Gmail vs Outlook for Sending Cold Email: Which One Should You Choose?

Cold email is a powerful way to generate leads, sales, and connections for your business. But to succeed, you need to choose the right email platform that can deliver your messages to your prospects’ inboxes, not their spam folders.

There are many email platforms available in the market, but two of the most popular ones are Gmail and Outlook. Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to cold emailing. In this article, we will compare Gmail and Outlook on various aspects that are important for cold emailing, such as:

• Deliverability
• Reputation management
• User interface and features
• Customization and branding
• Integration with CRM and productivity tools
• Pricing and scalability
• Security and privacy
• Support and reliability
• Mobile access
• Ease of use

By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of which email platform is better suited for your cold emailing needs. You will also learn how to use Mailarrow, our cold email outreach software, to send personalized and effective cold emails from any email platform.

Deliverability

Email deliverability is the ability of your email platform to deliver your emails to your recipients’ inboxes, without being blocked or filtered by spam filters. Email deliverability is crucial for cold emailing, because if your emails don’t reach your prospects’ inboxes, they won’t be able to read them, let alone respond to them.

Gmail and Outlook have different deliverability features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail is one of the most widely used email platforms in the world, with over 1.8 billion users. Gmail has a sophisticated machine learning algorithm that analyzes the content, sender, and recipient of each email to determine whether it is spam or not. Gmail also uses feedback from its users to improve its spam filtering system.

Gmail has a reputation for being strict when it comes to spam filtering, which can be both a blessing and a curse for cold emailing. On one hand, Gmail can help you avoid spam complaints and protect your email reputation by filtering out unwanted emails from your inbox. On the other hand, Gmail can also mistakenly flag your legitimate cold emails as spam, especially if they contain certain keywords, links, or attachments that trigger its spam filters.

To avoid Gmail’s spam filters, you need to follow some best practices for cold emailing, such as:

• Use a verified domain name and a professional email address
• Avoid using spammy words or phrases, such as “guaranteed”, “free”, “click here”, etc.
• Personalize your emails and avoid sending generic or mass emails
• Include a clear and relevant subject line
• Provide value and a clear call to action in your email body
• Include an unsubscribe link and a physical address in your email footer
• Test your emails before sending them to check their spam score and deliverability

Outlook

Outlook is another popular email platform, with over 400 million users. Outlook is part of the Microsoft Office Suite, which also includes other productivity tools, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc. Outlook has its own proprietary spam filtering system, which is based on a combination of factors, such as:

• The sender’s reputation and history
• The recipient’s preferences and actions
• The content and format of the email
• The presence of attachments or links
• The feedback from other Outlook users

Outlook’s spam filtering system is less aggressive than Gmail’s, which can be an advantage for cold emailing. Outlook is more likely to deliver your cold emails to your prospects’ inboxes, as long as they are not too spammy or suspicious. However, Outlook also has some drawbacks when it comes to deliverability, such as:

• Outlook has a lower market share than Gmail, which means that fewer people use it as their primary email platform
• Outlook has a lower user engagement than Gmail, which means that fewer people open and read their emails on Outlook
• Outlook has a higher bounce rate than Gmail, which means that more emails are returned as undeliverable due to invalid or inactive email addresses

To improve your deliverability on Outlook, you need to follow some similar best practices as Gmail, such as:

• Use a verified domain name and a professional email address
• Avoid using spammy words or phrases, such as “guaranteed”, “free”, “click here”, etc.
• Personalize your emails and avoid sending generic or mass emails
• Include a clear and relevant subject line
• Provide value and a clear call to action in your email body
• Include an unsubscribe link and a physical address in your email footer
• Test your emails before sending them to check their spam score and deliverability

Reputation Management

Reputation management is the process of building and maintaining a positive reputation for your email domain and IP address, which are the identifiers that email platforms use to evaluate your email credibility and trustworthiness. Reputation management is essential for cold emailing, because if your email domain and IP address have a bad reputation, your emails will be more likely to be blocked or filtered by spam filters, regardless of the email platform you use.

