Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Mail vs Google Arts & Culture

Mail 4.6★ · Free to download 60
Winner Mail
Google Arts & Culture 4.7★ · Free + IAP 45

For general email management, Mail is the more reliable choice despite its flaws, while Google Arts & Culture is a niche app for art enthusiasts that struggles with basic functionality.

Full reviews: Mail · Google Arts & Culture

Mail, a free email client, is praised for its ease of use and reliability by some, but many users report significant issues with email delivery, spam filtering, and search functionality. Google Arts & Culture, also free with IAP, offers a vast collection of art and cultural content, but is plagued by technical bugs, a lack of landscape mode on tablets, and an unpopular push for AI features.

Head to head

Features & Content edge: Google Arts & CultureR17R20R59R62
Mail Mail is a standard email client, with users expecting basic functionalities like sending, receiving, and organizing emails. Some users appreciate its simplicity R59R20, while others desire more advanced features like voice, video, or text-to-speech integration R17.
Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture offers a rich collection of art, history, and cultural content, including interactive exhibits, articles, and games . However, users are critical of the app's heavy integration of AI features, such as AI-generated podcasts and drawing experiences, which many find unnecessary and distracting R62R63R67R100. There's also a desire for features like marking seen artworks R86 and better content organization .
Ease of Use & Interface tieR15R19R21R23
Mail Some Mail users find the app easy and simple to use R59R23, while others report difficulties with organization and navigation, finding it not user-friendly R15R19. Recent updates have made the app more complicated for some , and some users struggle with basic tasks like finding passwords R21.
Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture is generally praised for its intuitive and engaging visual appeal . However, the user interface receives significant criticism for lacking landscape mode support on iPads and phones R69R72R73R78, making it difficult to view content. Users also complain about tiny text that cannot be adjusted , poor search functionality , and confusing content organization .
Reliability & Performance edge: MailR3R4R7R10
Mail Mail users frequently report critical reliability issues, including not receiving emails R3R7R18, emails not sending R10, attachments not downloading R10, and the app failing to update R10. Spam filtering is also a major problem, with users receiving excessive junk mail and blocked emails still appearing R4R12R31R39. Some experience the app disappearing from their home screen or losing access to emails after a new phone .
Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture suffers from numerous technical issues. Users report the app failing to open or crashing frequently R73, games not working or failing to load content , and issues with scrolling through articles or content R93. Some users also note problems with specific features like the pet portrait or the widget .
Price & Value tieR43R86
Mail Mail is a free app, but some users complain about being charged randomly for storage or being unable to download free games without providing card details R43.
Google Arts & Culture Google Arts & Culture is a free app with in-app purchases. Users appreciate the concept of a free app for discovering art and culture R86.
Support tieR15R43R58R93
Mail Users report difficulty finding help or instructions for Mail R15R58. Some mention that Apple support representatives are unhelpful or unaware of issues R43.
Google Arts & Culture One user mentioned being unable to access app support to report an issue R93.
Pick Mail if

You need a default email client that is generally simple to use for basic sending and receiving, and you are willing to troubleshoot occasional delivery or spam issues R20R59.

Pick Google Arts & Culture if

You are an art and culture enthusiast looking for a vast, free educational resource and are willing to overlook significant technical bugs, UI issues, and the presence of AI features R86.

Evidence note: Reviews for Mail are heavily skewed towards recent negative experiences, despite a high lifetime rating, indicating a decline in user satisfaction. Many reviews for Mail are short and lack specific details, making it challenging to pinpoint exact issues. Google Arts & Culture reviews are more detailed about specific bugs and feature complaints.

