Alternatives to Mailspring
A desktop mail client with a unified inbox, snooze and send later, whose paid tier adds read receipts. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Mailspring
A desktop mail client with a unified inbox, snooze and send later, whose paid tier adds read receipts.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Mailspring.
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, contacts, tasks and built-in OpenPGP, and is not built on Electron, though its interface can feel dense.
Betterbird
A Thunderbird fork that ships extra fixes and features, and can run side by side on the same profile.
Betterbird is a Thunderbird fork that adds unshipped fixes and features, includes a calendar, and offers a portable Windows build, all free under MPL-2.0.
eM Client
A polished commercial mail, calendar and contacts client for Windows and Mac, with a free tier capped at two accounts.
eM Client adds calendar, tasks and PGP and S/MIME encryption, but has no Linux version, is closed source, and caps the free tier at two accounts.
Mailbird
Desktop email client for Windows and macOS with a unified inbox.
Mailbird is a closed-source paid client for Windows and macOS only, with a unified inbox and app integrations but no Linux build.
Spark Mail
Smart email client that auto-sorts inboxes and drafts AI-powered replies.
Spark Mail adds mobile apps, automatic inbox categorization and AI replies, but is closed source, has no Linux version, and puts AI features on a paid plan.
BlueMail
Cross-platform email and calendar client with a unified inbox.
BlueMail adds a calendar and mobile apps with shared settings, but is closed source and its handling of account credentials has drawn criticism.
Microsoft Outlook
Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts app for desktop, mobile and the web.
Microsoft Outlook adds calendar and Microsoft 365 integration on desktop, mobile and web, but is closed source, tied to Microsoft services, and has no Linux app.
Geary
GNOME email client built around conversation threads.
Geary is a minimal open-source GNOME client on Linux only, built around conversation threads, with no rules engine, encryption, snooze or calendar.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Mailspring as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
Apple Mail
The email app built into macOS, iOS and iPadOS for reading mail from several providers.
Mailspring is an open source Electron client for macOS, Windows and Linux with snooze, send later and templates free, while read receipts sit on a paid tier.
Balsa
A lightweight GTK email client for the GNOME desktop.
Mailspring offers a unified inbox, snooze and templates across Windows, macOS and Linux, but it is Electron-based and heavier than a native GTK client.
Canary Mail
Encrypted email client with AI features across desktop and mobile.
Mailspring is open source and keeps credentials on your machine, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, but has no mobile apps and no built-in calendar.
Claws Mail
A fast, keyboard-driven email client that loads a hundred thousand message folder without thinking about it.
Mailspring offers a modern Electron interface with snooze, send later and templates, but uses more resources than a native client and has read receipts on a paid tier.
Evolution
GNOME's mail, calendar, contacts and tasks suite, and the usual answer for Exchange on Linux.
Mailspring offers a modern unified inbox with snooze and send later on Linux, Windows and macOS, but has no built-in calendar and uses Electron.
Kiwi for Gmail
A desktop app for Mac and Windows that runs Gmail and Google Workspace outside the browser.
Mailspring is an open-source GPL-3.0 client for several providers on Windows, macOS and Linux with snooze and send later free, and read receipts on a paid tier.
KMail
KDE's email client with IMAP, filtering and OpenPGP support.
Mailspring offers a modern unified inbox with snooze and templates on Linux, Windows and macOS, but has no built-in calendar or listed encryption.
MailMate
A keyboard-driven IMAP email client for macOS with Markdown composition and advanced search.
Mailspring is an open-source GPL-3.0 Electron client for macOS, Windows and Linux with unified inbox, snooze and send later, but heavier than a native client.
Wino Mail
Native Windows mail and calendar client for Outlook, Gmail and IMAP accounts.
Mailspring adds snooze, send later and templates across Windows, macOS and Linux under GPL-3.0, but it uses Electron and has no built-in calendar.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Spike
Turns email into a chat-like interface with message bubbles instead of a list.
Mailtrack
Adds read receipts to Gmail with double check marks.
Boomerang for Gmail
A browser extension adding send-later, email reminders and meeting scheduling to Gmail.