Gmail and Outlook have different reputation management features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail uses a metric called Sender Reputation Score (SRS) to measure the reputation of your email domain and IP address. SRS is a numerical score that ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 is the worst and 100 is the best. SRS is calculated based on various factors, such as:

• The volume and frequency of your email sending
• The quality and relevance of your email content
• The feedback and complaints from your email recipients
• The bounce rate and spam rate of your emails
• The authentication and verification of your email domain and IP address

The higher your SRS, the better your email deliverability and the lower your spam rate. The lower your SRS, the worse your email deliverability and the higher your spam rate. Gmail does not disclose your SRS to the public, but you can estimate it by using third-party tools, such as [Sender Score] or [Mail Tester].

To improve your SRS on Gmail, you need to follow some best practices for reputation management, such as:

• Use a verified domain name and a dedicated IP address for your cold emailing
• Warm up your email domain and IP address before sending cold emails
• Segment your email list and target your ideal prospects
• Send relevant and valuable emails that match your prospects’ needs and interests
• Monitor your email metrics and optimize your email performance
• Follow the email sending guidelines and limits of Gmail

Outlook

Outlook also uses a metric called Sender Score to measure the reputation of your email domain and IP address. Sender Score is similar to SRS, but it is not exclusive to Outlook. Sender Score is a universal metric that is used by many email platforms and service providers, such as Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail, etc. Sender Score is also a numerical score that ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 is the worst and 100 is the best. Sender Score is calculated based on similar factors as SRS, such as:

• The volume and frequency of your email sending
• The quality and relevance of your email content
• The feedback and complaints from your email recipients
• The bounce rate and spam rate of your emails
• The authentication and verification of your email domain and IP address

The higher your Sender Score, the better your email deliverability and the lower your spam rate. The lower your Sender Score, the worse your email deliverability and the higher your spam rate. Outlook does disclose your Sender Score to the public, and you can check it by using the [Sender Score website].

To improve your Sender Score on Outlook, you need to follow some similar best practices as Gmail, such as:

• Use a verified domain name and a dedicated IP address for your cold emailing
• Warm up your email domain and IP address before sending cold emails
• Segment your email list and target your ideal prospects
• Send relevant and valuable emails that match your prospects’ needs and interests
• Monitor your email metrics and optimize your email performance
• Follow the email sending guidelines and limits of Outlook

User Interface and Features

User interface and features are the aspects of your email platform that affect your user experience and productivity when sending cold emails. User interface and features are important for cold emailing, because they can help you create, manage, and track your cold email campaigns more efficiently and effectively.

Gmail and Outlook have different user interfaces and features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail has a simple and intuitive user interface that allows you to access your emails, contacts, and calendar from one place. Gmail also has many features that are beneficial for cold emailing, such as:

• Gmail Smart Compose: A feature that helps you write your emails faster and better by suggesting words and phrases as you type
• Gmail Smart Reply: A feature that helps you respond to your emails quickly and easily by suggesting short and relevant replies based on the email content
• Gmail Snooze: A feature that helps you manage your inbox by letting you temporarily hide your emails until a later time or date
• Gmail Labels: A feature that helps you organize your emails by letting you assign different colors and categories to them
• Gmail Filters: A feature that helps you automate your email tasks by letting you create rules to sort, label, archive, delete, or forward your emails based on certain criteria
• Gmail Undo Send: A feature that helps you prevent email mistakes by letting you cancel your email

Customization and Branding

Customization and branding are the aspects of your email platform that affect your email appearance and identity when sending cold emails. Customization and branding are important for cold emailing, because they can help you create a professional and consistent image for your business and stand out from the crowd.

Gmail and Outlook have different customization and branding features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail has a limited customization and branding features that allow you to change some basic elements of your email, such as:

• Your email signature: A feature that lets you add a text or HTML signature at the end of your email, which can include your name, title, company, logo, contact information, social media links, etc.
• Your email theme: A feature that lets you choose from a variety of colors and backgrounds for your Gmail interface, which can reflect your personal or business style
• Your email alias: A feature that lets you create and use a different email address that is linked to your main Gmail account, which can help you manage multiple email identities or domains

However, Gmail does not have extensive customization and branding options for cold emailing, such as:

• Your email domain: A feature that lets you use your own custom domain name for your email address, instead of the default @gmail.com, which can enhance your credibility and trustworthiness
• Your email tracking domain: A feature that lets you use your own custom domain name for your email tracking links, instead of the default domain name of your email service provider, which can improve your deliverability and reputation
• Your email template: A feature that lets you create and use a custom HTML template for your email, which can include your logo, colors, fonts, images, layout, etc.

