Updated: July 13, 2020 (March 6, 2006)
Charts & IllustrationsA Multitude of E-Mail Options
By the end of 2006, Microsoft will have a multitude of free services, subscription services, and desktop clients for e-mail. This chart gives an overview of each and predicts its prospects for the future, based on the degree of overlap with Windows Live Mail and its associated desktop client.
| Description | Price1 | Main Audience | Future Prospects | |
| Windows Live Mail (WLM) | Web-based e-mail service (Hotmail successor); includes 2GB storage, new interface | Free, ad-supported | Consumers | Very good |
| “Windows Live Mail Desktop” (code name) | Desktop client for accessing WLM and other accounts; includes offline access, RSS feeds, other features | Free download, ad-supported | Consumers | Very good |
| Hotmail Plus | Subscription service adds features to Hotmail, including 2GB storage, access to Hotmail from Outlook/Outlook Express | US$20/year | Consumers, workers with mobile PCs | Poor-might be renamed, repriced, |
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