Do you know about the 7 most used free email address providers in Canada? They are – Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, AOL, GMX, and Nili. Besides being a major source of online communication, emails are also the easiest medium for online communication. It is useful and valid, making it a valuable tool. Companies and enterprises rely on email, rather than other options.
Who doesn’t have an email account nowadays? Perhaps, the time is ripe to change your email provider. Most email services have been around for many years. If this makes you think you’ve seen them all before, you should take another look. Hotmail is a distant memory; Microsoft has moved its users to Outlook.com and had worked real hard to steal users from Gmail with its Scroogled campaign. In Yahoo, millions of people rely on it for their messaging. Google frequently tweaks Gmail. Apple has given iCloud, and some smaller players include GMX and AOL with solid service.
The rating and some information:
Google Gmail
Rating: 4/5
Gmail is a lightweight, minimalist design for speed, and most of the screen is taken up by the inbox. There is a new “labs” feature, which splits a view horizontally or vertically, with the inbox in one-half and the current email in the other. It is merely a different way of organising email and arguably more effective, because folders for organising messages aren’t supported; instead, you attach labels.
It takes time to get used to it, but if you simply know the right commands to enter the search box, you can do some filtering, which isn’t possible with rival services.
There are many ways to view email. Priority inbox puts what Gmail thinks is important at the top. Gmail can automatically sort messages by content.
There are more interface themes these days and an option to use any image you like for the background. Here, emails from other POP accounts can be collected and contacts imported. So, switching to Gmail is easy. There are more configuration options than most other services.
The big issue with Gmail is the privacy. Your emails will be read by a bot to target advertisements to you.
Microsoft Outlook.com:
Rating: 4/5
The interface of Outlook.com is similar to traditional email, with a folder list on the left “including inbox, drafts and sent.” Most screens list the contents of the current folder. It enables you to browse the inbox and read emails at the same time.
Like most other email services, the organisation of email folders is straightforward. Your messages can easily be dragged to your folder and a rule created to sort incoming mail automatically. A quick views section automatically categorises messages to a degree, and there are more categories here than Gmail. Rules can be created to assign incoming messages to categories.
Messages can be archived; sweep moves or delete all messages from a sender. If you get junk mail, Outlook can try to unsubscribe from that sender. You can add other POP3 mail accounts. You can import contacts from places like Facebook and elsewhere.
Yahoo! Mail:
Rating: 3/5
Yahoo! has a modern look and feel, and themes are available with a plain or photographic background. “There is a panel with the inbox, sent, spam, trash and other system folders” and a list of email on the right from whatever folder you select. You can add a preview pane to enable you to browse folders.
Here, tabs are optional, so you can read and type mail at the same time in different tabs. Menus under the tabs provide many accesses. There are facilities for creating filters that automatically sort incoming messages, and folders can be dragged or dropped into other ones.
Other email accounts can be added, so all messages can be seen in one place. Extra email addresses can be linked here. Contacts with Facebook, Google, and other import options and calendar are available.
Apple iCloud:
Rating: 3/5
Its web-based version is disappointing and less functional than the mobile version. On the iPhone or iPad, Mail can be set up to access other email accounts, but on the website, you can only have access to iCloud email. Its service is designed with simplicity; it’s typically in Apple fashion.
It has a three-pane view on the left; the inbox list is in the middle and selected messages on the right. It is straightforward, easy to understand, and looks very nice, but there are no options to customise it. The reading pane can’t be hidden or displayed below the inbox list.
Folders can be created and emails dragged and dropped in them. Rules also can be created to sort messages automatically. You can make a sender VIP that will ensure you don’t miss important emails.
GMX Mail:
Rating: 3/5
GMX Mail is tiny in popularity compared to Google, Outlook, and Yahoo! It can be configured to import Facebook contacts and import from Outlook, CSV files, and other sources. It can fetch email from other addresses and general POP3 accounts. It can be customised with themes and the positioning of the reading pane. There are also adverts.
There is a folder panel on the left, where additional folders can be created; messages can be debugged and dropped to organise them manually. Filters can be created also. There is a contact panel. GMX has more features than iCloud and has an unusual ability to insert a photo captured live from webcam and overlay cartoon shapes.
AOL Mail:
Rating: 3/5
It was the leading inter-service provider 20 years ago. It has struggled since. Unlike other email address services, it shows newsfeed with the latest headlines. So, it is distracting to click the links when you should be dealing with your mail. Another distraction is the theme.
The usual folder list is on the left, and additional folders can be created, dragged from the inbox, moved from the menu, or rules can be created to place incoming mail in the appropriate folders. Its feature is similar to iCloud Mail. All the basic features are present, but you can’t collect emails from another account.
Nili Mail:
It is a newer email service than the others. It is the only free Canadian email account provider. It is designed for email business, particularly, for the unique Canadian market. It’s the easy, fast, and reliable emailing.
It has a contact list, 1 GB disk space (for reputable accounts), calendar, to-do list, beautiful webmail app, schedule sent email, spam free, and email support. It also has mobile, tablet, and desktop Sync options. You can bring your mailbox from anywhere, like Gmail, iCloud etc.
And the most important factor, unlike other providers, Nili keeps all email messages inside Canada and offers one business day online support to all users.
Here, you can see why we believe that every Canadian should create a free Nili eMail address.
Do you know any other free email provider in Canada? Share them with us.
