[MlMt] AltaMail vs. Preside?

Bryce Wray bwray at wraytx.com
Sun May 10 11:09:29 EDT 2020


Eric,

Thanks for the response! Interesting thoughts.

Best wishes,

Bryce Wray
bwray at wraytx.com
https://brycewray.com

On 10 May 2020, at 9:25, Eric Sharakan wrote:

> Hi, I've chosen Preside (I'm using it now). I completely agree with 
> the author's thoughts on notifications and productivity so that's not 
> a negative for  me at all.  The big pluses for me are the 
> customization options and the support for tags using IMAP keywords, 
> which are totally compatible with MailMate.
>
> I do find the customization menus terribly confusing to navigate, but 
> now that it's setup as I like I almost never need to go there. I also 
> find the iPad version more confusing and less satisfying than the 
> iPhone version. There are annoying differences between the two and no 
> way to sync settings that I've found.
>
> One other negative I've found is the html rendering is not always spot 
> on. If you dig through the options you will find that there are two 
> different html rendering engines. I've sometimes had to switch between 
> the two for certain emails to render properly.
>
> Overall I'm extremely happy with Preside and thrilled that I don't 
> have to use Apple's inferior mail apps on either iOS or macOS.
>
> -Eric
>
> On May 9, 2020 at 13:07:46 EDT, Bryce Wray <bwray at wraytx.com> wrote:
>
> Fellow MailMate users,
>   
>
> I apologize in advance for the length of this! However, there’s a 
> lot to unpack here.
>
> A search of the list archives suggests that those of you seeking a 
> MailMate-like experience on iOS have generally ended up with one of 
> two apps, either AltaMail or Preside. I am trying both now—and, in 
> the interests of full disclosure, wish to note that I plan to write a 
> (totally unpaid-for) blog post about this subject—so I would 
> appreciate knowing your feelings, if any, about each app **and** 
> whether you’ve actually made either your go-to iOS mail app. *(Re 
> the blog post: rest assured I would quote you by name* ***only*** *if 
> you explicitly approve. I mainly just want to get a “sense of the 
> room,” but would also appreciate some particularly cogent quotes if 
> applicable.)*
>
> To be sporting about it, I’ll go first—with the caveat that I’m 
> not nearly as heavy a power user as I suspect the vast majority of you 
> are, so I’m doubtless missing a **lot** of stuff; hence, my 
> curiosity about *your* opinions. I will spare you multiple “IMHO” 
> qualifiers, since this is *all* in my humble 
> opinion . . .
>
> ## AltaMail
>
> - Pros
> 	- Real-time, highly configurable notifications.
> 	- Ability to navigate folders at multiple levels.
> 	- Apparently thorough adherence to email standards.
> 	- Syncs many settings among multiple devices via iCloud (although 
> this can be a gotcha if you’re not careful, such as with “Sent 
> from my” signature lines that reference a specific device).
> 	- [Have nothing to say about the vendor’s responsiveness, since I 
> haven’t yet requested help.]
>
> - Cons
> 	- Menus’ on-screen structure and modalities make it difficult to 
> navigate through folder levels, especially on iPhone-sized screen. 
> (Its biggest flaw.)
> 	- Real-time notifications require keeping the app always running in 
> background.
> 	- Sync with large IMAP folders can be slow on first access 
> (apparently not done in background, which may be to save battery 
> juice).
> 	- Some oddities with customizing received/sent emails’ appearances.
> 	- Doesn’t make efficient use of extra real estate on iPad, even 
> when explicitly set for that device.
> 	- User docs appear to lack comprehensive details, are difficult to 
> navigate, and lack screen captures.
> 	- Enforced subscription model after initial free trial.
> 	- Doesn’t use Markdown.
>
>
> ## Preside
>
> - Pros
> 	- Ability to navigate folders, easily, at multiple levels.
> 	- Vast customization options for both functionality and 
> look-and-feel, organized for easy config once you’ve had time to get 
> used to it.
> 	- Makes good use of iPad screen size while keeping consistent 
> look-and-feel with iPhone version.
> 	- Apparently thorough adherence to email standards.
> 	- Until you get the hang of the config options, “Profiles” let 
> you get a head-start on setting things to look as you want, such as 
> making it look remarkably like the Apple app if you’re initially 
> more comfortable with its visual metaphor.
> 	- Vendor is highly responsive and helpful.
> 	- “Freemium” model—you get nearly all the features (and 
> definitely all the **important** ones) for free, but can choose to pay 
> a yearly subscription if you want to receive a few more (minor) 
> features and, more to the point, support the vendor’s continuing 
> efforts.
>
> - Cons
> 	- Due to vendor’s admittedly well-argued opinions about 
> notifications’ effect on productivity, app doesn’t provide them in 
> real time. (Its biggest flaw. Suggested methods to resolve this 
> involved considerable, potentially glitchy config which, for me at 
> least, didn’t prove successful.)
> 	- Default per-email swipe behavior, as well as default ordering of 
> icons intended for quick action on emails, seems oriented less toward 
> dealing with emails and more toward getting them out of sight.
> 	- “Snippets” (drop-in variables, essentially) in signatures are 
> glitchy.
> 	- User docs, while well-organized and apparently comprehensive, lack 
> screen captures.
> 	- Doesn’t use Markdown.
>
> Finally: right now, I prefer Preside over AltaMail by a fairly wide 
> margin *except* for the Preside notifications shortcomings, which 
> really bug me. The only reliable way around it that I’ve found so 
> far is to let Apple Mail—or, for now, AltaMail—provide real-time 
> notifications and then go to Preside to view the emails themselves. 
> It’s a kludgy, but workable solution; **but**, if your intent is to 
> quit having Mail running in the background at all (although, remember, 
> you can’t **really** delete Mail; it only “hides” if 
> “deleted”), it’s a non-starter.
>
> So, any takers? Thanks for whatever info/opinions you may wish to 
> share.
>   
>
> Best wishes,
>   
>
> Bryce Wray
> bwray at wraytx.com
> https://brycewray.com
> _______________________________________________
> mailmate mailing list
> mailmate at lists.freron.com
> https://lists.freron.com/listinfo/mailmate
>
> _______________________________________________
> mailmate mailing list
> mailmate at lists.freron.com
> https://lists.freron.com/listinfo/mailmate


More information about the mailmate mailing list