Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft's email and calendar app, with an ad-supported free version and ad-free Microsoft 365 plans.
Our verdict
What it does well
- Microsoft offers a free version of Outlook for personal use
- Outlook is built into Windows for free, with no subscription needed
- Handles Gmail and Yahoo! accounts alongside Microsoft ones
Where it falls short
- The free version shows ads every time you use it
- Business plans such as Microsoft 365 Business Standard do not remove ads in Outlook.com
- Closed source, so you cannot inspect or self-modify the code
Outlook is Microsoft's email and calendar app. Microsoft's support pages describe a free version of Outlook for personal use, and a Windows support article says Outlook is built into Windows for free with no subscription needed. The same article says you can bring in accounts such as Gmail and Yahoo!.
The free version is supported by ads. Microsoft's support page says ads appear every time you use the free version, and that a Microsoft 365 subscription gives an ad-free experience. Microsoft 365 Basic is described as including ad-free Outlook email and 100 GB of cloud storage shared across Outlook and OneDrive.
The ad-free benefit applies to consumer Microsoft 365 subscriptions; Microsoft's support pages say business plans such as Microsoft 365 Business Standard don't qualify for ad-free Outlook.com. The one price Microsoft's support page gives is a subscription 'starting at $1.99 / month in the US'.
Microsoft Outlook compared
Open source alternatives to Microsoft Outlook
Free to use, with code anyone can inspect.
A free, open source email app that combines mail, calendars and contacts, funded by donations.
- Free
- Open source
Last updated 16 October 2026. Facts checked against the official site on 16 October 2026. How we make money