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

Mail vs Google

Mail 4.6★ · Free to download 55
Winner Tie
Google 4.6★ · Free to download 55

While both apps have high lifetime ratings, recent user reviews indicate that Mail struggles with fundamental email delivery and spam filtering, whereas Google faces significant criticism for its new AI features and privacy concerns.

Full reviews: Mail · Google

Mail, the default email client, is praised for its ease of use by some, but many users report critical issues like not receiving emails, difficulty with attachments, and ineffective spam blocking. Google, primarily a search engine, is valued for its comprehensive information retrieval, but recent updates introducing AI have led to complaints about broken features, privacy, and an increase in unwanted ads.

Head to head

Features tieR3R7R10R12
Mail Mail users report issues with core functionalities like email delivery, attachment downloads, and search R3R7R10. Some users also find the organization confusing and struggle to block spam R12R19.
Google Google is praised for its ability to find information quickly and its accessibility features like 'read aloud' . However, recent updates have removed or broken features like reverse image search, translation, and tab management, often replacing them with a buggy AI mode R64R76.
Ease of Use tieR13R15R19R25
Mail Some Mail users find it easy and simple to use . However, others describe it as difficult to use, with unclear categories and a need for instructions R15R19R58. Recent updates have also made the app less user-friendly for some, with unexpected changes to the mailbox view R13R25.
Google Google is generally considered friendly to use for basic searching . However, users complain about constant sign-in prompts, difficulty managing emails across multiple locations, and challenges in logging out of accounts . The new AI mode also complicates basic tab management and search functions R64.
Reliability tieR3R7R10R12
Mail Mail users frequently report critical reliability issues, such as not receiving emails, emails taking a long time to arrive, and attachments not downloading R3R7R10R18. Spam blocking is also reported as ineffective R12.
Google Google is generally seen as fast and reliable for searching . However, some users experience slow loading times for searches and report bugs where the app doesn't go to recent search results or crashes iPhones . The AI features are also described as buggy and unresponsive R90.
Price/Value tieR43R72R79R96
Mail Mail is free, but some users report that not paying for iCloud storage prevents them from receiving emails and that Apple charges cards randomly for storage R43.
Google Google is free, but users complain about an excessive number of ads, privacy cookies, and the sale of personal data R72R79. There are also concerns that search results are degraded and push paid content R96.
Support edge: MailR12R21R27R58
Mail Mail users report a lack of help for issues like blocking spam or finding passwords R12R21R58. Some also mention difficulty getting assistance from Apple support R27.
Google Google users do not frequently mention direct support interactions. However, some note that help is not assisting with new feature changes R76.
Pick Mail if

You are deeply integrated into the Apple ecosystem and prefer a native email experience, and you are not experiencing the critical email delivery issues reported by some users .

Pick Google if

You primarily need a powerful search engine to find information quickly and value its comprehensive results, despite concerns about privacy and recent AI feature changes .

Evidence note: Reviews for both apps are mixed, with many 1-star ratings indicating significant frustration with recent changes or core functionality issues, despite high lifetime ratings. The 'free vs paid' asymmetry is not applicable as both apps are free.

Frequently asked

Does Mail reliably deliver emails?
No, many Mail users report significant issues with not receiving emails, emails taking a long time to arrive, or not receiving verification codes R3R7R10R18.
What are the main complaints about Google's new AI features?
The main complaints about Google's new AI features are that they break basic tab management, replace useful existing features like translation and reverse image search, are buggy, unresponsive, and can provide incorrect information R64R76R83R90.
Do either of these apps have privacy concerns?
Yes, Google users express significant privacy concerns, citing excessive tracking, the sale of personal data, and the company's willingness to share user information with corporations R63R72R79. Mail users also mention issues with spam and the inability to view email headers for security verification R12R31R34.

