Download ThunderStor 2.8.1 in Softonic

Antispam filter automatic intercepting e-mail before it reaches your POP3 or IMAP compatible e-mail client. New technologies to ensure optimal performance.Only limited initial training is required from the user. Easy to use interface. Now you can be simply Spam free

This is what SpamExperts has to offer:

• Automatic email interception
• Automatic email retrieval and notification
• Compatibility with all POP3&IMAP based email clients
• SSL support
• No spyware or adware

Download SpamExperts Desktop 1.2.1.11 in Softonic

Windows Live Mail Desktop is a simple, powerful tool that lets you get e-mail from multiple accounts in one place and integrates your mail with Windows Live™ Spaces, Windows Live Contacts, Windows Live Messenger, and more.

It gives speedy access to multiple e-mail accounts in one place (even AOL, Gmail, and many others) and allows you to compose and manage e-mail while offline: simply connect to the internet and your messages are sent and new messages downloaded.

Other key features include a reading pane with drag-and-drop features, so you can quickly read and manage your mail plus synchronization with Windows Live Mail and MSN Hotmail accounts.

It also features increased security options to keep your mail safer from hackers.

Download Windows Live Mail Desktop 12.0.1606 Beta in Softonic

If you like Google Calendar but the only supported calendar at work is the Microsoft Outlook one, this tool is going to make your life much easier.

Google Calendar Sync is a software app developed by the Google team with which you can sync events between your Google Calendar and the Microsoft Outlook calendar. Synchronization works in several ways: either one-way from Google to Outlook, one-way from Outlook to Google or two-way between both apps.

When installing Google Calendar Sync you'll need to close Microsoft Outlook and also provide your username and password for your Google account. Once you've done that you're pretty much ready to go. Google Calendar Sync shows an icon on the system tray (which is really not that informative) and can be set to synchronize events according to a customized period of time. Also, events are fully editable inside Google Calendar's web interface.

On the downside, all the events I had in shared calendars were not successfully synced so I guess it only works with your own personal calendars.

Despite not working with shared calendars, Google Calendar Sync is still a very handy tool to keep both Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar fully synced.

Download Google Calendar Sync 0.9.3.0 in Softonic