Frequently asked

Does Mail reliably deliver emails?
No, many users report significant issues with Mail not delivering or receiving emails, with some stating they suddenly stop getting emails or that it takes a week to receive one R3R7R18R36.
Does Google Arts & Culture support landscape mode on tablets?
No, a major complaint from Google Arts & Culture users is the lack of landscape mode support on iPads and phones, which many find to be a significant oversight and makes viewing content difficult R69R72R73R78.
Are there issues with spam filtering in Mail?
Yes, many Mail users report ongoing problems with spam, stating that the app does not effectively block spam emails and that the more they block, the worse it gets R4R12R31R39.
Does Google Arts & Culture use AI features?
Yes, Google Arts & Culture has a significant push for AI features, including AI-generated podcasts and AI drawing experiences, which many users find annoying, unnecessary, and a devaluing of human expression R62R63R67R100.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R17] Mail 5/5 · US Satisfactory: But could be better when added with voice, video, text to speech and linked with note …
  2. [R20] Mail 5/5 · US Best Mail App: Definitely my go to mailing app. It has never given me any issues. I definitely always recommend everyone to use for their default mailing app
  3. [R59] Mail 5/5 · US Love this app: Easy and simple
  4. [R62] Google Arts & Culture 4/5 · US Good potential, but ditch the AI: This app has a lot of potential and I was really looking forward to using it as an alternative to mindless scrolling. Unfortunately Google is leaning into AI way too much, including having soulless AI-generated podcasts that “discuss” art. What an insult to humanity! I had to immediately uninstall.
  5. [R15] Mail 3/5 · US Not user friendly: Instructions needed to use and organize the Mail Box
  6. [R19] Mail 1/5 · US Categories Unclear: The ways the categories are set up, it’s very confusing to find read email that I need to return to, my sent email and to attachments.
  7. [R21] Mail 3/5 · US What: How do I find my password for email idk it so help me do that and it will be 5 stars ⭐️
  8. [R23] Mail 5/5 · US Soo good!: This app is super nice, speak, AND fun to use! Unlike Gmail, apple mail is very nice🙂‍↔️👌🏻
  9. [R3] Mail 3/5 · US Mail is so far the worst app: I suddenly stop getting any emails I don’t know what happened I just stoped getting emails bus it is go so it gets 3 stars
  10. [R4] Mail 1/5 · US Junk junk and more junk: Could delete all emails, pure junk
  11. [R7] Mail 2/5 · US It doesn’t work for me: For some reason I don’t get anything even when I’m trying to sign in to websites it doesn’t It only sends me the thing from Apple send it
  12. [R10] Mail 1/5 · US Updating: Says updating for weeks yet does not update and will not download attachments. Does not send or deliver all emails
  13. [R43] Mail 1/5 · US U can’t get mail: If u don’t pay for storage u don’t get emails I don’t get that and when u do pay for it apple just charges your card randomly with all kinda of amounts and when u do get ahold of apple and talk to someone they just don’t know what ur talking about or if u don’t put ur debit card on iCloud u can’t even download games free games at that I don’t understand why apple need your card n
  14. [R86] Google Arts & Culture 4/5 · US Love the concept: I haven’t gotten too deep into using this app but just from my initial impression, I love the idea of a free app where I can discover and learn about arts & culture. My only request from the app developers is to please add a feature to mark if you have seen the famous artworks in person. So to add them to my “collection” and learn more about them as well.
  15. [R58] Mail 1/5 · US Mail sucks: Hard to use. No worth while help
  16. [R93] Google Arts & Culture 3/5 · US Does not always work on ipad: Does not let me scroll through articles. Today it’s not working well with the extinct birds. Has wrong description for bird I am viewing. Description belongs to previously viewed bird. Also stays on same view when I try to scroll. App support won’t let me in to report this!
  17. [R18] Mail 3/5 · US No Emails?: I like this app but I haven’t gotten my Emails for some reasons.
  18. [R36] Mail 3/5 · US Take so long to get an email: It’s taking a week to get one email
  19. [R69] Google Arts & Culture 3/5 · US No landscape support: Works fine in portrait mode but desperately needs landscape mode.
  20. [R72] Google Arts & Culture 3/5 · US The iPad app needs more work: I was amused by this project when I saw it on web, however it was not so good when I downloaded the iPad app. The first main problem that I had was that the application does not work on landscape mode 🫠. It was a huge deception to me since I have a keyboard and I prefer to work on a landscape mode to see more images. 👎 The second enhancement that Google team should wo
  21. [R73] Google Arts & Culture 1/5 · US Terrible App: No landscape mode is honestly laughable coming from the biggest conglomerate. You’ll implement a bunch of useless tacky (ai) functions without even having a basic working system that allows for landscape mode. The search system makes it impossible to narrow down subject matter. Crashes all the time. When you’re looking through archives and go past a certain point it will crash and yo
  22. [R78] Google Arts & Culture 3/5 · US I love this app, but…: Since the moment I downloaded this app, I loved it. I love the easy access to a variety of artworks and their history, also that if you want to explore about any art content, it takes you to the correct websites. The only thing I have to complain is that the recent apps version does not support the screen rotation. I have it on my phone and on my iPad, and I can’t enjoy the
  23. [R12] Mail 3/5 · US Ongoing Headache: I’ve yet to get my app to chime for new email. Which I guess is good because of all the stupid spam emails I get. Which comes to my next headache…this app will NOT block spam emails when you block them. It seems like the more I block the worse it gets. Frustrating. I’m about to stop using it. And there’s no help in sight.
  24. [R31] Mail 1/5 · US e-trickery and too ill to act on it: Emails go to another name. Scam Spam text messages daily, even with Apple updates. Phone calls Read Only invasive. Untrustworthy Siri.
  25. [R39] Mail 3/5 · US ok: i’ll try to unsubscribe from a mallet thing but it doesn’t work i still get mail from them
  26. [R63] Google Arts & Culture 3/5 · US AI features are a miss: I think this app is a great resource in general for art fans. But these AI features being pushed upon the user base are a huge turn off. Why would a fan of visual art, likely an artist themselves, want to listen to an AI character podcasting about Starry Night? I think the AI audio stuff is downright useful in Notebook LM, but here? Just feels like a devaluing of human expr
  27. [R67] Google Arts & Culture 1/5 · US ai everywhere: the fact there is a large ai box on everything is so annoying it obstructs the view and is just so frustrating. why does ai have to be literally everywhere i turn even when im trying to learn about art. at least make an option to make it go away
  28. [R100] Google Arts & Culture 1/5 · US AI garbage: I downloaded this hoping for a fun way to connect with the actual art world and escape the infiltration of ai slop in every single thing on the internet. Two seconds into using this app and I’m prompted to try an AI drawing experience. Lose the ai trash. It’s not art and it doesn’t belong in the art world.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store