Alternatives to Pegasus Mail

A long-running free desktop email client for Windows, maintained alongside the Mercury mail server. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

  • Pegasus Mail

    A long-running free desktop email client for Windows, maintained alongside the Mercury mail server.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Pegasus Mail.

  • Thunderbird

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

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid

    Thunderbird is free and open source under MPL-2.0, runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, and adds a calendar, unified inbox and built-in OpenPGP.

  • The Bat!

    A Windows desktop email client that keeps mail locally, with on-disk encryption and end-to-end encryption.

    PaidProprietaryWindows

    The Bat! is a Windows client with local message base encryption, tracking pixel blocking and unlimited accounts, but it needs a commercial license.

  • eM Client

    A polished commercial mail, calendar and contacts client for Windows and Mac, with a free tier capped at two accounts.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOS

    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.

  • 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 free, open source Thunderbird fork for Windows, macOS and Linux with extra fixes and a portable Windows build.

  • Claws Mail

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

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Claws Mail is a free GPL client for Windows, macOS and Linux that handles huge folders quickly, with bundled PGP, spam and RSS plugins.

  • Wino Mail

    Native Windows mail and calendar client for Outlook, Gmail and IMAP accounts.

    FreeOpen sourceWindows

    Wino Mail is a free, open source native Windows client with a Fluent interface and calendar for Outlook, Gmail and IMAP accounts, still filling in features.

  • Mailbird

    Desktop email client for Windows and macOS with a unified inbox.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOS

    Mailbird offers a unified inbox and app integrations on Windows and macOS, but its full feature set requires a paid license and it is closed source.

  • Microsoft Outlook

    Microsoft's email, calendar and contacts app for desktop, mobile and the web.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSAndroidiOSWeb

    Microsoft Outlook adds calendar, contacts and Microsoft 365 integration across desktop, mobile and web, but ties you to Microsoft services with some paid features.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.