Alternatives to aerc

A terminal email client with vim-style keys, an embedded terminal for composing, and first-class support for git email workflows. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as aerc.

  • NeoMutt

    A fork of Mutt that gathered decades of scattered patches into one maintained terminal mail client.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    NeoMutt is also a terminal client for macOS and Linux, but it needs a configuration file written first and uses Mutt's keybindings, with HTML mail through an external viewer.

  • Himalaya

    Manage mail accounts through a command-line client.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    Himalaya is a command-line client rather than an interactive terminal interface, supports several protocols and local mailbox formats, and adds a Windows build under MIT or Apache-2.0.

  • Claws Mail

    A fast, keyboard-driven email client that loads a hundred thousand message folder without thinking about it.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Claws Mail swaps the terminal for a keyboard-driven graphical interface that runs on Windows, handles very large folders quickly, and ships PGP, spam and RSS plugins.

  • Thunderbird

    Mozilla’s desktop mail client, with calendar, contacts and a unified inbox, funded by donations rather than ads.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Thunderbird is a graphical desktop client for Windows, macOS and Linux with calendar, contacts, built-in OpenPGP and add-ons, giving up aerc's terminal and patch workflow focus.

  • meli

    A configurable terminal email client written in Rust with IMAP, Maildir, notmuch and JMAP support.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    meli is a Rust terminal client under GPL-3.0 with IMAP, Maildir, notmuch, JMAP and mbox support, though its developers describe it as experimental.

  • Alpine

    A terminal email program descended from Pine, with its full documentation built into the program.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsLinuxCommand line

    Alpine offers a simpler menu-driven terminal interface with built-in documentation and a Windows build, but renders no rich HTML and lacks aerc's git patch workflow features.

  • mu

    A Maildir indexer and search tool with mu4e, an email client for GNU Emacs.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    mu moves reading into Emacs through mu4e, works only with Maildir storage, and needs a separate tool to fetch mail before it can be indexed.

Also worth comparing

These listings name aerc as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • alot

    A terminal mail reader built on the notmuch indexer, with a command-prompt-driven interface.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    aerc adds a Notmuch backend plus IMAP, Maildir and JMAP, an embedded terminal for composing, and git patch workflow support, and it also runs on macOS.

  • Mutt

    A text-based email client that runs in the terminal on Unix-like systems.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    aerc uses vim-style keys, composes in an embedded terminal, has asynchronous IMAP and JMAP, and is built for git patch workflows.

  • Pop

    Compose and send email from the terminal.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    aerc is a full terminal mail client with reading and composing, vim-style keys and git patch tools, but has no Windows build.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.