Developer Tools · head to head
Depot vs Microsoft Outlook
Depot
Developer Tools
Cloud-based builds and CI runs 55x faster with less cost
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
Microsoft Outlook
Technology
Microsoft's email and calendar client, in the middle of a transition from the classic Windows application to a web-based replacement.
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Depot developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development; Microsoft Outlook microsoft is replacing the classic Win32 client with the new web-based Outlook, and the new one runs only web add-ins, not COM add-ins, so any line-of-business integration for CRM, dictation, document management or telephony must be rewritten or the desktop stays on classic until its support window closes.
- They diverge on capability: Depot covers Depot CI, Microsoft Outlook covers Exchange calendar integration.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Depot and Microsoft Outlook actually diverge.
| Attribute | Depot | Microsoft Outlook |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Unknown | freemium |
| Platforms | Cloud, GitHub, CLI | Web |
| Category | Developer Tools | Technology |
| Founded | 2022 | Unknown |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Depot
- Depot CI
- Container builds
- GitHub Actions runners
- Distributed caching
- Build API
- Depot Registry
- Cross-platform builds
- SSH debugging
Only in Microsoft Outlook
- Exchange calendar integration
- Delegate access
- Shared mailboxes
- Rules and Quick Steps
- Retention, hold and eDiscovery
- Sensitivity labels and encryption
- Add-in platform
- Offline cached mode
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Depot
- Accelerating Docker builds for container-based developmentnot Microsoft Outlook
- Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster infrastructurenot Microsoft Outlook
- Distributing cache across Monorepo buildsnot Microsoft Outlook
- Debugging failed CI builds interactively with SSHnot Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft Outlook
- Organisations on Exchange Online or Exchange Server where free/busy scheduling and room booking across everyone is a daily requirementnot Depot
- Executive assistants managing someone else's calendar and mailbox through delegate access, which no IMAP client supports properlynot Depot
- Regulated environments that need retention policies, legal hold and eDiscovery applied to mail centrally rather than per usernot Depot
- Teams handling shared inboxes such as support or accounts, where permissions and tracking matter more than the mail client itselfnot Depot
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Depot
- Developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
- Startup plan at $200/mo is expensive for smaller teams
- Business plan requires custom pricing consultation
- macOS M2 runners not available on Developer plan
Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft is replacing the classic Win32 client with the new web-based Outlook, and the new one runs only web add-ins, not COM add-ins, so any line-of-business integration for CRM, dictation, document management or telephony must be rewritten or the desktop stays on classic until its support window closes.
- The new client's handling of non-Microsoft accounts synchronises mail through Microsoft's cloud rather than connecting from the machine to the provider, which several organisations' data residency and handling policies do not allow, and it is not an optional behaviour.
- PST and OST files are a single-file, corruptible and effectively unshareable store, and the new client's reduced PST support means years of personal archives sitting in those files need an explicit migration plan rather than carrying forward.
- Large mailboxes turn software problems into administration ones: search index rebuilds, OST files of tens of gigabytes and the mailbox quotas of whichever plan was bought, and the usual fix is archiving policy rather than anything a user can do.
- Against IMAP or Gmail you lose most of what justifies it, including free/busy lookup, room booking, delegate access, and retention and compliance policies, because those are Exchange server features rather than client features.
- The five or six products sharing the Outlook name have materially different feature sets, so internal documentation, training and support procedures must be written per platform and a user moving between desktop, web and mobile finds the same task done differently in each.
Pricing, plan by plan
Depot
Free- Developer$20/month
- 1 user
- 500 Docker build minutes per month
- 2,000 Depot CI minutes per month
- Startup$200/month
- Unlimited users
- 5,000 Docker build minutes per month
- 20,000 Depot CI minutes per month
- Business$undefined/custom
- Custom pricing
- Unlimited users
- Custom monthly compute
Microsoft Outlook
Free- Outlook (Free)Free
- 15 GB mailbox storage
- 5 GB cloud storage
- Web and mobile Office app access
- Microsoft 365 Basic$1.99/month
- 100 GB mailbox storage
- 100 GB cloud storage
- Ad-free experience
- Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99/month
- 1 TB cloud storage
- Desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote)
- Copilot with high usage limits
- Microsoft 365 Family$12.99/month
- 1-6 users
- Up to 6 TB total cloud storage (1 TB per person)
- Same apps and features as Personal
Which should you pick?
Choose Depot if
- You need depot ci.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
- You also want container builds.
Choose Microsoft Outlook if
- You need exchange calendar integration.
- You want to start without paying.
- You also want delegate access.
Questions people ask
- Is Depot or Microsoft Outlook better?
- Neither clearly leads. Depot starts at Free and Microsoft Outlook at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Depot or Microsoft Outlook?
- Depot starts at Free and Microsoft Outlook at Free.
- Does Depot or Microsoft Outlook run on more platforms?
- Depot runs on Cloud, GitHub, CLI. Microsoft Outlook runs on Web.
- Can I use Depot for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Depot best used for?
