Task-Oriented Email App 'Mail Pilot' Now Available for Mac

MacRumors · Jan 16, 2014

Originally a 2012 Kickstarter project, Mindsense's long awaited Mail Pilot email client is now available from the Mac App Store following a beta testing period that began in June. Mail Pilot focuses on the idea that email is action-based, providing users with a number of ways to deal with email messages.

Taking a cue from most standard email apps, Mail Pilot organizes emails into a two column design. A complete list of inbox messages is displayed on the left side of the screen while full email messages are displayed in the right column when an email is selected.

All incoming messages are marked as incomplete and can be dealt with using the following actions from the bottom menu bar: Complete, Remind, Set Aside, and List. While Complete marks an email as read and instantly archives it, the other included functions give users new ways to deal with their messages.

Remind allows emails to be dealt with on a specific date, which the developers suggest is useful for emails about bills and meetings. Set Aside files emails until later, a useful function for emails that require more time than a simple read through, and the List button aggregates related emails together, useful for wishlists, read it later lists, and collecting information on a specific event. Delete and folder options are also available.

At the top of the app, various inboxes can be accessed from a tabbed menu. There's a standard inbox, along with an inbox that displays messages received in the last day, and two inboxes for emails filed as Set Aside or Remind.

Emails added to lists are accessed from the separate and collapsible "Sources" menu bar, which also houses a list of archived, sent, and deleted messages. Composing an email is also done in a separate popup window that includes a text box with simple formatting options.

Mail Pilot is the email client reimagined from the ground up. We ignored all notions of common email clients, and we focused on how an email client could fit modern email workflows and uses. Realizing that all email messages are action-based, we developed Mail Pilot and its feature-set to empower users to use email in an intuitive and productive way.

Many companies have aimed to reinvent email in recent years with apps like Dropbox's Mailbox, but there remain few highly rated email apps for the Mac. While Mailbox does include much of the same action-oriented email functionality found in Mail Pilot, it is limited to iOS. Mail Pilot, while newly released on the Mac App Store, has been available for the iPhone and the iPad since April of 2013 and is able to offer a multi-device experience.

According to the developers, Mail Pilot works with Google, iCloud, Yahoo, Outlook.com, AOL, and standard IMAP/Exchange with IMAP email accounts, but App Store reviews indicate that iOS users have had issues getting some email accounts to work properly.

Mail Pilot for Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for the introductory price of $9.99. [Direct Link]

Article Link: Task-Oriented Email App 'Mail Pilot' Now Available for Mac

jclardy · Jan 16, 2014

This is really tempting, right now I am using Mailbox on iPhone/iPad and AirMail on Mac. It works pretty well, but I like that this app doesn't use a third party server like Mailbox.

Have any Mailbox users tried this out yet? Thoughts?

Also does this let you limit how much email it downloads on the Mac? I gave up on Mail.app because it wanted to download every single email message from all my accounts which meant my 256GB SSD was toast because I had to store the entirety of my email archive from the past 10 years. So that is another concern.

EDIT: On second thought, I just took a look at the iPhone app reviews...and they are not good. Not sure I want to switch from what is working for me right now...

doelcm82 · Jan 16, 2014

I think Apple should extend it's tagging to the mail.app.

2457282 · Jan 16, 2014

jclardy said:
This is really tempting, right now I am using Mailbox on iPhone/iPad and AirMail on Mac. It works pretty well, but I like that this app doesn't use a third party server like Mailbox.

Have any Mailbox users tried this out yet? Thoughts?

Also does this let you limit how much email it downloads on the Mac? I gave up on Mail.app because it wanted to download every single email message from all my accounts which meant my 256GB SSD was toast because I had to store the entirety of my email archive from the past 10 years. So that is another concern.

EDIT: On second thought, I just took a look at the iPhone app reviews...and they are not good. Not sure I want to switch from what is working for me right now...

I agree with your edit. In general I use the Apple provided apps and for me to replace it with another app requires that it does the basics very well (like apple does) and then provide something extra that I want. For me it has to be in that order. All too often I see a feature I really like but then find out the basics are not as good as the apple default app. Now, I have not tried this app, so I am not saying anything about this app. I am just agreeing with the sentiment that the old adage about if something ain't broke....

