aerc vs Spike
aerc
aerc-mail.org
Spike
spikenow.comSide by side
| Figure | aerc | Spike |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $4/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 12 |
| Spec score · Email clients | 8.5 (#26) | 9.0 (#10) |
| App coverage | desktop | all |
| Calendar tools | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | The project lists binary packages for Alpine, Arch, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE, Slackware, and macOS through Homebrew. | Spike lists iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and web browser as supported devices. |
| Product | aerc is an email client that runs in a terminal. | Spike describes itself as an AI-powered inbox that brings email, calls, notes, tasks, and to-dos into one hub and turns email threads into chat-like conversations. |
| Security | It supports PGP signing, encryption, and verification using GnuPG. | Spike says message data is encrypted with AES-256 using a per-message private key and that it has periodic external security audits. |
| Support | The project directs users to its discussion mailing list for support and general discussion. | The pricing page lists standard support for Starter, priority support for Team and Pro, and VIP support for Business and Ultimate. |
Plans
Spike
- StarterFree
- Team$4 a month
- Business$8 a month
- FreeFree
- Pro$6 a month
- Ultimate$12 a month
- Email App FreeFree
- Teamspace StarterFree
- Teamspace Team$4 a month
- Email App Pro$6 a month
In their own words
Spike
Spike combines email, calls, notes, tasks, and to-dos in a single hub, and presents email threads as chat-like conversations. It has a unified inbox, scheduled sending, and calendar tools, and runs on Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows. Spike AI can draft messages and replies, summarize conversations, and provide an assistant; free tiers list 10 queries for several AI features. Teamspace adds channels, shared inboxes, groups, collaborative documents and tasks, and audio and video meetings. Spike works with existing accounts such as Gmail, Office 365 or Outlook, Exchange, iCloud, Yahoo, and other IMAP accounts. Cloud attachments can use Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, and calendars can connect with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Apple Calendar. Spike says it encrypts messages with AES-256 using a per-message private key, and undergoes periodic external security audits. The Email App Free plan includes one address, 60 days of search history, 1 GB storage, and 30 MB file uploads. Email App Pro is $6 a month billed annually; Ultimate is $12 a month billed annually.