Many email providers including Gmail provide users with access to IMAP, however you will need to have a email client running all the time, to download and view new messages.

If you do not want to open up a additional application to be able to check emails, a handy freeware utility called IMAP checker, works as a email alerter, notifying you whenever new emails are received in your IMAP account.

IMAP Checker will alert you when new messages arrive, and allow you to open your default email application when you click on the IMAP Checker icon in the system tray.

However this application does not work with SSL IMAP accounts, so you will not be able to use it for email providers such as Gmail.

Download IMAP Checker