TheEvilDonut · Jan 16, 2014

I was part of the beta. At first the app was INCREDIBLY buggy. Messages disappeared and reappeared at random, messages makes as completed would revert to their previous state. Fun.

The app is much more stable now. However the iOS app still is very buggy itself. I was told that an update is in the works but that was 2 months ago.

Right now I am using Mailbox on iOS and Mail.app on the Mac. I will wait for either to Mail Pilot for iOS to be for stable or for Mailbox to be available for Mac before I switch to a uniform email client across both platforms.

taptic · Jan 16, 2014

It looks very interesting, but I think it would be better if it went somewhere other then archived mail....

roland.g · Jan 16, 2014

Cuban Missles said:
I agree with your edit. In general I use the Apple provided apps and for me to replace it with another app requires that it does the basics very well (like apple does) and then provide something extra that I want. For me it has to be in that order. All too often I see a feature I really like but then find out the basics are not as good as the apple default app. Now, I have not tried this app, so I am not saying anything about this app. I am just agreeing with the sentiment that the old adage about if something ain't broke....

The idea is fantastic. However, I'm not sure I can let go of either the conversation view or the phenomenal search capabilities of the default mail app.

Lionel Messi · Jan 16, 2014

I actually just like to use Mail on iPhone & Mac since it is integrated in my devices (Photos, Safari, Tweetbot, etc.) and I like the way it works. Never experienced any problems for the past 3 years I've used Mail.app. However I experienced problems with Mailbox on iPhone when I used it for about 6 months earlier this year and did not feel comfortable with it so I switched back to Mail. Following the iOS 7 update, the app has become better than ever before.

Plus I wholeheartedly agree with you:

roland.g said:
The idea is fantastic. However, I'm not sure I can let go of either the conversation view or the phenomenal search capabilities of the default mail app.

Foggy · Jan 16, 2014

Disappointed to read the phone/ipad reviews. This sounds as though it is exactly what I am after as I use my email as my todo list.

haddy · Jan 16, 2014

I have been using this for the last few weeks and have now bought it.
I like the look of it. I also have Outlook and Mail running at the same time but I prefer to read my mail with Mail Pilot........ it just looks better!
It is an imap mail reader not pop and that took a bit of working out how to set it up. The mail settings required were a bit hard to find on my ISPs website

roadbloc · Jan 16, 2014

Yey! Another mail app!

Jessica Lares · Jan 16, 2014

I think the interface is pretty ugly compared to the alternatives to be honest. Especially at $9.99.

TwoBytes · Jan 16, 2014

does the iphone app and the desktop synchronise?

Also, can you migrate from mac mail? I have a heap of unread mail I'd like to be unread if import over to Mail Pilot.
Any review of this?

haddy · Jan 16, 2014

Jessica Lares said:
I think the interface is pretty ugly compared to the alternatives to be honest. Especially at $9.99.

Well there you go then. There is no accounting for taste.

Jessica Lares · Jan 16, 2014

haddy said:
Well there you go then. There is no accounting for taste.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, and just about everyone else writes UI guidelines for a reason. And that reason is that they want developers to use it. Nothing wrong with thinking out the box, but it should be done elegantly to work with the existing environment.

Obviously a LOT of people aren't happy with it.

haddy · Jan 16, 2014

Jessica Lares said:
Apple, Google, Microsoft, and just about everyone else writes UI guidelines for a reason. And that reason is that they want developers to use it. Nothing wrong with thinking out the box, but it should be done elegantly to work with the existing environment.

Obviously a LOT of people aren't happy with it.

Are you suggesting here that it doesn't confirm to Apple's guidelines?
If so this is a pretty weird post...after all it is sold through Apple's App Store.
Also, my idea of elegance seems to be different than yours.

Michaelgtrusa · Jan 16, 2014

Looks ok to me.

FieldingMellish · Jan 17, 2014

Another software designed as a brain-replacer. The idea of email designed to help you handle your to-do list is not that useful to me.