- Depot is most often used for accelerating docker builds for container-based development, replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure, distributing cache across monorepo builds, debugging failed ci builds interactively with ssh. Of those, accelerating docker builds for container-based development and replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure are not what Microsoft Outlook is typically brought in for.
- What can Depot do that Microsoft Outlook cannot?
- Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching. Microsoft Outlook covers Exchange calendar integration, Delegate access, Shared mailboxes, Rules and Quick Steps.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Depot: How much faster are Depot runners compared to GitHub Actions?
Depot runners offer 30% faster CPUs and 10x faster networking than standard GitHub-hosted runners, enabling builds to complete significantly faster.
SourceMicrosoft Outlook: What is the difference between classic Outlook and the new Outlook for Windows?
Classic is the long-standing Win32 application shipped with Microsoft 365 and Office LTSC. The new Outlook is a web-based client that replaced Windows Mail and Calendar. The most consequential difference is add-ins: the new client supports only web add-ins, not COM add-ins.
Depot: What is included in the Developer plan?
Developer plan ($20/month) includes 500 Docker build minutes, 2,000 Depot CI minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB storage, unlimited concurrency, and community support.
SourceMicrosoft Outlook: How long will classic Outlook be supported?
Microsoft has stated support through at least 2029. That is a planning window rather than a reprieve, and organisations with COM add-in dependencies should be scoping the replacement work now.
Depot: Can I use Depot with my own AWS account?
Yes, Depot Managed allows deployment within customer AWS accounts. This is available to interested customers; contact sales for details.
SourceMicrosoft Outlook: Can I use Outlook with Gmail or another IMAP provider?
Yes, but with reduced capability. You lose free/busy lookup, room booking, delegate access and server-side compliance policies, because those come from Exchange rather than from the client.
Microsoft Outlook: Is Outlook free?
Outlook on the web and the mobile apps are free with a Microsoft account, and the new Outlook for Windows is included with Windows 11. The classic desktop application requires a Microsoft 365 subscription or an Office perpetual licence.
Microsoft Outlook: Will my COM add-ins work in the new Outlook?
No. The new client supports only the cross-platform web add-in model. Vendors must publish a web add-in, and where they have not, the choice is to stay on classic Outlook or replace the integration.
Related pages
More on Microsoft Outlook
Other head to heads
- Depot vs WarpBuild
- Depot vs Blacksmith
- Depot vs Nixpacks
- Depot vs Buildkite
- Depot vs GitLab CI/CD
- Depot vs Namespace
- Depot vs Earthly
- Depot vs Nx Cloud
- Depot vs Dagger
- Depot vs Garden
- Depot vs Ansible
- Depot vs ConfigCat
- Depot vs Avo
- Depot vs Azure DevOps
- Depot vs Backstage
- Depot vs Bitbucket
- Depot vs Claude Code
- Depot vs Cloud Native Buildpacks
- Depot vs Safari
- Depot vs Google Chrome
- Depot vs Mozilla Firefox
- Depot vs Thought Machine
- Depot vs Sentry
- Depot vs Apache Spark
- Depot vs GitHub Desktop
- Depot vs MongoDB
- Depot vs Asana
- Depot vs Figma
- Depot vs Greenhouse
- Depot vs Monday.com
- Depot vs Maze
- Depot vs PagerDuty
- Depot vs PyCharm
- Depot vs Sketch
- Depot vs Sublime Text
- Microsoft Outlook vs WarpBuild
- Microsoft Outlook vs Blacksmith
- Microsoft Outlook vs Nixpacks
- Microsoft Outlook vs Buildkite
- Microsoft Outlook vs GitLab CI/CD
- Microsoft Outlook vs Namespace
- Microsoft Outlook vs Earthly
- Microsoft Outlook vs Nx Cloud
- Microsoft Outlook vs Dagger
- Microsoft Outlook vs Garden
- Microsoft Outlook vs Ansible
- Microsoft Outlook vs ConfigCat
- Microsoft Outlook vs Avo
- Microsoft Outlook vs Azure DevOps
- Microsoft Outlook vs Backstage
- Microsoft Outlook vs Bitbucket
- Microsoft Outlook vs Claude Code
- Microsoft Outlook vs Cloud Native Buildpacks
- Microsoft Outlook vs Safari
- Microsoft Outlook vs Google Chrome
- Microsoft Outlook vs Mozilla Firefox
- Microsoft Outlook vs Thought Machine
- Microsoft Outlook vs Sentry
- Microsoft Outlook vs Apache Spark
- Microsoft Outlook vs GitHub Desktop
- Microsoft Outlook vs MongoDB
- Microsoft Outlook vs Asana
- Microsoft Outlook vs Figma
- Microsoft Outlook vs Greenhouse
- Microsoft Outlook vs Monday.com
- Microsoft Outlook vs Maze
- Microsoft Outlook vs PagerDuty
- Microsoft Outlook vs PyCharm
- Microsoft Outlook vs Sketch
- Microsoft Outlook vs Sublime Text