Gmail and Outlook in one app

If you want Gmail and Outlook in one app, there are really two designs. One rebuilds both inboxes inside its own interface and merges them into a single list. The other keeps each service exactly as it is and puts them in one window. Neither is wrong; they suit different people.

Option 1: an email client with a unified inbox

A client such as Thunderbird connects to Gmail over IMAP and shows every account in one list, and the new Outlook app on Windows can add a Gmail account alongside your Microsoft ones. That is a real advantage if a single merged inbox is what you are after. The trade-off is that Gmail's labels, filters, search operators and keyboard shortcuts are replaced by the client's own.

How to add Gmail to the new Outlook

If the merged-inbox route is the one you want, you do not need another app at all. In the new Outlook, open Settings from the gear icon, go to Accounts, then Email accounts, and choose to add an account. Enter your Gmail address, complete Google's own sign-in, and allow Outlook access. Repeat it per account.

Worth knowing before you do: Microsoft has changed this flow more than once, so the exact wording of those screens may differ from the version you have. What you lose either way is the Gmail interface itself, which is the reason the rest of this page exists.

Option 2: the real web apps in one window

Smails loads Gmail's own interface and Outlook's own interface, each account in its own isolated, signed-in session, with a sidebar to switch and an unread badge per account. You sign in on Google's or Microsoft's own login page inside the app, so Smails never sees your password and your mail goes straight between your computer and the provider. Links open in your default browser. Nothing is rebuilt, so nothing is missing.

Option 3: a multi-app browser

Shift and Wavebox hold Gmail, Outlook and dozens of other web apps in tabs. Great breadth if email is only part of the picture, at the cost of a Chromium-sized footprint and subscription pricing. The Shift alternative page covers that trade-off, and the comparison table lines the apps up.

Will your accounts work in Smails?

Tick the accounts you have. The answer comes from what Smails supports today, including the ones it does not.

On Mac or Windows

The same app runs on macOS 15 or later and on Windows 10 and 11, and one licence covers up to 2 devices. The platform pages go into detail: Gmail desktop app for Mac and Gmail desktop app for Windows.

Where it loses

No unified inbox, no iOS or Android app, and no Yahoo, iCloud or generic IMAP accounts. If those matter more than the real Gmail and Outlook interfaces, use an IMAP client.

What it costs

Free with one account. A one-time $9.99 unlocks unlimited accounts with free updates and a full refund if it is not for you. See why an email app without a subscription is unusual.

Gmail and Outlook together, compared