advantages of using Mail compared to a web mail account

[zoran]

I have an email yahoo account using it through yahoos web mail, but i was thinking that maybe i should change it and use Mail from my Mac. What are the advantages of using my yahoo account though MacOS's Mail when compared to the Yahoo Webmail im using right now?

 

[KaliYoni]

I have several Yahoo email accounts that I mainly access through Mail. I do have to use the web site occasionally, usually to manage filters or disposable email addresses.

Here are some things that immediately come to mind:

Advantages of Mail

1. No banner ads
2. Potentially less tracking by Yahoo, social networks, and advertising networks
3. No annoying autoplay videos
4. Second layer of spam filtering
5. Mail's Rules (in Preferences) are much more customizable and flexible than Yahoo's filters
6. Less dependence on constant Internet connectivity
7. Less confusing interface and UX (YMMV)
8. If you use Time Machine, easily accessed backups

Disadvantages of Mail

1. Can't create online filters
2. Can't create disposable addresses
3. Can't use disposable addresses as a "From" address easily
4. Apple has terrible software QA, especially on programs that don't seem to receive a lot of attention from Apple's developers such as Mail
5. Uses HD space for storage

 

[PDJ-SF]

For me the largest advantage is having all mail "sync" between the device and the mail server through IMAP instead of having to access the website / webmail interface.

 

[posguy99]

Fastmail's web interface is *so* much more usable than Mail.app on macOS, there's no contest. I will continue to use it even though it does not have an offline capability at present.

I particularly like Fastmail's easy support for aliases, which Mail.app on iOS mostly supports without meaning to and on macOS the support is better ignored. Having Calendar and Contacts integrated into the mail client is definitely a plus too.

I do wish Fastmail would integrate support for Reminders in their client, though. They can be a storage for them, but they are not presented in their interface yet.

 

[sgtaylor5]

@KaliYoni, Your disadvantage #5, to me, is an advantage. I repair computers, and some of my customers get locked out of their webmail accounts because either they:

1. didn't give the webmail provider enough recovery information when they set it up
2. they didn't trust the service enough to give them any recovery information
3. they are on their third cell phone number and that didn't match the information on file
4. they forgot they even needed a password to log in (browser remembered it) and never wrote it down, etc.

but when the hard drive dies, it takes the browser info with it (sync the browser info to an account? what's that?)

...so they're stuck, and sometimes, so am I. Having the email information offline means I can login to a new email account and move the email from one account to another in the email software. Invaluable.