# Gmail vs Mail

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mail at none against Gmail's 14. Mail also leads on ads (none vs shown) and device support (5 vs 2). Gmail's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 11 months) and chart position (#3 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gmail sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Mail asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Gmail against 4.6 for Mail. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.4M and 4.4M respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of Gmail's written reviews are positive against 34% of Mail's.

Gmail ships an update weekly, Mail every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gmail | Mail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.4M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480/reviews)** | [4.6 (4.4M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mail/id1108187098/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2.4M | **4.4M** |
| Positive reviews | 29.3% of reviews | **33.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 11 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | — |
| Size | 719 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch, Vision Pro** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Gmail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Grossing · Productivity, #5 Top Free · Productivity, #16 Top Grossing, #18 Top Free (US App Store)

This application provides a secure and efficient email experience with advanced features like spam blocking, smart replies, and multi-account support. It integrates with other Google services for enhanced productivity and collaboration.

**Highlights:** Robust security & spam blocking, Real-time notifications, Multiple account support, Smart Reply & Compose, Undo send, Google Chat & Meet integration, Threaded conversations

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient email management
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 😊 Positive user experience overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💡 Lacking advanced features
- 🔒 Security concerns
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working properly
- Emails disappearing from inbox
- Inability to remove accounts
- Conversation view issues

**Requested features**

- Swipe to delete/snooze emails
- Ability to mark all emails as read
- Customizable notification settings
- Improved file attachment functionality


### Mail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mail/id1108187098)

Consolidate all your email accounts into a single, organized inbox. Prioritize important messages, quickly respond with smart replies, and manage your inbox efficiently with features like scheduling and snoozing. Enjoy enhanced privacy with IP address hiding and read receipt prevention.

**Highlights:** Unified inbox for multiple accounts, Automatic message categorization, Priority Messages and summarization, Schedule send, snooze, and unsend emails, Smart Reply for quick responses, Mail Privacy Protection

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient email management
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 Simple and intuitive interface
- 💡 Useful categorization of emails

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inconsistent swipe gestures
- 🐛 Unreliable search function
- 🐛 Emails disappearing or not syncing properly
- 🐛 Slow email download and loading times
- 🐛 Buggy performance after updates

**Reported bugs**

- Emails not downloading from server
- Inconsistent behavior when deleting emails
- Notifications not working as expected
- Drafts and sent emails disappearing

**Requested features**

- Add snooze functionality
- Improve email organization and filtering options
- Provide more customization options
- Integrate better with other Apple apps and services


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gmail free?

Gmail is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Mail free?

Mail is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Gmail or Mail?

Gmail is rated higher. Gmail averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4M ratings, while Mail averages 4.6 from 4.4M ratings.

### Do Gmail or Mail have ads?

Gmail shows ads; Mail does not.

### Which is updated more often, Gmail or Mail?

Gmail ships an update weekly, and Mail every 11 months. Most recently, Gmail was updated on September 24, 2026 and Mail on September 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*