Logging in to the web-based Gmail account from time to time to check for new email in the Inbox can be a bit troublesome especially when you have numerous Gmail accounts to handle. One way to manage this inconvenience is via notifier programs. A notifier program will hide in the system tray and alert users as and when there are new incoming emails. There are various notifier programs which serve quite similar functions for Gmail users.

Gmail Notifier
Gmail Notifier is a free application offered by Gmail which can alert users when there are new Gmail messages. Compatible with both Windows and Mac OS X, Gmail Notifier displays an icon in users’ system tray to let users know if they have unread Gmail messages. It shows users the subjects, senders and snippets, all without users having to open a web browser.

Google Talk
Users who have installed Google Talk or GTalk, a free Windows and web-based application for instant messaging and voice over internet protocol (VOIP) offered by Google, will also have access to the same new mail notification. Gtalk users will not need to install other notifier programs.

Scott Gmail Alert
Scott Gmail Alert is a third party email alert application for Gmail users. This free alert tool can monitor up to five different accounts simultaneously. Users need to install and configure the notification application prior to using it. Besides getting the instant notification, users can also send instant reply email without logging in to their Gmail account. Read more about Scott Gmail Alert.

Download Scott Gmail Alert

Spiffy
For Windows only, Spiffy is another free and easy to use Gmail notifier which displays tray alerts whenever there are new emails coming in. However, unlike Scott Gmail Alert, Spiffy supports only up to two accounts. Spiffy requires.NET Framework 2.0 to run the application. Download Spiffy via the link here.

gTray
gTray is a free Gmail notification application under GNU General Public License. It is a small C# application that functions like other notifiers which can check for new incoming emails in the Gmail inbox. It will alert and notify users with a custom notification window when there are new emails. This application is currently under Beta version and it also requires Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 to run. Download gTray via the link here.