STEVEN GOODHEART  I just downloaded and installed the Snow Leopard beta, and -- woo hoo! -- I've got MailTags back! After a morning of testing, I haven't run into any serious problems...To Dos I create in MT are showing up right away in BusyCal (BusyCal is one of my favorite new programs -- think of it as iCal Pro) and tagging seems to be just fine.

Given the intelligent and cautious install instructions and caveats at the website and with the installer itself, no doubt this is a beta, but I have to say it's looking pretty darn good at this point. One thing I did do was to run the uninstaller before I did a fresh install of the Snow Leopard version, just to be safe and remove any pre-SL cruftiness.

Looks like MT is getting a significant facelift/reworking because of Snow Leopard, so though I've missed using it for a while, I'm really glad, in the end, for the change. I think we'll end up with an even better, stronger program. But for now, the main thing is that this is a workable version for Snow Leopard users, or at least, for this SL user. My two bits.  
(Version 2.3.1)

XPLICIT  This app would have been quite a good extension to Apple Mail, but it's not. It's really buggy:

"Keywords -> Add to preferences" doesn't add the keywords to preferences, deleting keywords doesn't work at all, keywords suddenly disappear from the list, "Add keyword" adds new keyword more than once, etc..

If you need an app like this to work with ... forget this one ... at least for the moment.  
(Version 2.3)

ANON BUD  I cannot wait til the final Snow Leopard version comes out. I tried the beta for a bit, but it didn't play nicely with mail.app at all: messages not rendering, keywords lost, crashing, etc.

This is a fabulous app and I miss it terribly! Please InDev…hurry up with 3.0 final!  
(Version 2.3)

SHOCKERSPAZ  Im sorry, today of all days, to release a new version and state "10.5 and later, Mail 3.0 or later" is a blatant lie! It does NOT work with 10.6 nor Mail 4.0!  
(Version 2.3)

RARO  Actually a great app indeed. I have used it extensively. But after a while, I wasn't able to access certain Mailboxes anymore. The only measure that helped was to disable MailTags.   
(Version 2.2.3)

EJI  Looks like it conflicts with WideMail v.51. The Mail.app message window won't open, and if you manually select it from the Window category in the menubar, it brings up one messy mail interface. Crap.  
(Version 2.2.2)

MALISTA  I've been using MailTags since day 1, looking for an alternative to Entourage which had better features at the time.

MailTags saved Mail for me, no less!

its free working sibling must be mentioned: Act-on.

bring QuickSilver in the equation, and your workflow becomes seemless.

highly recommended.  
(Version 2.2.1)

ONEBLESSEDGUY  I don't understand the review below. I have installed it and it works great. Perhaps there is an incompatibility with another plug-in that the reviewer has installed.

At any rate, I wanted to post something that states how much this program has already helped me and I've only been using it about 2 weeks! First, because I was using Mail Act-on, this program was easy to implement b/c I already had many rules set up. I was able to adjust my rules to include mail tags and get even better filtering and email flowthrough!

Second, b/c of mailtags I was able to implement a GTD workflow of my emails that has left my inbox empty and my to-dos organized. I actually enjoy it when I get an email b/c I get to organize it away. I'm ready to handle more than I feel like I ever have been.

Third, the hardest thing to do was to set up what I wanted in a workflow, did I want to use a Today, Tomorrow, Next Week, This Month kind of smart folder and file accordingly or did I want to use a color system with colors changing as the day approached. Almost anything is possible with MailTags.

Try it out! I don't know what I did with my emails before I did this. But I know I wasn't as efficient as I am now.  
(Version 2.2.1)

EGN  This is definitely not there yet. Just messed up the messages that I tagged. Could not drag them to any of my forlders; they just popped back in to the orginal folder. Not even after deinstalling. I had to delete the messages to get them off. Anything MT touched it messed up. All the other emails that I did not tag with it were OK. So it's off my Mac. This is the 2nd time I've tried to use it and the second time it does something I don't like. !  
(Version 2.2pb5)

BLLOYD  This mail plug-in has been fantastically useful for me. I'm not using all of the functionality, but rather just adding tags to messages (waiting, follow-up, etc.) and using the OmniFocus plug-in so I can quickly move to-do items as follow-ups over there where I manage them in a centralized location.

I tried to work with Leopard's to do functionality but it had some real limitations which made it unusable for me (specifically, if you have a few hundred to-do items over the course of all time with Leopard, which I did, it breaks down).