Otterblue · Jan 17, 2014

Beta was practically unusable. I'll stick with Airmail thank you very much.

kenwallace · Jan 17, 2014

Trying it Out

I've been using the desktop version for a few days. I really like the idea of keeping my inbox processed to empty and I find that with Mail I tend to let the mail pile up rather than delete or file it.

After a couple of days I do find that I am keeping up with mail and it gets sent to the proper list, or deleted, with just a very few tagged for reminders or saved for later.

The App crashed one time, and the developer immediately contacted me via email after receiving the crash report. It has not crashed since.

Cons:

-I wish there were a "Send" button always viewable rather than at the bottom of the current draft. Command-Enter sends the current draft, but I like buttons.

-There is no menu option to save all attachments, instead you have to right-click and Save each attachment via a contextual menu. Dragging directly to the desktop changes the file name, for example "ITW VFX CR WE 011114.pdf" became "2018DE8034AFDD48B34FE8763E929F8E@wdsprod.com-ITW VFX CR WE 011114.pdf."

- The default nested option for chains is interesting, but I found it confusing. You an easily revert back to a flat chronological view though

So far, the limitations are worth the added organization and feeling that I'm keeping on top of my flow of email. If your email tends to be "project" or task oriented, I think this has great potential to keep you organized.

I have not tried the IOS versions, which sound like they might still be a bit buggy. Also, at the same price as the desktop version the IOS versions seem a bit overpriced.

MichaelT · Jan 18, 2014

Mailbox user

I'm an extremely happy Mailbox user. But it has the disadvantage of not have a mac client. Mailbox is saying already for a long time that a desktop client is coming. It is disappointing that it takes so long.

Mail Pilot is tempting, since it has the workflow processing from Mailbox and is available for both iOS and OSX. But both the price and comments keep me from switching, woul be better if they allowed at least a free trial period.

I keep hoping for Mailbox to release their mac client... Any news on that?

citi · Jan 19, 2014

Otterblue said:
Beta was practically unusable. I'll stick with Airmail thank you very much.

Airmail has been pretty questionable at best lately. Slow to start, slow to download messages, slow for everything. I'm looking for something else sense I can't update to Mavericks on my RMBP due to my need for certain professional apps to keep working. This might be the onemaybe.

spiffers · Jan 21, 2014

I bought it, and it was not worth it.

Setup is a pain in the (_|_) , no junk handling, no mail rules, it really forces you to a certain workflow, and I really hate when somebody forces me to something.

Traverse · Jan 21, 2014

Cuban Missles said:
I agree with your edit. In general I use the Apple provided apps and for me to replace it with another app requires that it does the basics very well (like apple does) and then provide something extra that I want. For me it has to be in that order. All too often I see a feature I really like but then find out the basics are not as good as the apple default app. Now, I have not tried this app, so I am not saying anything about this app. I am just agreeing with the sentiment that the old adage about if something ain't broke....

I agree completely. Apple covers the basics well, sleek and simple. If you need more than more power to you, but every time I've tried to change a default app I've just gone back to the dependable default.

hotguitar · May 1, 2014

My Experience with Mail Pilot

I purchased the OSX and iOS versions a few months ago and am running the latest versions. The work flow is pretty nice, but:

Mac OSX: even the latest version is slow, crashes almost daily and does not always display a thread intuitively. Note that I have 4 gmail accounts configured.

iOS: This is the one that drives me crazy! Also slow, buggy, and its notification system is bonkers. I get notified if I send an email. If I send an email without a subject (usually I'm emailing an attachment), I get continuous notifications on my phone.

I had tried Mailbox and the only thing I did not like was that I could not use gmail labels (easily). The reality for me is, at work, I have a Windows PC and use the gmail web client interface, so I still label and 'star' emails.

Mail Pilot let me archive to folders (labels), but it's way too buggy, esp. the iOS version.

As of today, I am back to Mailbox and am awaiting their Mac client.

Task-Oriented Email App 'Mail Pilot' Now Available for Mac

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