Readdle's popular iOS email client Spark arrives on the Mac App Store

AppleInsider

Previously available for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, Readdle's hit email client Spark launched on macOS on Wednesday, and is now available as a free download from the Mac App Store.

Spark for Mac is a 13.3-megabyte download that requires macOS 10.11 or later. It works with email accounts from a variety of providers, including Apple's iCloud, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft Outlook and Exchange.

Key features from the iOS version of Spark have made their way to the Mac, including a "Smart Inbox" that allows users to view important emails first. In this view, messages are categorized as either Personal, Notifications, or Newsletters.

Spark for Mac also boasts natural language search, allowing users to just type what they are thinking and easily find what they are looking for.

The app also features smart notifications, intended to filter out noise and only alert users when they receive an important email. A feature called "Teach Spark" allows the app to learn which types of emails are important, and which are not essential.

Calendar invitations in Spark are handled with their own card and can be accepted with one click. Users can also quickly swipe between signatures when firing off an email, and respond quickly to emails with quick like, love or acknowledgement characters.

Spark also features threaded forwarded messages, and complete customization of its layout. And it allows users to snooze messages for later, and integrate with external file sharing clients like Dropbox, iCloud Drive and more.

AppleInsider recommended Spark as the best all-around replacement for Dropbox's Mailbox, after that third-party email client was discontinued earlier this year. Other popular options are Google's Gmail client, which was recently redesigned, and Microsoft's Outlook app, which features a powerful selection of robust tools.

Earlier this year, AppleInsider also polled readers on their favorite third-party email clients for the Mac. Airmail was the top pick, with Microsoft Outlook taking second, and Nylas N1 in third. Of those, only AirMail is available on the Mac App Store, now joined by Spark.

coolfactor

From the description and screenshots, it's not clear how multiple email accounts are handled, or even if it's possible. This is not mentioned anywhere. But on the setup screen, it does say "Add your email accounts" (with an "s"), so that suggests multiple accounts are supported. Can anybody chime in on this?

coolfactor

Just downloaded it, and it handles multiple accounts just fine. "Inbox" and other folders expand to reveal each account, just like in Mail.app. Nice!

mdriftmeyer

coolfactor said:

From the description and screenshots, it's not clear how multiple email accounts are handled, or even if it's possible. This is not mentioned anywhere. But on the setup screen, it does say "Add your email accounts" (with an "s"), so that suggests multiple accounts are supported. Can anybody chime in on this?

https://helpspot.readdle.com/spark/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=26 This web based [WebKit2/Chrome whatever based ] back-end is just like Nylas1. It's range of mail features to connect various non-standard cloud based mail hosts can be a struggle. If you need something that can do everything Thunderbird, Mail.app or others that aren't Cloud based also, you're pretty much SOL. To give you an idea just how much of a ``clusterfrack'' these approaches are: https://github.com/nylas/N1/issues Read the issues. The UI/UX is nearly identical to Nylas. Seems cool, but its lipstick on a pig.

paxman

coolfactor said:

From the description and screenshots, it's not clear how multiple email accounts are handled, or even if it's possible. This is not mentioned anywhere. But on the setup screen, it does say "Add your email accounts" (with an "s"), so that suggests multiple accounts are supported. Can anybody chime in on this?

Multiple accounts is no problem. I have three accounts with different providers. The quickest set-up ever. I am testing this app out for a couple of weeks just for the hell of it. I like the way it handles the inbox.

palegolas

I'm suspicious about it being free. What's the catch?
I've been looking for a Mail.app replacement for a while. Mail is not up for snugs imo when it comes to a high load of e-mails I think. Perhaps this one is a good replacement? Anyone can recommend this, or something else?

longterm

I'd love to try it, but without support for SpamSieve, Spark is a non-starter for me.

dtoub

I have used pretty much everything out there and was very wedded to Airmail until it just got too buggy and the developers became nasty and useless. Spark isn’t (yet) all that Airmail is in terms of functionality. But it works reliably with pretty few bugs. And more features are coming, plus the UX is so much better. Yes, Spamsieve isn’t yet supported. But it usually was unreliable in Airmail as well (Airmail would stop moving spam to the spam folder; it was not a SpamSieve issue). I leave Mail open in the background and that works well for now.

toomanyoranges

I use postbox, the only email app which hasn't irritated me, and it's power features make managing multiple emails sane. 
https://www.postbox-inc.com/ ;

(Such a fan of it I've finally signed up to AI just to share this)

jSnively

toomanyoranges said:

I use postbox, the only email app which hasn't irritated me, and it's power features make managing multiple emails sane. 
https://www.postbox-inc.com/ ;

(Such a fan of it I've finally signed up to AI just to share this)

I use postbox as well, really wish there was a Linux build though. Not having it in my dev VM is a bummer. Regaedless, yeah Postbox is solid. Welcome to AI : )

djdawson

I tried the new Spark client briefly yesterday on an email account I don't care about and a few things bothered me.  First, it appears to make some background network connections to sites that weren't associated with my email account, such as AWS (and others).  Such secretive network traffic is a big red flag for me.  I was also disappointed at the huge lack of features, such as the ability to change the displayed message font size, see the raw message text, or see the full SMTP headers.  Perhaps these features are on the way, but unless they explain/address the background network traffic this app is a non-starter for me.

handsonmac

Yes - I too would like to know why it's free. I don't mind paying for the app, but if it's free, it makes me wonder why? Anyone?

laikicom

I once tested spark on Mac, then I unistalled it then I forgot why I didn't keep spark. So I re-install it, I use it with great satisfaction but then I remember it is not compatible with spamsieve. That's why I unstalled it the first time and why I will for the second time until it will integrate spamsieve !!!