Yahoo! Mail vs GMail vs Windows Live Mail

I adore gmail. I haven't used the Yahoo Beta, but Windows Live Desktop Mail gives me a headache. Maybe I'm just used to the simplicity of gmail, but Live Mail is much too complicated. Also, Live Mail flags too many of my emails as spam. I've spent a lot of time wading through the spam folder making sure I don't miss anything important.

My favorite part of gmail is the labeling system, as I'm able to apply more than one label to a particular email. For instance, I teach a writing workshop for teenagers. All of the mail related to the workshop is labeled "Teens Together." The writing emailed to me by my students gets the additional label "TT student writing," and the communications from the organization I work for is labeled "MTW crap." I can filter via the labels, and be able to look only at the student writing or only at the business-type crap, or look at all of it at the same time and think, "These people email me way too often."

I've never considered myself a geek or a power user, but the article writer has labeled me as such, as I love gmail. I'm off now to embrace my inner geekiness.

Good seed!

Nice, informative write-up for folks who aren't in the know about Gmail. :)

After using my University's web mail server for two years, I was thrilled when Gmail launched its beta. Thank god my friends are nerds, or I might never have gotten an invite! I think they're absolutely right about the interface, too--it's not very sleek, but it's really functional, and adding hotkeys was a great idea.

In my experience with Yahoo!'s other web services, servers have been slow and unreliable, and the interfaces have been a little cluttered for my taste. (See, for example, their photo share facilities or, *shudder* Yahoo! Chat.) Half my family swear by Yahoo!, though, so I'm anxious to see what steps they take to slim down their look.

I have a gmail account. I just need to get into the habit of using it!

I've always wanted a Gmail account but didn't know anyone who could give me an invite. It's no longer necessary, I see, as I have just created an account off the Google Search page. Sweet. Thanks for the seed.

I have all 3. Each has benefits. I think overall Yahoo wins out in the GUI division. Live is also very nice but does have some quirks that annoy me. Both Yahoo and MS have made their programs work more like a standard app then just about anything else out there. The ability to shift-click or ctrl+click to select items and use keys to delete mail and such is great. Both apps can seem a bit clunky on slower computers but on a decent machine with a solid connection they are simply awesome.

Gmail would win out in other categories. Their keyboard shortcuts I enabled but never got used to. Mainly because they don't seem to be based on how people currently use software. I have found it easier to live without the shortcuts. The interface is simple which is the number 1 reason I use gmail more then the others. The conversations way of organizing emails is something that takes some getting used to but it tends to help a lot with keeping mail organized. Gmail is a case where they tried to reinvent the wheel and came up with something awesome. They could have taken 1 step back and improved a few things but even with that it's what I choose to use.

I can't say that any of these guys are a clear winner. Just look at the pros and cons for yourself and decide which is better for you.

I've got Y! Beta, WLM, and Gmail. I've used Gmail since July 2004, when it first came out. Before that, I'd also used AOL Mail (not the web-based one, the one that comes with AOL software. Ugh.) and Outlook Express w/ Verizon. I personally like Gmail better as it has more storage, it's virtually impossible to run out of space, it's fast, and it's ads are text-only. Therefore, I'm biased.

Just a few comments here:

User Interface - Yahoo Mail Beta has probably the neatest interface which gives a non-cluttered look and feel. Their multi-tab view feature makes it very convenient for a user to stay on the same page.

Non-cluttered? Right... Gmail is the only truly uncluttered. I do like the tab features though.

[If you want more space, try Lycos - it offers 3 GB of storage space and they have removed all restrictions on the email attachment size.]

Actually, you can get 10 times amount of the storage with 30 Gigs, and send files up to 100 MB with YouSendIt:
http://30gigs.com/
http://yousendit.com/

All email services provide support for sending email in rich text format thought Gmail does not have support emoticons and smileys.

http://gmailskins.mozdev.org/

Only GMail provides you POP access to access your email messages from a client like Outlook or Thunderbird.

And is the only one to receive POP (this is in beta, it's called Mail Fetcher)

Yahoo, Gmail and Windows Live Mail integrate well with their corresponding messenger clients but Gmail provides their messenger even in their web-based email client.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2007/02/yahoo-mail-beta-adds-instant-messaging.html

Gmail has a simple no-frills interface but offers loads of storage, excellent search capabilities, seamless integration with Google Docs, POP access and powerful labels. This is for geeks and power users.

I would disagree. It isn't just for geeks, my parents love Gmail. In fact, a ton of my non-technical friends use Gmail and love it.

Note: I'm not trying to be a complainer about how everything in this article is wrong, I'm just pointing out a few corrections

I'm Gmail all the way.

GMail is the best, but I use Yahoo mostly, for historic reasons.

Gmail. Easy win.

Yahoo has animated display ads all over the place, it's sluggish, the spam filter is weak and refuses to let me mark spam from Yahoo affiliates.

Gmail has text-only ads, the interface is usually snappy, and the spam filter is more or less effective.

Gmail's main flaw is the inability to create folders. Yahoo does allow that, and in fact it's the only way I can keep Yahoomail I actually want to read again because the inbox is ALWAYS jammed with junkmail. I think that stuff breeds in my Yahoo inbox.

Have not used the Windows Live product but I do have a Hotmail account and it's not even in the same league as Gmail. No comparison whatsoever.

Also like the way Gmail interfaces perfectly with Apple Mail, for free. As far as I can recall, Yahoo makes you pay for POP access.

Gmail Ndizvo! (Thats Shona(Zimbabwe) for Gmail Rocks!)

i am a developer who was invited to gmail by another geeky friend, after using yahoomail, hotmail, lycos, email, outlook, outlook express, etc, etc, gmail has provern to be the best choice for me, simle elegant, fast and intuitive... consider sign out on the top right corner ... natural.. no hassle instant messenger... it is now my primary email..

I like the new windows live mail desktop (08 version). It fits perfectly with messenger and rss in a email client is something I really miss in gmail (its not IN the client). Yahoo! do not go there...sorry but its just like aol...spyware for life. Its so slow, plus yahoo! mail is so buggy...it almost NEVER accepted my rss feeds.

Gmail its not so bad, its good for school as its light plus not restricted...

But I prefer windows live mail (desktop) as;

*I get rss in the client

*I can add (almost) any email client in there (yes gmail, aol, and yahoo accounts)

*Its vista like gui

*Its better support

Though there is 2 cons 1. Speed its on the slow side, but I find it faster then thunderbird. 2. It sometimes forgets to unflag a email, count your new rss or emails (minor).

Windows live hotmail for life, as well I don't have to move to anything, its already there, you can change the look, all my friends are there, its professional, and it makes me fell safe (compared to yahoo! and aol..i just don't feel safe.)