The developer has been fantastic in quickly resolving issues, and in adding much needed functionality. This is a core productivity application for me, along with OmniFocus and Circus Ponies Notebook I can efficiently keep track of whatever I need to, and follow up in a timely manner. Nothing falls through the cracks anymore.  
(Version 2.2b24)

BOBVB  Seems all of the 10.4 features I had used are back

BUT

I went into the Mail preferences MailTag panel and deleted a keyword I had defined and replace with another. All my mail with that keyword also disappeared from the .Mac IMAP account they were in. Fortunately they were local copied on my shut down laptop and I was able to recover them by quickly turning off the wifi and copying them to the hard disk.

Still a bit scary and emphasis on the 'beta' still.  
(Version 2.2b12)

TUISHIMI  Leopard 10.5.1, Mail 3.0, latest Beta of Mail Tags.

Doesn't seem to be working, no keyword searches (dynamic folders) work. Could be I missed that it was not working in the release notes.

Uninstalling for now.  
(Version 2.2b12)

LEESA  I bought and loved this app when I was using Tiger. Now that I'm using Leopard the only thing I purchased it for is gone: todos. I loved being able to sort my inbox by due dates as well as being able to rename the subject of those items. I mainly used it for sorting ebills.

The todos Leopard Mail offers are useless for me, I never wanted to have to have another window open to see my todo items. And until Apple offers a way to sort by todos in the inbox, I almost don't see the point.

Developers: please bring back this functionality in MailTags! I feel like I spent the money for nothing. :(   
(Version 2.2b12)

BEBDABHRHBRWEFG 3R§5Y5H4WTEDSFB  version 2 seems a lot slower than version 1,x - especially when performing actions on multiple emails.

also. with v2 - when i have a group of emails selected and then control+click to add a mailtags keyword, mailtags drops the selection afterwards. mailtags v1 kept the emails selected so that, after adding a keyword, i could then perform another action on that selection. please revert to the v1 way of doing things!

[have tried to mention this one the developer's discussion forum, but after attempting to register twice i've yet to receive the email telling me my account has been activated - perhaps the developer isn't that interested in what users think, after all]  
(Version 2.0.1)

AKROBAT  Nice software. Good idea. Well executed.

Would be nice to have a choice of PIM instead of just iCal. iCal is ok for those that like it, but it's far from professional.

Well, we can only hope I suppose.  
(Version 2.0.1)

AXXLL  I want one for entourage please.  
(Version 2.0b10)

MACSTERDAM  Mailtags has changed how I handle and archive my mail. What a great application this is. Simple yet extremely powerful. Seriously recommended. Thanks

Now, if only someone would write FinderTags :-D (hint!)  
(Version 2.0b6)

MUNEY  I tried mailtags 2.0b5 extensively for the last two days, during which mail.app exhibited the following atypicaly behavior:

1. hanging forever, with activity window showing "sorting messages".

2. loss of messages, when dragging-and-dropping messages between folders (esp. messages with attachments)

3. crashing several times during processing of keyword updates to many messages....

4. inaccurate searches and smart folders -- both false positives and false negatives -- using keywords as search criteria.

I'd really like to use this product, but not with these problems! Am looking forward to a stable version.  
(Version 2.0b5)

SMORR  The problem with High priority is that it is mucking about in an ical datafile which could cause problems, especially when high priority updates when ical is running. For example, if you set a Todo in high priority while ical is running, ical won't see it. if you change ical items, it may overwrite the high priority items. I plan to work on a way to do what high priority does when ical is not running but to use appleevents (as it does now) when ical is running.  
(Version 2.0b5)

HENRIKTEKNIK  I'm still evaluating MailTags and I like it so far. But I found one thing that should be addressed (correct me if I'm wrong):

It appears as if, when adding an iCal todo, MailTags will actually *open* the iCal.app, in order to add the todo.

I would be happier if I didn't have to open iCal to do this. I also use a program called High Priority (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/20377), and there you can add iCal todos without opening iCal.

Reason also, why I don't (or rarely) want to open iCal, is that I can see my todo's and calendar items directly on the desktop, using another fine app called iCalViewer (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/11500). I hope I'm not missing anything regarding this matter. :)  
(Version 2.0b5)

ISTUMBLER  MailTags is a great addition to Mail.app the ability to tag emails has always been a great feature, the iCal integration is a huge improvement and now the ability to share tags across all my Macs is the icing on the cake. I donated for my copy of 1.x and encourage anyone who wants to stay on top of their email to check this out and purchase now before the price goes up.