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. [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
  2. [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
  3. [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
  4. [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.
  5. [R13] Mail 1/5 · US Unexpected changes: Why does my mail box keep changing? Now I am only allowed to see unread emails, can’t even see my inbox
  6. [R15] Mail 3/5 · US Not user friendly: Instructions needed to use and organize the Mail Box
  7. [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.
  8. [R25] Mail 1/5 · US Hideous new system.: Congrats Tim Cook! I have been using Apple products since 1992. You and your young techies, and the decreasing quality of support have ruined Macs and my phone for me. I now officially hate Macs and am not fond of the way the company has gone. What a shame. And that newest phone update? Do you really think I have nothing better to do with my life than relearn every aspect, and
  9. [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
  10. [R72] Google 3/5 · US Too many ads, privacy cookies and sales of personal data.: Way too much! People forget there are other, safer ways to search. Anytime I google something, it ends up in ads and emails with an hour. Not everyone wants a Gmail account.
  11. [R79] Google 1/5 · US Wow…: If anyone thought Google was bad before, being biased and all, just wait until you learn about Reckless Ben. Evidently google doesn’t care one bit about anyone’s privacy. They will give ALL your emails and information over to any corporation that asks for it. SHAME ON YOU GOOGLE. You can put those legos somewhere dark and lonely, Google.
  12. [R96] Google 3/5 · GB Degraded, Hides Results, Pushes Paid Results Only: Google search is a shadow of what it was even 2 years ago. In supposed personalising it literally hides results you would want to see. It ignores profile location and country, pushing US results and sites, recipes, social accounts, everything despite my UK account. This used to work well. It pushes video and social content at all costs even if
  13. [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 ⭐️
  14. [R27] Mail 3/5 · US Getting used to iPhone: I am definitely having trouble maneuvering my Apps. I had previously used an iPhone many years ago but it’s now quite advanced & I’m older too. I keep losing my screens when I try to return to input information sent to me (verification codes). I tried to return to store so my representative can help with my questions but she had a client & couldn’t wait any longer. I need
  15. [R58] Mail 1/5 · US Mail sucks: Hard to use. No worth while help
  16. [R18] Mail 3/5 · US No Emails?: I like this app but I haven’t gotten my Emails for some reasons.
  17. [R64] Google 1/5 · US Broken tab management: The AI/Gemini interface inside the Google App completely breaks basic tab management. When I click the "New Tab" button while inside an active AI thread, it fails to open a separate, additional tab. Instead, it completely ignores the command and overwrites my current thread. This destroys my active research progress and pollutes the AI's context window with unrelated questio
  18. [R76] Google 1/5 · US Why are the features I used now just an AI Mode button?: I use the Google app for just two things, reverse image search and translation. I can sort of get to the reverse image search if I’m ok with Google having camera access, but the translate button is gone, presumably to make room for the very unwelcome AI Mode button. There may be a setting to change this, but it’s not clear in the settings, a
  19. [R83] Google 4/5 · US Good buttttt…..: I like google and the fact that I can play snake, pac man and catch Pokémon, it’s cool! But, the ai overview is kind of a liar, on my moms tablet, I was playing Infinite Craft and I asked the ai overview thing how to make a thing in infinite craft and it LIED! Please fix it!
  20. [R90] Google 3/5 · GB Why: Sometimes can be really annoying when I go on Google AI it doesn’t work
  21. [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.
  22. [R34] Mail 1/5 · US Elephant in the room: My iPhone has an amazing set of security and privacy features. The inability to view email headers and security verification in the app is inexcusable to the point of this not being implemented would be SEEMINGLY INTENTIONAL. All these smart engineers and “whoops we forgot this very basic thing with the single most used app”, lol, yeah right. Further, the masking of the from
  23. [R63] Google 3/5 · US It’s Just Okay!: I prefer a different search engine that doesn’t change the screen if you leave it and come back to it. I also prefer one that doesn’t track your information or location. I also don’t like having suggestions based on something that I looked up because I wasn’t sure what it was.

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