To use these advanced customization and branding features on Gmail, you need to upgrade to Google Workspace, which is a paid subscription service that offers a suite of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Meet, etc. Google Workspace also offers other features that are beneficial for cold emailing, such as:

• Google Workspace Admin: A feature that lets you manage your email domain, users, groups, security, settings, etc.
• Google Workspace Security: A feature that lets you protect your email data and accounts from unauthorized access, phishing, malware, etc.
• Google Workspace Support: A feature that lets you access 24/7 phone, email, and chat support from Google experts

Outlook

Outlook has a more extensive customization and branding features that allow you to change many elements of your email, such as:

• Your email signature: A feature that lets you add a text or HTML signature at the end of your email, which can include your name, title, company, logo, contact information, social media links, etc.
• Your email theme: A feature that lets you choose from a variety of colors and backgrounds for your Outlook interface, which can reflect your personal or business style
• Your email alias: A feature that lets you create and use a different email address that is linked to your main Outlook account, which can help you manage multiple email identities or domains
• Your email domain: A feature that lets you use your own custom domain name for your email address, instead of the default @outlook.com, which can enhance your credibility and trustworthiness
• Your email tracking domain: A feature that lets you use your own custom domain name for your email tracking links, instead of the default domain name of your email service provider, which can improve your deliverability and reputation
• Your email template: A feature that lets you create and use a custom HTML template for your email, which can include your logo, colors, fonts, images, layout, etc.

To use these advanced customization and branding features on Outlook, you need to upgrade to Microsoft 365, which is a paid subscription service that offers a suite of cloud-based productivity and collaboration tools, including Outlook, OneDrive, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, etc. Microsoft 365 also offers other features that are beneficial for cold emailing, such as:

• Microsoft 365 Admin: A feature that lets you manage your email domain, users, groups, security, settings, etc.
• Microsoft 365 Security: A feature that lets you protect your email data and accounts from unauthorized access, phishing, malware, etc.
• Microsoft 365 Support: A feature that lets you access 24/7 phone, email, and chat support from Microsoft experts

Integration with CRM and Productivity Tools

Integration with CRM and productivity tools is the ability of your email platform to connect and work with other software applications that can help you manage and optimize your cold email campaigns. Integration with CRM and productivity tools is important for cold emailing, because it can help you automate your email tasks, track your email performance, and improve your email results.

Gmail and Outlook have different integration with CRM and productivity tools that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail has a high integration with CRM and productivity tools that allow you to access and use many software applications that can help you with your cold emailing, such as:

• Mailarrow: A cold email outreach software that lets you send personalized and effective cold emails from Gmail, track your email metrics, and follow up with your prospects automatically
• HubSpot: A CRM software that lets you manage your contacts, deals, pipelines, and workflows from Gmail, sync your email data, and automate your email tasks
• Mailchimp: An email marketing software that lets you create and send newsletters, campaigns, and promotions from Gmail, segment your email list, and analyze your email performance
• Zapier: An automation software that lets you connect Gmail with over 2,000 other apps, such as Google Sheets, Slack, Trello, etc., and create workflows to automate your email tasks
• Boomerang: A productivity software that lets you schedule your emails, set reminders, follow up, and snooze your emails from Gmail

Outlook

Outlook has a moderate integration with CRM and productivity tools that allow you to access and use some software applications that can help you with your cold emailing, such as:

• Mailarrow: A cold email outreach software that lets you send personalized and effective cold emails from Outlook, track your email metrics, and follow up with your prospects automatically
• Microsoft Dynamics: A CRM software that lets you manage your contacts, deals, pipelines, and workflows from Outlook, sync your email data, and automate your email tasks
• Mailchimp: An email marketing software that lets you create and send newsletters, campaigns, and promotions from Outlook, segment your email list, and analyze your email performance
• Zapier: An automation software that lets you connect Outlook with over 2,000 other apps, such as Excel, Teams, Asana, etc., and create workflows to automate your email tasks
• FollowUp: A productivity software that lets you schedule your emails, set reminders, follow up, and snooze your emails from Outlook

Pricing and Scalability

Pricing and scalability are the aspects of your email platform that affect your email budget and capacity when sending cold emails. Pricing and scalability are important for cold emailing, because they can help you optimize your email costs and resources according to your business needs and goals.

Gmail and Outlook have different pricing and scalability features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail has a flexible pricing and scalability features that allow you to choose from different plans and options for your email, such as:

• Gmail Free: A free plan that lets you use Gmail with a @gmail.com email address, 15 GB of storage, and basic features
• Gmail Paid: A paid plan that lets you use Gmail with a custom domain name, 30 GB or more of storage, and advanced features, such as Google Workspace, Google Vault, etc. The pricing starts from $6 per user per month
• Gmail Add-ons: Additional features that you can add to your Gmail plan, such as extra storage, email aliases, email tracking, etc. The pricing varies depending on the feature and the provider

Gmail’s pricing and scalability features are suitable for cold emailing, because they can help you:

• Start with a free plan and upgrade to a paid plan as your business grows
• Choose a plan that matches your email needs and budget
• Add features that can enhance your email performance and results

Outlook

Outlook has a fixed pricing and scalability features that allow you to choose from different plans and options for your email, such as:

• Outlook Free: A free plan that lets you use Outlook with a @outlook.com email address, 15 GB of storage, and basic features
• Outlook Paid: A paid plan that lets you use Outlook with a custom domain name, 50 GB or more of storage, and advanced features, such as Microsoft 365, Microsoft Exchange, etc. The pricing starts from $5 per user per month
• Outlook Add-ons: Additional features that you can add to your Outlook plan, such as extra storage, email aliases, email tracking, etc. The pricing varies depending on the feature and the provider

Outlook’s pricing and scalability features are less suitable for cold emailing, because they can:

• Limit your email options and flexibility
• Require a higher initial investment and commitment
• Add features that may not be necessary or useful for your email goals

Security and Privacy

Security and privacy are the aspects of your email platform that affect your email data and accounts protection and compliance when sending cold emails. Security and privacy are important for cold emailing, because they can help you safeguard your email information and reputation from unauthorized access, phishing, malware, etc., and comply with the data protection regulations, such as GDPR, etc.

Support and Reliability

Support and reliability are the aspects of your email platform that affect your email availability and assistance when sending cold emails. Support and reliability are important for cold emailing, because they can help you ensure that your email platform is always working properly and that you can get help whenever you need it.

Gmail and Outlook have different support and reliability features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail has a high support and reliability features that allow you to access and use your email platform with minimal issues and interruptions, such as:

• Gmail Uptime: A feature that guarantees that your email platform will be available and accessible 99.9% of the time, which means that you can send and receive your emails without any downtime or delays
• Gmail Backup: A feature that automatically backs up your email data and accounts on Google’s secure servers, which means that you can restore your emails in case of any loss or damage
• Gmail Support: A feature that lets you access various resources and channels to get help and support from Google, such as:
  • Gmail Help Center: A website that provides answers and solutions to common questions and problems related to Gmail
  • Gmail Community: A forum that connects you with other Gmail users and experts who can share their knowledge and experience with Gmail
  • Gmail Contact: A form that lets you contact Google directly and get a response from a Google representative via email or phone

Outlook

Outlook has a moderate support and reliability features that allow you to access and use your email platform with some issues and interruptions, such as:

• Outlook Uptime: A feature that guarantees that your email platform will be available and accessible 99.9% of the time, which means that you can send and receive your emails without any downtime or delays
• Outlook Backup: A feature that depends on your email service provider and plan, which means that you may or may not have a backup option for your email data and accounts
• Outlook Support: A feature that lets you access some resources and channels to get help and support from Microsoft, such as:
  • Outlook Help Center: A website that provides answers and solutions to common questions and problems related to Outlook
  • Outlook Community: A forum that connects you with other Outlook users and experts who can share their knowledge and experience with Outlook
  • Outlook Contact: A form that lets you contact Microsoft directly and get a response from a Microsoft representative via email or phone

Mobile Access

Mobile access is the ability of your email platform to work on your mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, when sending cold emails. Mobile access is important for cold emailing, because it can help you access and manage your email campaigns anytime and anywhere.