2.0 Public Beta has a few rough edges but the important features like synchronization with multiple computers and tag information in the mail tables work very welll and it's been stable for me.  
(Version 2.0pb)

ORION MK. V  First time trying MailTags. The 2.0pb is an interesting and potentially VERY useful add-on to Mail. I have to use it a bit longer to have a real opinion.  
(Version 2.0pb)

MACLOVER1.1  Now THIS IS COOL !!!!!!!!!! Yep instead of reinventing the wheel like all these people developing pseudo web-browsers a-gogo and so on... MAKE SOMETHING USEFUL !!!!!! AND MAILTAG IS: E X T R E M E L Y U S E F U L !!!! Multiplies the ability to control mailboxes, messages tenfold !!! GET IT ! AND PAYPAL IT ! And get organized :-)  
(Version 1.2.2)

TOMEM  Ok, v.1.2.2 corrects the problems I was having with instability of Mail, and adds just about every feature I wished for! So I take back my previous reservations abou this product.   
(Version 1.2.2)

PHILCOZZ  Installer hung for me, too. After a while I quit the installer and 1.2.2 seems to have installed during the hang, but I'm leery.  
(Version 1.2.2)

NCIANCA  Version 1.2.2 fixes the intermittent mail hanging problem that I had with the prior version. MailTags is very useful.  
(Version 1.2.2)

MOZART11  I was using the previous version. Saw this today. Tried to install and the installer just hangs. I left it for 15 minutes and nothing. Quit and deleted the bundle.

I'm not going to mess with an app that has the potential to screw up my email.a  
(Version 1.2.2)

2RAJ  Mailtags has veen very unstable for me. After installing, Mail.app consistently quits suddenly when trying to read emails.

The developer needs to fix this before releasing the software.  
(Version 1.2.2)

TOMEM  Very important tool, but the implementation is lacking in stability and other amenities. Mailtags has made me realize that email archives should replace or be integrated with the file system because files that are linked to emails are much more useful than those that are filed away in folders. Essentially, linking them to emails provides both the freeform and structured metadata that MacOS pioneered but no one has fully developed. It's gotten to the point where it's worth sending yourself any important file with explanatory material linked in an email.

Despite that, I've had to disable MailTags because it is hanging up Mail.app repeatedly, usually just after sending an email. When restarted, the attempted send is completed, usually. But the inconvenience and threat to my email integrity is simply too serious to be tolerated at present.

As noted by others, MailTags tends to force the widening of the Mail window, which is not all bad unless one is working on a narrow screen. It would be better to provide user options here: choice of horizontal or vertical side panels, which fields to provide as search buttons, ways to shorten their names, etc.

Perhaps Apple will buy and integrate this with their mail tool, and their file system, and thereby pioneer the first mass production file system with full capability metadata.   
(Version 1.2.1)

NCIANCA  This is a potentially a great plugin for Mail. The tagging is useful, but for me the ability to attach an email to a Task in iCal is really useful. Unfortunately MailTags seems to occasionally hang Mail. One time, Mail's preference file got corrupted as a result of having to Force Quit Mail.  
(Version 1.2.1)

REGIST  The tag serching in Mail Tags' new spotlight menu doesn't seem to work. I applied a Tag to a number of messages that I preferred not ot keep in my mailbox and then did a search after moving the messages to the trash. Spotlight didn't find them even using the "All Mailboxes" selection. When going to Trash and searching they all came up.

The plug-in seems fabulous, though I agree with earlier comments about the interface. Hope this bug and interface issues are resolved.   
(Version 1.2.1)

BEBDABHRHBRWEFG 3R§5Y5H4WTEDSFB  this is another of those great "should have been built in already" ideas. the potential is great, but i find that [at this stage of development] mailtags is less than 100% relable in use. i've found flags attached to emails switched off when mailtags thinks they're on and attached keywords/projects and comments sometimes disappear, seemingly at random.

i'd also agree with previous reviewers that the interface needs work. mailtags should be a horizontal panel which can be "popped down" from the email header. making it a side panel means that [with the addition of mail's "mailboxes" side panel] i'm left with about half the width of mail's window in which to compose.

also, what's with that "keywords" popup menu? - i click the wee arrow icon to pop it up. tick the keyword[s] i want and then... er.. if i click the arrow icon again to close the menu, it pops it open again. the only way to close it seems to be to click off it - which is a bit clunky.

all in all a great idea, but slightly let down by the GUI and the fact that it doesn't always do what it's told to do.  
(Version 1.1)

ANONYMOUS  I tried this application and loved it. Unfortunately, I found that Mail did a lousy job of handling all this meta data with my IMAP accounts, and spotlight was unreliable. It is sad, because we have a great application designed to make use of a mediocre technology. Hopefully Apple will catch up!  
(Version 1.1)

ALF WATT  This is a great addition to Apple's Mail, allowing you to keep up to date with multiple projects and to-do items with a quick glance at your inbox. The tight integration with Spotlight really shows when searching for messages in Mail or the Finder.

