CloudMagic has long been my favorite third-party email client on Android and iOS, thanks mostly to its excellent cross-platform support that makes managing email on different devices incredibly simple. But thanks to its latest update, some of the terrific features we’ve been enjoying for free for over a year are now going to cost $4.99 a month.

CloudMagic had to monetize its app at some point; you cannot deliver a great software like this and let everyone use it for free, because eventually, those who built it need to get paid. And the company has probably chosen the right route, because the alternative would have been to show ads in with your emails, and who wants that?

“We are often asked how we intend to make money and we’ve always maintained we’ll never make our users the product, and instead have premium plans for features that power users will require,” CloudMagic explained on its blog.

The features that are now part of CloudMagic Pro — and no longer available for free — include support for unlimited email accounts, the ability to sync accounts and preferences between multiple devices, background attachment downloading, and the option to remote-wipe your data if your phone or tablet goes missing.

CloudMagic Pro users also get priority customer support, so if you run into issues and you’re paying for the app, you’re going to get your problem sorted quicker than those who aren’t.

There are going to be a few CloudMagic users who will be upset that some of the features that make the app really great are now going to cost them — there’s no avoiding that. However, CloudMagic probably hasn’t helped itself by taking away features that were previously free for all.

Don’t let that put you off, though. CloudMagic is still one of the finest email clients you’ll find — especially if you use both Android and iOS — and so if you can afford the $4.99 a month (or $44.99 a year), I highly recommend you upgrade and stick with it. You’ll struggle to find another free email app that’s as good.

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