Alternatives to eM Client
A polished commercial mail, calendar and contacts client for Windows and Mac, with a free tier capped at two accounts. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
eM Client
A polished commercial mail, calendar and contacts client for Windows and Mac, with a free tier capped at two accounts.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as eM Client.
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts app for desktop, mobile and the web.
Microsoft Outlook adds a web version and deep Microsoft 365 integration with shared calendars, but is tied to Microsoft services and some features need a paid plan.
Thunderbird
Mozilla’s desktop mail client, with calendar, contacts and a unified inbox, funded by donations rather than ads.
Thunderbird is free and open source with calendar, tasks and built-in OpenPGP, adds Linux support, and has no account cap or commercial-use restriction.
Mailspring
A desktop mail client with a unified inbox, snooze and send later, whose paid tier adds read receipts.
Mailspring is open source and runs on Linux too, with free snooze and send later, but lacks a built-in calendar and has no mobile apps.
BlueMail
Cross-platform email and calendar client with a unified inbox.
BlueMail offers a unified inbox and calendar across Windows, macOS, Linux and mobile, but is closed source and its credential handling has drawn criticism.
Mailbird
Desktop email client for Windows and macOS with a unified inbox.
Mailbird is a paid unified-inbox client for Windows and macOS with app integrations, and lists no built-in encryption or mobile apps.
Spark Mail
Smart email client that auto-sorts inboxes and drafts AI-powered replies.
Spark Mail replaces manual sorting with automatic categorization and AI-drafted replies on desktop and mobile, with AI and team features on a paid plan.
Betterbird
A Thunderbird fork that ships extra fixes and features, and can run side by side on the same profile.
Betterbird is an open source Thunderbird fork with extra fixes, Linux support and a portable Windows build, maintained by a small volunteer project.
Evolution
GNOME's mail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite, and the usual answer for Exchange on Linux.
Evolution keeps mail, calendar, contacts and tasks together with an Exchange plugin for Microsoft 365, but runs only on Linux.
Also worth comparing
These listings name eM Client as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Airmail
A customisable email client for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Vision Pro.
eM Client covers Windows, Mac, Android and iOS with calendar, tasks and PGP encryption, but its free licence is capped at two accounts.
Apple Mail
The email app built into macOS, iOS and iPadOS for reading mail from several providers.
eM Client brings mail, calendar, tasks, notes and PGP and S/MIME encryption to Mac and Windows, with a free tier capped at two accounts and no commercial use.
Canary Mail
Encrypted email client with AI features across desktop and mobile.
eM Client includes PGP and S/MIME encryption on every tier including the free one, plus calendar and tasks, and can be bought once instead of by subscription.
K-9 Mail
Open-source Android email client built for handling large volumes of mail.
eM Client adds calendar, tasks and PGP and S/MIME encryption across mobile and desktop, but is closed source and the free tier is capped at two accounts.
Kiwi for Gmail
A desktop app for Mac and Windows that runs Gmail and Google Workspace outside the browser.
eM Client supports Gmail and other providers with calendar, tasks and PGP encryption, offers a one-time purchase, and has a free tier capped at two accounts.
Kontact
KDE's personal information manager that combines mail, calendar, contacts and news in one window.
eM Client offers mail, calendar, tasks, contacts and notes in one window, but has no Linux version and is closed source with a two-account free tier.
MailMate
A keyboard-driven IMAP email client for macOS with Markdown composition and advanced search.
eM Client adds calendar, tasks, notes and PGP and S/MIME on Mac and Windows, with a one-time purchase and a free tier capped at two accounts.
Microsoft Outlook for iOS and Android
Microsoft's Outlook mobile app for email, calendar and contacts on iPhone, iPad and Android.
eM Client offers Android and iOS apps alongside desktop, with calendar, tasks and PGP and S/MIME encryption, and a free tier capped at two accounts.
Pegasus Mail
A long-running free desktop email client for Windows, maintained alongside the Mercury mail server.
eM Client adds calendar, tasks and PGP to a polished Windows and Mac client, but its free tier is capped at two accounts and bars commercial use.
Spike
Turns email into a chat-like interface with message bubbles instead of a list.
eM Client uses a traditional layout with calendar, tasks and PGP and S/MIME, is sold as a one-time purchase, and caps the free tier at two accounts.
The Bat!
A Windows desktop email client that keeps mail locally, with on-disk encryption and end-to-end encryption.
eM Client adds calendar, tasks and contacts with PGP and S/MIME on every tier, runs on Windows and Mac, and caps its free licence at two accounts.
Wino Mail
Native Windows mail and calendar client for Outlook, Gmail and IMAP accounts.
eM Client is a polished closed-source client for Windows and Mac with calendar, tasks and PGP, but its free tier is capped at two accounts.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
MailStore Home
Free Windows email archiver for IMAP, Exchange and PST files.
Proton Mail Bridge
Local gateway that lets standard mail clients read a Proton Mail account.
