I'm tried of how terrible Gmail is. Id like an email client with folders or categories. If it can sort them automatically (like how Googles now defunct inbox app used to) that would be even better.
Edit: in a couple days or whenever the activity on this post slows down. I will update this post with a list of the most recommended email app.
Edit2:
Results are in: Number is the amount of people who specifically mentioned it.
I used K9 for years but recently switched to FairEmail. Works better in terms of auto-completing addresses, has better sever-side search. Previously it looked horrible compared to K9 but lately it has added Material You and other attractive theming options. It has a rather intimidating level of options but is very powerful. That being said, I still like K9 and will probably continue to check in as they add features and become part of Thunderbird.
Both K9 and FairEmail are really good in terms of being ad-free, privacy-respecting clients with unified inboxes, dark mode and other features most important to me. K9 has advantage of being totally free where FairEmail puts some key features behind a purchase, which I understand, as it's a solo developer.
I like Spark. I've had many interactions with the company and support out of Ukraine and they're always great. Haven't found anything better for my needs.
"Id like an email client with folders or categories."
I tried a few other email clients to see if I could ditch the gmail one (years ago, admittedly), and where those clients fell short for me was they didn't support labels, only folders. Multiple labels can apply to one email, but an email can only belong in one folder.
Does anyone know if things have changed, whether third party clients now support gmail labels?
There are email clients that do support labels (like em mail client), but I haven't found one where that actually syncs with the server. As far as I can tell, IMAP does support labels, but maybe the label concept isn't the same so it doesn't translate? Maybe it works over exchange as a protocol, but I haven't tried.
Basically, I think it's a limitation is the (by now) rather old protocol that's still being used, and the lack of (well supported) alternatives?
Note that em client sports Gmail's labels just fine, and syncs them properly, but that part only works with Gmail. Which kind of defeats the purpose of trying to ditch Gmail, but wanting labels and not folders.
Tutanota, which is unfortunately my only option with my email provider lol. They have their own client which is really slow and clunky, but it has a simple view with my email, contacts, and calendar. It's all stored e2ee too.
Re:work. If you need Exchange connectivity look no further. It has a subscription model, but there's absolutely nothing better than it. Made my the same company that made the previous Exchange king, Nine.
I use canary mail. I've been happy with it. It had some security features that first drew me in. But it also has a nice smart select feature that will higlight what it perceives to be junk, as you scroll your inbox. This makes cleanup a breeze.