WMail bills itself as ‘the missing desktop client for Gmail &Google Inbox’ — but does it live up to the claim?
The answer to that will depend on how big of a Gmail user you are.
Existing open-source email clients that support Gmail, apps like Geary, Nylas N1 and Thunderbird, do a decent job of delivering a dependable Gmail experience to the desktop. For most users these are good enough.
And even when they fall short the Gmail website is only a new tab away.
You may ask if there’s merit to be found in creating a standalone desktop wrapper around the regular Gmail website.
WMail — Gmail Desktop App for Windows, Mac & Linux
For Gmail fans and email power users the answer will be “yes”.
I, like many, prefer the Gmail web interface but miss the convenience offered by native desktop integration. Things like notifications for new mail or an unread count. In fact I tend to keep Geary open solely so that I get notifications and can see an omni-present unread count.
But that’s not ideal — and it’s precisely where an app like WMail can help.
“WMail adds loads of features that mail on the web misses making your mail feel right at home on your computer. It’s easy to use, fast and has all the features you’re already enjoying on the web,” the website blurb explains.
The app includes a raft of features, including:
- Desktop Notifications
- Unread Count
- Tray Icon
- Different Unread searches
- Multiple Accounts
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Drag & Drop files
- Spellchecking
Download WMail for Linux
You can find out more about WMail on its official website, linked below. To take it for a spin yourself you’ll find the latest stable and pre-release builds available here.
There’s no Ubuntu installer provided (a Snap would be great) but it’s easy to get WMail running: just extract the archive you download and double-click on the ‘WMail’ binary inside.