Compare software

aerc vs mu: catalog facts
aerc	mu
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free to download, with source code on GitHub.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Linux, Command line
Composes in an embedded terminal, so you can read other mail while replying Built for the git mailing-list patch workflow, with diff highlighting and repo tabs	Fast indexing and detailed search of Maildir mail mu4e gives a full email client inside Emacs
Terminal only, with vim-style keybindings to learn HTML mail rendering is a terminal browser, so complex newsletters look poor	Works only with Maildir storage; mail must be fetched separately The client side requires Emacs
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.