Alternatives to Geary

GNOME email client built around conversation threads. 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 Geary.

  • Thunderbird

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

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Thunderbird adds calendar, tasks, built-in OpenPGP and an add-on ecosystem on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, with a denser interface.

  • Evolution

    GNOME's mail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite, and the usual answer for Exchange on Linux.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Evolution stays on GNOME but adds calendar, contacts, tasks and Exchange support, and is heavier and slower to start.

  • KMail

    KDE's email client with IMAP, filtering and OpenPGP support.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    KMail adds OpenPGP and S/MIME encryption and filtering with Kontact calendar sharing, but relies on the Akonadi storage service, a common source of problems.

  • Mailspring

    A desktop mail client with a unified inbox, snooze and send later, whose paid tier adds read receipts.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Mailspring adds snooze, send later, rules and templates across Linux, Windows and macOS, but is an Electron app with paid read receipts.

  • Claws Mail

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

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Claws Mail adds deep filtering and plugins for PGP, spam and RSS, handling huge folders quickly, with a dated interface and plain text composing by default.

  • Betterbird

    A Thunderbird fork that ships extra fixes and features, and can run side by side on the same profile.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Betterbird is a Thunderbird fork for Windows, macOS and Linux with calendar and extra fixes, run by a small volunteer project.

Also worth comparing

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

  • Balsa

    A lightweight GTK email client for the GNOME desktop.

    FreeOpen sourceLinux

    Geary is another GNOME mail client, organised around conversation threads with fast search, but it lacks encryption, a rules engine and a calendar.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.