More options appear when you open a message. Move your cursor over any message in your inbox, and icons appear to its right for a variety of mail management features, such as archiving the message or marking it as unread. (Click image to enlarge it.)īut don’t let the simple interface fool you Gmail packs a lot of power for working with messages. Gmail’s interface is clean and straightforward, making it easy to use. (Google is in the midst of rolling out some interface tweaks, so you might see either a pencil icon or a plus sign on this button.) Want to search your mail? Start typing in the “Search all conversations” box, and results appear immediately. Similarly, to create a new email, click the Compose button on the upper left of the screen. Click the one you want to read to open it. You start right in your inbox and see all of your mail, with emails you haven’t yet read in bold. Gmail, by contrast, feels as if any grade schooler can get up and running right away. As you’ll see in a bit, Outlook feels as if you need to have a PhD in order to master its basic interface. How easy or difficult is it to get started with Outlook and Gmail - and more important, what’s the basic interface you’ll use every time you check your mail, write a message, or create a meeting? I compared Gmail’s and Outlook’s overall look and feel as well as their simplicity and ease of use. With all that in mind, let’s get started. Google also offers Gmail apps for Android and iOS, so I tested those as well. Gmail is web-based, and I tested it in my Chrome and Edge browsers. Because it’s a multiplatform world, I also tested Outlook’s macOS desktop app, mobile apps, and web app. Individuals and businesses who use the perpetual version of Outlook may not have all the features covered here. Individuals can use the online version of Outlook for free, but its functionality isn’t as robust as the desktop client's.įor this review I primarily worked using the desktop version of Outlook for Windows in Microsoft 365. Microsoft Outlook is available as part of Microsoft Office, which has a variety of different iterations for personal or business use, and is available as either an annual Microsoft 365 or Office 365 subscription or a one-time purchase (what Microsoft calls the “perpetual” version of Office).

A few notes about price: Gmail is part of Google’s licensed Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) package for businesses, and it’s free for individual use.

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