What is Microsoft Outlook used for?

Microsoft Outlook is Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts client for personal and work accounts on the web and desktop. It is a good fit for managing work email and meetings, and keeping a personal inbox and calendar.

Is Microsoft Outlook free?

Yes. Microsoft Outlook has a free plan.

Is Microsoft Outlook open source?

No. Microsoft Outlook is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Microsoft Outlook include Tuta, Mailspring and Proton.

What are some alternatives to Microsoft Outlook?

Microsoft Outlook competes with Gmail, Apple Mail and Proton Mail. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Microsoft Outlook alternatives.

Microsoft Outlook: features, pricing and alternatives

About Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is an email, calendar and contacts application from Microsoft. People use it with personal accounts through outlook.live.com and with work or school accounts as part of Microsoft's business offerings, to read and send mail, schedule meetings and keep a contact list in one place.

Outlook is a proprietary Microsoft product delivered mainly as a hosted service with web, desktop and mobile clients. The vendor's site has details on features, supported accounts and plans.

Key features

Email for personal and work accounts
Shared calendar and scheduling
Contacts management
Web, desktop and mobile access

Good fit for

→Managing work email and meetings
→Keeping a personal inbox and calendar

Tags: email; calendar; contacts; microsoft; email-client; productivity; scheduling

Microsoft Outlook: questions and answers

What is Microsoft Outlook used for?: Microsoft Outlook is Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts client for personal and work accounts on the web and desktop. It is a good fit for managing work email and meetings, and keeping a personal inbox and calendar.
Is Microsoft Outlook free?: Yes. Microsoft Outlook has a free plan.
Is Microsoft Outlook open source?: No. Microsoft Outlook is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. Open-source alternatives to Microsoft Outlook include Tuta, Mailspring and Proton.
What are some alternatives to Microsoft Outlook?: Microsoft Outlook competes with Gmail, Apple Mail and Proton Mail. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Microsoft Outlook alternatives.