Gmail and Outlook have different mobile access features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail has a high mobile access features that allow you to use your email platform on your mobile devices with ease and convenience, such as:

• Gmail App: A mobile application that lets you access and use Gmail on your Android or iOS devices, which has the same features and functions as the web version of Gmail
• Gmail Offline: A feature that lets you access and use Gmail on your mobile devices even when you are not connected to the internet, which can sync your email data and actions when you are online again
• Gmail Notifications: A feature that lets you receive and manage your email notifications on your mobile devices, which can alert you of new emails, replies, reminders, etc.

Outlook

Outlook has a moderate mobile access features that allow you to use your email platform on your mobile devices with some limitations and difficulties, such as:

• Outlook App: A mobile application that lets you access and use Outlook on your Android or iOS devices, which has some features and functions that are different from the web version of Outlook
• Outlook Offline: A feature that depends on your email service provider and plan, which means that you may or may not be able to access and use Outlook on your mobile devices when you are not connected to the internet
• Outlook Notifications: A feature that lets you receive and manage your email notifications on your mobile devices, which can alert you of new emails, replies, reminders, etc.

Ease of Use

Ease of use is the aspect of your email platform that affects your email usability and satisfaction when sending cold emails. Ease of use is important for cold emailing, because it can help you create, send, and track your email campaigns more smoothly and enjoyably.

Gmail and Outlook have different ease of use features that affect their performance in cold emailing. Let’s see how they compare.

Gmail

Gmail has a high ease of use features that make your email platform easy and pleasant to use, such as:

• Gmail Design: A feature that gives your email platform a simple and intuitive design, which makes it easy to navigate and operate
• Gmail Speed: A feature that gives your email platform a fast and responsive speed, which makes it quick to load and perform
• Gmail Feedback: A feature that gives your email platform a positive and helpful feedback, which makes it easy to understand and improve

Outlook

Outlook has a low ease of use features that make your email platform difficult and frustrating to use, such as:

• Outlook Design: A feature that gives your email platform a complex and cluttered design, which makes it hard to navigate and operate
• Outlook Speed: A feature that gives your email platform a slow and laggy speed, which makes it slow to load and perform
• Outlook Feedback: A feature that gives your email platform a negative and confusing feedback, which makes it hard to understand and improve

Conclusion

In conclusion, Gmail and Outlook are both popular and powerful email platforms that can be used for cold emailing. However, they have different strengths and weaknesses that can affect their performance and results in cold emailing. Based on our comparison, we can say that:

• Gmail is better than Outlook in terms of deliverability, reputation management, user interface and features, integration with CRM and productivity tools, pricing and scalability, support and reliability, mobile access, and ease of use
• Outlook is better than Gmail in terms of customization and branding, and security and privacy

Therefore, we recommend that you choose Gmail as your email platform for cold emailing, as it can offer you more benefits and advantages than Outlook. However, you should also consider your own preferences and needs when choosing your email platform, as they may differ from ours.

If you want to learn more about how to use Gmail for cold emailing, you should check out Mailarrow, our cold email outreach software, that can help you send personalized and effective cold emails from Gmail, track your email metrics, and follow up with your prospects automatically. Mailarrow can also work with Outlook and other email platforms, so you can use it regardless of your email platform choice.

To get started with Mailarrow, you can sign up for a free trial today and see how it can boost your cold email results. Mailarrow is easy to use, affordable, and reliable, and it can help you grow your business with cold emailing. Don’t miss this opportunity and sign up for Mailarrow now!