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MailTags Alternatives: Overview of the best MailTags alternative

Discover the best MailTags alternative for better email organization and a smooth transition from MailTags.

First published

27.10.2023

Last edited

05.02.2024

Read time

5 minutes


    By James

    James has seven years' experience as a Content Marketer, bylines on Left Foot Forward, Submittable, and INOMICS, and a Master's in History. In his free time he likes to read, play guitar, and write for his personal blog.

    Emails can be messy, but tools like MailTags have made handling them a lot easier over the years. Known for its handy tagging features, MailTags has become a favorite for many.

    However, MailTags will no longer work with the new macOS Sonoma update, leaving its users looking for something new. In this search for the best MailTags alternative, Mailbutler stands out as a premium choice, and we'll be diving into what it offers in this article.

    MailTags explained

    MailTags is a handy plugin for Apple Mail users, making it easy to break free from the usual folder setup and organize emails using keywords, projects, colors, and due dates. It has a simple tagging window for quick tagging, a strong search feature, and smart mailbox integration to find emails quickly. Plus, it color-codes messages based on what you choose, like importance or project, and lets you set up rules to automatically tag new emails, making it easier to keep your email organized.

    Discontinuation of MailTags

    The end of MailTags was a bit of a letdown for its loyal users. The discontinuation of MailTags came as a result of Apple's decision to end support for Mail plugins with the release of macOS Sonoma, transitioning to a more restricted 'extensions' model using MailKit for security reasons. This change challenged developers like SmallCubed, the creator of MailTags, leading them to cease selling MailSuite (MailTags and others) to new users.

    This marked a significant turning point for MailTags users, prompting them to explore alternative solutions like Mailbutler Tags.

    Alternative tools for MailTags

    Mailbutler: A prime MailTags alternative

    Mailbutler Email Tags

    Mailbutler comes forward as a strong alternative with a bunch of features to make your email life easier. Unlike MailTags, it allows you to schedule emails, manage tasks, and add notes to your emails and contacts, and has a new AI-powered email assistant Maia.

    It also has a tagging feature to help organize your inbox. With its modern design and these extra features, Mailbutler provides a fresh, updated approach to email management, making it an appealing choice for those transitioning from MailTags.

    Firsthand experience with Mailbutler

    Transitioning to Mailbutler will feel like a fresh start. The setup is uncomplicated, and navigating through its features is intuitive. Here's a brief overview of the Tags feature in Mailbutler:

    Types of Tags:

    • Project-based tags: Organize emails based on different projects to keep related communications grouped together.
    • Priority tags: Mark emails by their level of urgency to manage your response time effectively.
    • Location-based tags: Sort emails according to the geographical location they pertain to for localized handling.
    • Time-required tags: Estimate and categorize emails based on the time needed to address them.
    • "Type of..." tags: Classify emails based on their nature or content for better organization.
    • Frequency tags: Label emails according to how often you interact with the sender or topic.
    • Status tags: Keep track of the progress or status of tasks or discussions by tagging emails accordingly.
    • Energy level needed tags: Organize emails based on the amount of mental or physical energy required to address them.

    Tagging Different Items:

    • Email Tagging: Categorize emails to easily find what you're looking for.
    • Contact Tagging: Label contacts to maintain professional relationships.
    • Notes and Tasks Tagging: Label tasks and notes to prioritize your work.
    • Template Tagging: Organize email templates for different situations.
    • Signature Tagging: Label your email signatures to choose the appropriate one quickly.

    The tags feature in Mailbutler is not just about organizing your emails; it extends to notes, tasks, and contacts, creating an integrated management system within your inbox. This way, every piece of information is properly categorized with unique tags, making your email management more efficient and less time-consuming.

    Combine Mailbutler's Tags and Tasks feature

    Mailbutler Tags on email follow up

    For an easy approach to email outreach management, you can combine the Mailbutler’s Tags and Tasks features.

    Assign a specific tag, such as "Follow Up Reminder," when setting up Mailbutler's Tags, then you can create quick email Task as shown below on the screenshot. This method ensures critical email follow-ups are easily identifiable and manageable within your inbox.

    • Transform Emails into Actions: With Mailbutler's Tasks, turn any email into a task with a click. Say goodbye to forgotten follow-ups and missed opportunities.
    • Easy Organization: Use Mailbutler Tags to categorize messages effortlessly, ensuring you never miss a follow-up or deadline.

    MailTags vs Mailbutler

    When comparing MailTags and Mailbutler, both tools aim to enhance email management but in slightly different ways. MailTags primarily focuses on escaping the traditional folder constraints by organizing emails through keywords, projects, importance, color, and due dates with a fluid tagging window, smart mailbox integration, and automatic tag assignment to incoming emails.

    On the other hand, Mailbutler provides a more extensive tagging feature available for Apple Mail, Outlook and Gmail, allowing it to be used across different items like email, contact, notes, and task tagging, which could offer a more advanced solution for users looking to keep their inboxes and related tasks well-organized.

    Mailbutler tags colors

    Here are 3 reasons why you should try Mailbutler Tags today:

    • Cross-Platform Availability: Mailbutler supports email tags in Outlook, Apple Mail, and Gmail, unlike MailTags which is only for Apple Mail.
    • Variety of Taggable Items: Besides emails, Mailbutler allows tagging of notes, tasks, message templates, email signatures, and contacts, offering a more comprehensive organizational system.
    • Ease of Tag Creation and Management: Mailbutler provides a sidebar and account preferences section for creating and managing tags, including an auto-suggestion feature for quicker tag input.

    Other MailTags alternatives

    When it comes to email tagging, there aren't a ton of options out there. We found SimplyTag, but it's only for Outlook users. So, if you're not using Outlook, your choices for tagging tools are a bit limited.

    For those not on Outlook, Gmail's native labeling feature is a viable alternative. Apple Mail has a flagging emails feature, although it's quite limited compared to email tagging.

    Summary

    There are plenty of email management tools out there to fill the gap left by MailTags, with Mailbutler shining bright among them. In the end, the best choice will depend on what you prefer and what fits your workflow.

    Have you tried any alternatives to MailTags? We’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below. If you found this article useful, feel free to share it around to help others find a great email tagging tool too!

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    Comments (4)

    1. Can you tell me whether MailButler will work with the latest Apple OS – macOS 14 Sonoma?

      29 Nov 2023
      • Hi Roger, Mailbutler is fully compatible with the new macOS Sonoma. But please note that, as with every new OS, Apple is still constantly releasing updates, as a result of which we are constantly having to release updates, too. So if you are using Apple Mail and Mailbutler for your business, we recommend waiting a couple more weeks/months before you switch to the new macOS to ensure a smooth experience. For detailed information about Mailbutler on macOS Sonoma, head to this blogpost: https://www.mailbutler.io/blog/news/mailbutler-macos-sonoma-release/
        Best, Julia

        01 Dec 2023
    2. Thanks for this article. I recently moved to Outlook for other reasons…letting my MailTags expire and now I guess I’m glad. I found your article because I need to get back to keystroke tagging and hoped Outlook would have SOMETHING. Glad to hear Mailbutler might be the ticket.

      05 Feb 2024
      • Hi Corbin, Mailbutler’s Tags feature is available for Outlook. I would recommend you to just sign up for our 14-day trial and check it out! To get started, head to this page: https://www.mailbutler.io/get-started/

        07 Feb 2024

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