Outlook Express

Whatever problems it had in the past is long gone. Today Outlook Express has become one of the most effective and safe mail applications out there. Its filters can remove suspicious looking messages as well as getting rid of spam. Apart from its filters it also has support for S/MIME and digital IDs. If you are on a server you can also avail of SSL encryption technology.

Outlook Express also has support for HTML editing but there is also an option for plain text if you just want the basics. You can also customize the inbox displays. With these features it is easy to see why this is one of the best email programs around today. It runs on all versions of Windows from 9x up.

Pegasus Mail

Although free, the features of Pegasus Mail can rival those of other costlier applications. Among its many useful features are multiple accounts (POP and IMAP) and power filters. Its tools can delete not just spam but also provides shelter from phising. The security options are top notch too. There is support for SSL and third party applications.

If you get a lot of messages, the mail merge and distribution management features will appeal to you. You can sort the mail by thread, date received, by the sender and other ways. You can create standardized replies and it supports Windows 9x to Vista. If number of features is your criteria for the best email programs, Pegasus will be in the list.

Eudora

Eudora is one of the oldest and most popular email clients, and the reason for its longevity are its sensible features and sleek interface. Its spam filter is one of the best in the industry and the new versions of the application keep improving this feature. The search function is very fast even with loads of messages. Eudora also supports multiple POP accounts and comes with labels and templates. The latter is very useful when you need to make quick and repetitive answers.

There are several other features that users will appreciate. The Content Concentrator makes managing quoted text easy. The SpamWatch is another feature that helps make this one of the best email programs around. With SpamWatch, you will be notified of any suspicious or phising like messages.

Opera

From the makers of the popular web browser, their email client is just as effective. Although feature laden, it loads quickly as it is compact. If you are tired of all those applications that take forever to start up, this feature alone is something to admire. It has an RSS feed reader as well as a sharp spam filter. Its folders are also smart, learning where to store messages. Searches are saved, you can make quick replies and many more.

The features are what make these applications the best email programs today. Just download any of them, and organizing your messages will be a breeze.

Gmail

Here you can get a ton of free space, eliminating the need to delete any messages that you may need later. Another thing going for this one is it is well designed, allowing you to see your messages quickly. By letting you assign colors on emails, they can be organized by topic or thread, so you don’t have to scroll down the list just to look for the other letter relevant to the one you are reading.

GMail also has IMAP and POP functionality, making access to other accounts easy and convenient. It is also integrated with Google Talk and Google Calendar. File formats like .doc, pdf, .xls and others are recognized too, which is why this is often considered as one of the best free email services on the Net.

GMX Mail

This is also one of the popular programs today, thanks to its storage space of 5 GB. It also possesses some of the most potent filtering software in the market today, keeping you safe from junk mail as well as viruses or spyware.

GMX Mail also has drag and drop capability and also comes with formatting features. There is also an automated response message you can set up in case you have to go away.

Yahoo! Mail

The storage has no limits. It also comes with capabilities for using SMS, RSS and IM. Yahoo! also has IM contacts and a filter capable of blocking spam, viruses and also email from addresses you designate. Another reason why this is held as one of the best free email services online is that it lets you access email from other services, and its drag and drop features, as well as its tabs, makes it easy to customize your inbox and the other folders you create.

Zenbe Personal

Aside from possessing top of the line tools for sorting and arranging your emails, there are other features here that help you manage your files. Among them are its very useful to do list, allowing you to set up the tasks ahead; it also provides functions for updating your Facebook page as well as twitter.

Zenbe Personal comes with 4 GB free space, a search tool, tags and stars to customize your mail as well as the IPaper for viewing files. POP and IMAP are enabled here. If you read reviews of the best free email services, this is almost always included and deservedly so.

Windows Live Hotmail

Hotmail comes with gigabytes of free storage space, and it has also modified its interface so that it now loads faster than its predecessor. In addition the program also offers privacy protection. It has rich text features, and can put incoming mail to customized folders. You can also set it up to accept only mail from those in your contact list.

Windows Live Hotmail also has a search feature, and also allows you to insert multiple addresses in the “from” field. It also comes with an auto responder, and can forward mail between Hotmail accounts.

Deciding which is the best free email service around may be subject to opinion and personal preference, but in the end, you really cannot go wrong with any of these programs, and any of them can serve your needs efficiently and effectively.