ANON BUD  Nice, solid app. I decided to buy the full version because I use it so much.

MS has replaced several other ways of archiving my email as it is fast, accurate, and maintains the full formatting of html in my emails. It also archives my attachments. Loving the search and tagging functions as well.  
(Version 8.2.6)

SAVO33BRAVO THE LIAR  Fantastic software and I use it to my delighted satisfaction for years ... however ... what piss me off is that tech support is NO existing and to find it is like looking for needle in haystack ...  
(Version 8.2.5)

ORYTEK  New free version with 15,000 email limit.

This is quite nice for the free version. Thanks  
(Version 8.2.4)

MARGI  I am brand new to Macs, and although I have been looking forward to the switch for months, was dreading the problem of how to somehow save and bring along 10+ years of emails saved in Eudora for PC. Before finding this program I was prepared to open each of the selected emails individually (thousands of 'em!) from a PC with the Eudora program still on it and then redirect them to myself, adding the original date to the subject line, so that I could then save them in new folders on my new Mac.

Then I found this program and was overjoyed at how quickly and efficiently it archived all those emails - from a flash drive no less. I am also very happy with the online documentation, which for a newbie like me, is the best I have seen when browsing for new apps for my new (and very new to me) Mac.

Best of all has been the customer service John has given me, especially since some of my saved-in-Eudora emails initially showed up with empty body tests. In a series of extremely prompt emails he patiently walked me through the process of emailing him the raw source files (I had no idea what those were, and to his credit, he never once made me feel like an idiot for asking such basic questions) so that he could find the source of the problem. He found it, it's now fixed, and I couldn't be happier with this program and the support I have received from its developer!  
(Version 8.2.3)

IPOE  ... and unfortunately still this annoying alert message when saving the settings!   
(Version 8.2)

MACMEND.COM  $800 for a site licence? wake up this could be a really important application for many small businesses but they are not going to pay that kind of money. Reduce the cost and sell more  
(Version 8.1)

FHAMPEL  I agree with the last review, but the reviewer didn't mention two features that I have found useful. First, you can export mbox files that can be imported into Apple Mail. Be warned, that to import a mbox file into Mail, you must select a folder that contains the file.

The reviewer also didn't mention Mail Steward's superior SQL search capabilities. They beat anything that Mail itself can do. Although Devonthink and a search engine like Foxtrot can do searches, they are not specialized to email. So you cannot as easily set up search criteria such as recipient, date, subject, original mailbox, and so on.

The search set up is a little awkward. There are two screens with the same criteria, the second is the Advanced Screen. If you want to search for recipient A OR recipient B, for example, you set A up on the 1st screen and B up on the 2nd with an OR connector. The way I do it is to set up as much of the search as possible on the search screens, then edit the resulting SQL statement if necessary. If you set up a tentative SQL statement, be sure to save the search first, so that you can reedit it if necessary.  
(Version 8.1)

SAMPLER  This has been a terrific app. I keep my 21,000+ mail messages backed up in a MS Data Base. I also processed over 100,000 messages from various backups of my wife's mail folders through MS, in order to to eliminate duplicates and redistribute the rest into databases based on her original mailbox structure. MS worked quickly and without error, keeping attachments and almost all html intact.

Searches are very fast. I rely on the built-in search facility, because search engines cannot index an SQLite DB.

I've tried two other apps that have special features for managing email: Mail Scripts and Devonthink Pro. Neither is robust for very large numbers of messages. There is still room for improvement in MS. For example, once a process window is closed, one can't get it back. However this has only been an annoyance and has not affected functionality in any way.

I find myself amused at the complaints about the end of the free update policy. C'mon folks! If we want developers to make a living, expect to pay every few years for updates. Other developers whose apps have large user bases are finding it difficult to support themselves; check the forums at Journler if you want an example. Developers like those at Thinking Rock are now asking people to buy yearly "memberships" to support their work.

Sometimes a version update has added only a few individual feature. But over time, I've found that the cumulative number of new and refined features has made the update price worthwhile. I'm not sure what's going on with the poster who is bothered by unwanted update notices. I disabled the "check fo updates" box in Preferences and have never been bothered.  
(Version 8.1)

JOHN SEWARD  Oops, I meant to say over 10, not over 20. There have been over 10 free upgrades since version 8.0.  
(Version 8.0.9)

JOHN SEWARD  The original policy was free upgrades. During the first three years there were over 80 free upgrades. In May of 2008, there was a $20 charge to upgrade to version 8.0. The upgrade was free to anyone who purchased in 2008 and those who upgraded the Lite version received an upgrade to the full version. Since then there have been over 20 free upgrades. Hardly a ripoff. Just trying to make a living.  
(Version 8.0.9)