It's not perfect--the ability to assign multiple projects to an email message would be handy--but Mail Tags does what it says, quickly and reliabaly, and delivers solid features for a 1.0 product. I highly reccomend it.  
(Version 1.0)

SCOTT GARDNER  Developer followed up with me right away. Provided a fix (mdimport plugin), and everything appears to be working fine now. Tip, if you want to keep a Smart Mailbox to grab all your MailTags tagged email with a Due Date within X day(s), and all past due, use 'MailTags Due Date is before (X + 1) days from today' (e.g., if you want all email due within 2 days + past due email, use due date is before 3 days from today).

$20 is a bit steep for this app IMO, but it is very useful.  
(Version 1.0)

SCOTT GARDNER  Smart Mailbox condition "MailTags Due Date is within ___ days..." not working. This function did work fine, up until yesterday. I don't know if these actions had any effect on the problem, but I ran a defrag (using TechTool Pro 4), and when I came back to the main volume and deleted/rebuilt my Spotlight index, and then opened Mail, my Smart Mailbox "action," which was set to pull all Mail items that are flagged and have a MailTags Due Date within 1 day showed nothing (there should be several items). So, I edited the Smart Mailbox, removing the MailTags condition, keeping the Flagged condition, and they all reappeared. I confirmed that I have several items with due dates today, tomorrow, etc. Then I repeated the setup of the MailTags Due Date and they disappeared from the Smart Mailbox again.

On a similar subject, I would like to have a Due Date Within tag that also shows all past due dates for unprocessed items.  
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  I like the features but the icon is almost enough to make me uninstall it. Very un-mac like. I get what the author was trying to do, but its just way too goofy.

I would actually just prefer the option of:

- keyboard shortcut

- Menu Bar Item (again, not a cartoony icon)

- A VERY small VERY minimal icon in place of the current one

or...

The most mac-like option would be to emulate the functionality of the "attachments" info that Apple implemented. Instead of a sidebar, use a text label of "Mail Tags" nedt to a disclosure triangle. Clicking the triangle reveals a section in the header (in place of the current side bar) to add/edit info

Other slight annoyances are the general use of color by this plugin. I mean no offense at all by this but the best developers (in terms of UI) are the ones that dont try to be artists. To that point I would ask the developer:

1. If I clicked the Mail Tags icon, do I need a big graphic "Mail Tags" header in the sidebar?

2. Many applications use comments boxes & nearly every user is familiar with them. The Mail tags interface is, for the most part, very simple. Do we need the comments box to be yellow? I understand the stickies correlation but its just not working. Standard white would be much more appealing.

3. Does Mail.app say "© 2005 Apple Computer Inc." at the bottom? The copyright essentially takes the developers name & sticks it in the middle of all my email. Very unattractive & somewhat intrusive on a weird level. I subconciously feel like the developer is reading my email with me. I think the copyright in the preferences would be quite sufficient.

Anyway, I think theres a lot of potential and I knwo developers want to show their creativity & get their credit like everyone else, but remember your project is supposed to help us work & forget that you're even there. Software development isn't really a place for "ego" (no offense).  
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  I surely do not wish to dissuade an app that is onto something, but the suggested donationware is a bit steep. This is a "ten-buck-Chuck" for me and so will be my donation.  
(Version 1.0)

DCE  This definitely has potential!

My only gripe (and it's a small one) is the icon used for the tags. It's be nice if it were just a little less conspicuous. I'd love to see something very minimal in terms of user interface - no cartoony tags, no banner in the panel itself.

Or, better yet, the ability to turn these features on and off (a la "small icon", "icon and text", "text only", etc).  
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  Excellent idea. I like the tight integration with Mail.

Developer is extremely responsive.

I would like the ability to add a rule that selects items that do NOT have a certain word in a comment field. Currently, I only seem to be able to select messages with a specified comment.   
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  Very promising. I need to use MailTags a bit longer to see if it justifies the cost.  
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  At first glance this looks to be VERY cool. Actually may be the missing link that could get me to leave Entourage. I'll have to spend sometime with it, though, before migrating just yet (don't know if it's stable yet). Very nice idea.  
(Version 1.0)

TOURNESOL  Man, I have been waiting a loooong time for something like this. MailTags is almost perfect. Here is what I would like an a future revision:

The priority menu should change the color of the flag so that I can scroll through my messages and easily see the different flags and colors.

The due date should be integrated with iCal, and the alarm scheduler in iCal.

The look of the app should be more consistent with the look of Mail 2.0

Otherwise I love this. Great work guys!!!

Highly recommended!

NB. 20 dollars seems a bit steep. 10 dollars would be more appropriate.  
(Version 1.0)