LocalInbox vs Outlook for Mac: on-device AI, no ads

At a glance

What it costs over three years

Outlook for Mac costs nothing with personal accounts, but the free version shows ads in your inbox. Microsoft's App Store listing says a premium subscription takes them away, so over three years it's free with ads, or three years of a Microsoft 365 plan without them.

LocalInbox is $19 once during early access, then $49, for up to three Macs and every 1.x update. There's no subscription and no AI quota. No version of LocalInbox shows ads.

Where your mail and the AI go

When you add a Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud or IMAP account, Outlook for Mac syncs it with the Microsoft Cloud by default: Microsoft's support page says a copy of your email is synchronised between your provider and Microsoft's data centres. You can turn that off when you set the account up.

Copilot works in Microsoft's cloud too, and Microsoft's Copilot FAQ says it isn't supported on mailboxes that aren't hosted on Exchange Online, so a Gmail, Yahoo or iCloud account in Outlook gets no Copilot at all.

LocalInbox has no server. Your Mac talks straight to your mail provider, passwords stay in the macOS Keychain, remote images wait until you allow them, and tracking pixels and link-tracking parameters are removed. Every connection the app can make is listed on its privacy page (https://localinbox.app/security).

LocalInbox's summaries, replies and answers are written on your Mac, by Apple's on-device model or a model server on the same Mac, for every account you add.

The AI features side by side

Copilot in Outlook summarises email threads, drafts full emails from a prompt using the thread and your organisation's information, and coaches your drafts on tone, sentiment and clarity, on Microsoft-hosted mailboxes.

LocalInbox's AI, on any account:

• Summaries of messages and threads, suggested replies, Rewrite and Draft with AI.
• Ask your mailbox: a question in plain words, answered from your mail with a numbered source after each claim.
• A To Reply mailbox of mail from people waiting on you, and categories you describe in your own words.
• Phishing warnings that say why: a look-alike address, failed SPF, DKIM or DMARC, a misleading link, or pressure to sign in or pay.
• Sorting, To Reply and phishing checks don't need a model at all: local rules do them on every Mac with macOS 15 or later.

Day to day

• Accounts: Outlook handles Microsoft 365 and Outlook.com natively. LocalInbox can't add those yet; it works with Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo, AOL, Fastmail, Zoho, GMX, Proton Mail Bridge and any IMAP server.
• Calendar: Outlook has its own. LocalInbox adds events and reminders from your mail to Apple's Calendar and Reminders.
• Sending: LocalInbox has Undo Send from 5 to 30 seconds, Send Later, snooze and “remind me if no reply” on every account, and a small helper sends scheduled mail while the app is closed.
• Search: LocalInbox reads the text in image and PDF attachments on your Mac, so a scanned receipt turns up in search.
• Platforms: Outlook has apps for Windows, iPhone, Android and the web. LocalInbox is a native Mac app built in Swift, with a menu bar inbox, Spotlight, Shortcuts and Focus filters.

Switching from Outlook for Mac to LocalInbox

1. Keep Outlook for any Outlook.com, Hotmail or Microsoft 365 account: LocalInbox can't add those yet.
2. Download LocalInbox and start the 7-day trial: every feature, no sign-up and no card.
3. Add your Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo or IMAP accounts. Gmail, iCloud and Yahoo use an app password, and the setup guides have each provider's steps and server settings (https://localinbox.app/guides).
4. There's nothing to export. Your mail stays on your provider, and LocalInbox downloads it over IMAP, so folders, read state and sent mail stay in step with the app you're leaving.
5. Recreate your signatures in Settings › Composing, and the rules you rely on. Signatures, templates, rules and categories then follow you to your other Macs through iCloud.
6. When you're ready, make LocalInbox your default mail app.

When LocalInbox is the better choice

• You don't want ads in your mail app.
• You don't want an AI cloud reading your mail.
• You want a To Reply mailbox, Ask your mailbox with sources, and phishing warnings that explain why.

When Outlook for Mac is the better choice

• You use an Outlook.com, Hotmail or Microsoft 365 account: LocalInbox's Microsoft sign-in isn't available yet.
• Your work runs on Microsoft 365 and you want Microsoft's mail and calendar in one app.
• You want an Outlook app on Windows, iPhone and Android too.

Sources

Facts about Outlook for Mac were checked in October 2026 and can change; check its website for current prices and features. Facts about LocalInbox come from its own documentation.

• Mac App Store: Microsoft Outlook
• Microsoft Support: Frequently asked questions about Copilot in Outlook
• Microsoft Support: Sync your account in Outlook for Mac to the Microsoft Cloud
• Windows Central: Outlook for Mac is now free