aerc vs Mailspring
aerc
aerc-mail.orgMailspring
getmailspring.comSide by side
| Figure | aerc | Mailspring |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 4 |
| Spec score · Email clients | 8.5 (#26) | 9.0 (#9) |
| Accounts | Multiple accounts can be configured and displayed in separate tabs. | It supports multiple accounts, including Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, Fastmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo!, and IMAP/SMTP providers, in a unified inbox. |
| App coverage | desktop | desktop |
| Calendar tools | Yes | No |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | The project lists binary packages for Alpine, Arch, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Slackware, and macOS through Homebrew. | Downloads are offered for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including Windows ARM64, Apple Silicon, and Linux ARM packages. |
| Product | aerc is an email client that runs in a terminal. | Mailspring is a native desktop email client for people who take email seriously. |
| Security | It supports PGP signing, encryption, and verification using GnuPG. | Email credentials are stored in the system keychain, and Mailspring says it does not transmit, store, or process email in the cloud. |
| Support | The project directs users to its discussion mailing list for support and general discussion. | For security vulnerability reports, the maker gives [email protected] and says users can expect a response within a few hours. |
Plans
Mailspring
- BasicPrice not published
- Mailspring Pro$8 a month
- FreeFree
- Mailspring Pro$8 a month
In their own words
Mailspring
Mailspring is a desktop email client for Linux, macOS, and Windows, with support for multiple accounts in one inbox. It connects to Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, Fastmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo!, and IMAP/SMTP providers, and indexes email for advanced Gmail-style searches across connected accounts. The client works offline and supports scheduled sending. Its free features include undo send, spell and grammar checking, custom themes, dark mode, and localization. Pro adds read receipts, link tracking, send later, follow-up reminders, templates, contact profiles, snoozing, and mailbox insights. Mailspring connects to mail providers through IMAP and to calendars and contacts through CalDAV and CardDAV, though calendar tools are not included in the app. It can translate drafts into Spanish, Russian, simplified Chinese, French, and German, and offer to translate incoming messages. Mailspring says credentials are kept in the system keychain and email is not processed in the cloud. The free plan is available; Pro costs $8 a month, billed monthly.