Top 5 Free Windows 7 Email Software Applications

Written by:  • Edited by: Tricia Goss
Updated Feb 16, 2010
• Related Guides: Windows 7 | Email | Email Program

Looking for an email program to use with Windows 7? This list takes a look at five of the top choices, and all of them are free.

Windows 7 and Email

Although Microsoft was pretty open about the fact that Windows 7 would not come with a default email program installed, not everyone reads the tech blogs and news sites. So, as a result, a lot of people aren't finding out about this lack of pre-installed email software until they get home and set up their new Windows 7 PC. If you have a copy of MS Office, you can always set up Outlook as your default email client, but that's not the only alternative.

While it may seem a little disconcerting at first, this situation actually opens a lot of doors and gives Windows 7 users the chance to try out new email programs to find one that really does exactly what they need. With this list, we'll take a look at some of the top email programs compatible with the Windows 7 operating system that are completely free.

1. Mozilla Thunderbird

Thunderbird
click to enlarge
In terms of easy download, installation, and set up, it's hard to beat Mozilla Thunderbird. The latest version of the product, Thunderbird 3, now supports tabbed email windows and a new search interface that make organizing and managing your email quick and simple. The base application is lightweight and doesn't have all the clutter that a lot of other email clients have, but you can easily add all of the functionality you need with free add-ons and extras available through the Thunderbird web site.

In addition to Windows 7, Thunderbird 3 is also compatible with older versions of Windows as well as Mac OS X and Linux.

2. Windows Live Mail

Windows Live Mail
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If you want to stick with a Microsoft product, you can download Windows Live Mail for free from the Windows Live web site. Like Thunderbird, Windows Live Mail lets you manage multiple email accounts, and the download and installation of the application is a straightforward process.

You can also find a number of other free downloads of applications missing in Windows 7 from the Live website, including Photo Gallery and Movie Maker.

3. IncrediMail

Incredimail
click to enlarge
Another email client that is rapidly gaining in popularity is the free version of IncrediMail. With its colorful user interface, animations, and wide variety of email backgrounds, IncrediMail can be a lot of fun. Despite its flashy style and animated features, IncrediMail is very capable of handling business and professional accounts – you just may want to be careful which background you choose.

The installation and setup of IncrediMail is quite simple. The download file includes an installation wizard that walks you through all the steps needed to set up your email accounts. If you do have trouble, there are a number of well-written tutorials that you can access at the IncrediMail web site.

4. Opera Mail

Opera Mail
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If you like the idea of an email program that's integrated with your web browser, you may want to consider trying out Opera Mail. Even though it is built into the Opera web browser, Opera Mail is a full desktop email client that you can use whether you are online or offline. The application supports multiple accounts and includes a setup utility that makes it easy to add or remove any email account.

Opera Mail includes a smart spam filter and an advanced search utility among other nice features. The Opera web browser itself is a pretty nice application, so if you're looking for a new browser, this software could kill two birds with one stone.

5. SeaMonkey

SeaMonkey
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Like Opera, SeaMonkey is actually a full Internet suite that includes a web browser, email program, and other utilities. The SeaMonkey email client (like the other applications in the suite) makes use of Mozilla source code, so Thunderbird users should find the software very familiar. Like Thunderbird, SeaMonkey's functionality can be expanded through add-ons that are freely available for download from Mozilla.

The entire SeaMonkey suite can be quickly installed after downloading a single file. If you're a current Thunderbird user, you can transfer your data to SeaMonkey fairly easily – complete instructions are available on the SeaMonkey web site.


Comments

Showing all 12 comments
 
Michele McDonough Mar 25, 2011 1:52 PM
RE: MAPI support
Many of these clients claim MAPI support (at least for SimpleMAPI), but still can be a bit buggy -- fixes are made quite often, though, so you may want to check the forums of these clients to see what type of progress has been made.
Edward jeffery Mar 16, 2011 8:16 AM
Incredimail
I have a 22" Samsung Monitor and I have the latest version of Incredimail installed and I find that the text has got almost too small to read. I have been using Incredimail for a lot of years without any trouble can anyone explain what has happened?
Regards

Ted Jeffery
Tracey M Mar 9, 2011 8:19 PM
mapi compliant
Aaarrrgghhhh, can you tell me if any of these are MAPI compliant, windows live isnt! am using myob, and have to uninstall myob install mapi compliant email program and reinstall myob. sigh, am using windows 7
thanks
Bill Martovich Jan 28, 2011 6:26 PM
THUBDERBIRD
I'm struggleing with address managment. Can't seem to import my old outlook express address book and even creating a new book is a PiA.

Any suggestions.
Michele McDonough Jan 29, 2010 11:28 AM
RE: Zimbra
I haven't tested Zimbra on Windows 7 - maybe someone else has and will weigh in?
Pete Jan 28, 2010 5:41 PM
Zimbra
Does Zimbra work on Windows 7?
Michele McDonough Jan 26, 2010 10:08 AM
Thunderbird on Win 7
We've all been there, Karl. :)

I was a late convert to Thunderbird, but after using it for over a year now, I never want to switch back to Outlook.
karl Jan 20, 2010 12:10 PM
Thunderbird on Win 7
I DID get Thunderbird 3 to work fine on Win7 shortly after my first post. The "genius" that I am, I forgot about the new firewall I had installed earlier that day. T-bird is great with both POP and IMAP on Win& as it has been for while now on previous Win versions.
Matthew Becker Jan 20, 2010 11:18 AM
Go Thunderbird!
Thunderbird 3 has made such huge jumps since version 2. It has the capabilities of being just as, if not more powerful, than Outlook. I also find that it handles junk mail better than the likes of Outlook, or even Live Mail (the others I haven't tried).
Jiminy Jan 19, 2010 6:51 PM
Thunderbird
After reviewing your article, I've gone ahead and installed Thunderbird. So far, I'm loving it! Thanks for the tip.

Karl - I had no issues installing TB on three different PCs, all with differering ISPs/email servers.
Michele McDonough Jan 17, 2010 11:23 PM
RE: Thunderbird or Seamonkey on Win 7
Yes - I've used both on Windows 7 with Thunderbird being my default client for multiple email accounts. Are you using the most recent versions of the software?
karl Jan 17, 2010 11:12 PM
Thunderbird or Seamonkey on Win 7
Has anyone actually gotten either Seamonkey or Thunderbird email to connect to their email server under Win7 (without using XP compatibility mode)? I get "connection refused" for both of these (and have used both under win XP previously).
 
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