E-mail Client Software

Overview More and more people are using e-mail to communicate now, than ever before. It's quick, easy, and cheap. Unfortunately, the more e-mail you receive, the more cluttered your inbox becomes. Luckily, many e-mail clients allow you to organize, filter, and sort your e-mail so you can  find that Christmas cookie recipe that Grandma sent you last year or locate that important e-mail that listed your confirmation number on that flight to New York.

There are many e-mail clients available for download online. Some are free, and some are commercial products that you must purchase. Each has its own unique features, strengths, and weaknesses. Different versions of e-mail client software are required for different operating systems, but the most popular e-mail clients are available for Windows, Mac OS and Linux/Unix.

Popular E-mail Clients Besides the most popular e-mail clients, Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express, and Netscape Messenger, there are many e-mail clients available today for different users, functions, and operating systems. The demand for a better interface, the ability to handle large amounts of e-mails, and increased flexibility has forced many companies to create their own e-mail client software. Links are provided below for a few of the more popular e-mail clients. Additionally, there are links to e-mail clients that offer an alternative to the major ones. 

Microsoft Outlook at www.microsoft.com/Office/Outlook and Microsoft Outlook Express at www.microsoft.com/windows/oe are e-mail clients that usually are included with the Windows operating system or Windows Office. Microsoft offers versions of this product for other operating systems as well. 

Netscape Messenger at home.netscape.com is most commonly bundled with Netscape Communicator. It also includes Navigator, Netscape's popular Web browser. Netscape Messenger is also available for platforms other than Windows. 

Eudora (www.eudora.com) offers Eudora 5.1, their newest version of their popular and long running e-mail client. Eudora is specifically designed to manage moderate to heavy e-mail traffic while providing the user with a smooth and easy-to-use interface. 

The Bat at www.ritlabs.com/the_bat is respected by both professionals and novices for its abundant features and easy-to-use interface. This interface allows users to create customizable message templates, and multiple accounts and users from the same computer. 

Pegasus at www.pmail.com offers a highly intuitive e-mail client featuring a sharp looking interface with support for integrated address books and mailing lists. Pegasus is considered to be one of the best freeware e-mail clients available. 

Calypso Mail 10xshooters.com/calypso-free is a relatively new commercial e-mail client that competes with Netscape Messenger and Outlook Express. Calypso Mail offers advanced e-mail filtering, a graphically appealing interface, and solid support for multiple accounts and users. 

Additional E-mail Client Resources Many Web sites provide e-mail client software resources, which include client reviews, FAQs, and software downloads. They also offer information about e-mail client software for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Unix operating systems. The Web site cws.internet.com/mail.html reviews and rates many commercial and freeware e-mail clients. Their results are regularly updated. For Macintosh computers, e-mail client software resources (such as an index of e-mail clients, e-mail utilities, and reviews) can be found at www.macemail.com. Information, resources, and utilities for e-mail client software using Linux or Unix operating systems are available at either www.tivea.net/EmailClient.html or this Yolinux.com page.