Bringing Gmail out of the web browser and onto the desktop has always been a challenging task. The reason it’s so challenging is because you want to offer the Gmail experience and all of its awesome features in a more native app environment, but unfortunately, this is not nearly as easy as one may think. Sure there are apps out there that are essentially stripped down web browsers that bring Gmail to your desktop, but often times the experience for end users isn’t that great due to slowness, increased memory usage, and it just not being as responsive as a native app.
But that’s no longer the case–thanks to an app called Kiwi for Gmail. The developers behind the app spent two years developing new technology and techniques to bring Gmail to your desktop in a way that isn’t in a browser or browser-clone. The result, as they describe is, “a true email client, not a trimmed down browser.” And I have to say in my time using Kiwi for Gmail, I agree.
Kiwi For Gmail 2.0.6 For Macos High Sierra
Kiwi for Gmail lets you add multiple Gmail or Google Apps account to the app and manage them all with ease. No more having to log into one account and then logout to access to another. You get access to all of Gmail including Google Chat and Drive as well. In fact, because of the way the app has been built, Google Drive works across multiple accounts flawlessly, which is something you can’t even do in Chrome. Bravo.
In terms of user interface and experience, everything you do in Kiwi for Gmail is quick. It feels like a native macOS app. The UI is easy to understand and work with, you can switch between accounts with just one click and you can color code each account to make it easy to differentiate between them all.
Kiwi for Gmail (formerly Gmail for Mac) turns Gmail into a full-powered desktop email client. No one wants to use Gmail in the browser on their phone, and we felt they shouldn't have to on the Mac either. 2 years in the making from a seasoned team with Apple, Bose, and iRobot experience. Mailplane Gmail email client. I’ve literally tried every alternative Gmail and email client out there including Spark, Airmail, Canary, Polymail, Boxy Suite, Kiwi for Gmail, Wavebox, Missive, Postbox, macOS Mail, and Mailspring. They were all missing certain features I needed. Mailplane checks all these boxes. Why is Mailplane so great?
The app also adds a menubar icon with the total unread mail count, if you click on it you can see a break down of what accounts are responsible for your inflating inbox. You can also easily access the accounts from the menubar or start a new message from it as well. The menubar drop down also sports a feature called The Zen Switch aka Do Not Disturb which disables new email notifications from being shown to you. Super useful if you’re in the zone and trying to get some work done.
In the app’s latest release the team announced integration support for Boomerang and have promised more plugin support is on the way. The development relating to which plugins will be supported next I’ve been told is based on user demand, so if you want a specific plugin integration definitely voice your opinion to the developers so they are aware. Ahem, Streak CRM integration please. Thank you.
Overall, Kiwi for Gmail is the best implementation of Gmail on the desktop that I’ve seen to date. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make much use out of it until I see Streak support as it’s a critical part of my email workflow. Nonetheless, my needs are very specific, I’d definitely recommend downloading Kiwi for Gmail. You can find it on the Mac App Store for $9.99.
A couple of last things to note, these are likely not deal breakers for most people, but just in case: Kiwi for Gmail does not have offline support and it does not support Inbox by Google.
Kiwi For Gmail 2.0.6 For Macos Catalina
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In the cloud-connected 21st century, Google is currently king. Chances are you’ve got Gmail for email and make use of Google Drive and its associated apps for storing files and working on the go. But while there are dedicated apps for accessing these features on your mobile, what about the desktop?
Rather than tie up your web browser or make do with a third-party email client such as Thunderbird, Kiwi for Gmail aims to provide you with a dedicated app that gives you access to a wide range of Google services depending on whether you stick with the free Lite version (Gmail, Calendar, Contacts) or shell out for the Premium version (Lite features plus G-Suite, comprising Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, plus Google Drive).
The app doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel – at first glance it’s little more than a wrapper for the web-based interface, so will be instantly familiar to those currently accessing Google services through their browser.
That does it a disservice though, because Kiwi for Gmail basically integrates these services into your desktop, with support for multiple windows and – in the Premium version – up to six separate Google accounts. It also provides desktop shortcuts for Docs, Sheets and Slides to make the G Suite a contender for your default office tool.
Kiwi For Gmail 2.0.6 For Macos Windows 10
If all you want is a dedicated desktop front-end for Gmail, then the Lite version is sufficient, offering desktop notifications, separate window for composing email and the ability to make Kiwi your default mail handler.
Kiwi For Gmail 2.0.6 For Macos 10.13
If you want to juggle multiple accounts or integrate G-Suite into your desktop, then the Premium version costs $29.99 a year on Windows (Mac users can get it for a one-off $29.99 through the app store). Other benefits of Premium include the ability to restore windows on restarting, support for keyboard shortcuts (and Chrome-based Gmail plugins) and the ability to directly open Google App files from the desktop.
Premium users on Windows also gain two exclusive features not (yet) found on the Mac, both of which aim to make the program less intrusive. The first is an “Important Only” notifications setting that allows you to prioritise alerts, and a “Do Not Disturb” feature for setting aside quiet time.
Everything works slickly and as you’d expect – if you’re a Google aficionado and want to separate its mail and office features from your browser, then Kiwi for Gmail is well worth taking for a road-test.
Verdict:
A slick way to integrate your Gmail account (and potentially G-Suite itself) into your desktop without having to adapt to a different user interface.