Compare software

meli vs mu: catalog facts
meli	mu
Free Free and open source under the GPLv3.	Free Free to download, with source code on GitHub.
macOS, Linux, Command line	Linux, Command line
Supports IMAP, Maildir, notmuch, JMAP and mbox Plain text configuration with sane defaults	Fast indexing and detailed search of Maildir mail mu4e gives a full email client inside Emacs
Described by its developers as experimental Non-UTF-8 encodings are read-only	Works only with Maildir storage; mail must be fetched separately The client side requires Emacs
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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