# Alternatives to aerc Modern terminal email for developers. aerc ranks #22 of 22 in Email clients, with an Alt Score of 42. It is licensed under MIT, free and available on Linux and macOS. 5 of 11 checklist rows are verified against a public source. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aerc/ Category: Email clients ## Where aerc stands out - **Keyboard-first shortcuts** — 5 of 19 apps with a verified answer have this ## Overview - **Who it's for**: Developers and other terminal-focused power users who want to manage email without leaving the command line, including those who submit patches via email-based git workflows. - **What you get**: A terminal email client with vim-style keybindings and an ex-command system for automation. It supports IMAP, Maildir, Notmuch, Mbox, and JMAP for mail storage, and IMAP, JMAP, SMTP, or sendmail for sending. It renders HTML mail in a terminal browser, syntax-highlights diffs, and supports PGP signing and encryption plus multiple accounts. - **How it works**: You configure one or more accounts and backends, then navigate mail and folders with vim-style keys or ex-commands. Composing and replying opens your editor in an embedded terminal (tmux-style), so you can check incoming mail while drafting. ## Profile - **License**: MIT (verified 2026-07-12) - **Pricing model**: Free (verified 2026-07-12) - **Starts at**: ? - **Platforms**: Linux, macOS - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-12) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [eM Client](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/em-client.md) | 96 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 2 | [BlueMail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bluemail.md) | 92 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS | | 3 | [Canary Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/canary-mail.md) | 92 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 4 | [The Bat!](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/the-bat.md) | 92 | Proprietary | Windows | | 5 | [Apple Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/apple-mail.md) | 87 | Proprietary | macOS, iOS | | 6 | [FairEmail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/fairemail.md) | 87 | GPL-3.0 | Android | | 7 | [Mailbird](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mailbird.md) | 87 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS | | 8 | [Evolution](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/evolution.md) | 84 | LGPL-2.1 | Linux | | 9 | [Mailspring](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mailspring.md) | 84 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 10 | [Missive](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/missive.md) | 84 | Proprietary | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS | | 11 | [Outlook](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/outlook.md) | 84 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 12 | [Thunderbird](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/thunderbird.md) | 76 | MPL-2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux | | 13 | [Spark](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spark.md) | 71 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 14 | [NeoMutt](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/neomutt.md) | 68 | GPL-2.0 | Linux, macOS | | 15 | [Shortwave](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/shortwave.md) | 68 | Proprietary | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS | | 16 | [Postbox](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/postbox.md) | 63 | Proprietary | macOS, Windows | | 17 | [Mimestream](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mimestream.md) | 60 | Proprietary | macOS | | 18 | [Aqua Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aqua-mail.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Android | | 19 | [Superhuman](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/superhuman.md) | 55 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | | 20 | [Geary](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/geary.md) | 50 | LGPL-2.1-or-later | Linux | | 21 | [K-9 Mail](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/k-9-mail.md) | 47 | Apache-2.0 | Android | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Email clients checklist | aerc | eM Client | BlueMail | Canary Mail | The Bat! | Apple Mail | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Free | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium | One-time | Free | | Starts at | ? | €39.95/year | ? | $3/month | €47.95 one-time (Home Edition) | ? | | License | MIT | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | Proprietary | | Platforms | Linux, macOS | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Windows | macOS, iOS | | Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange) | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | | Unified inbox | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Snooze & send later | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Tracking pixel blocking | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | PGP / encryption support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | Conversation view | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Offline mode | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Rules & filters (local) | ? | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Calendar integrated | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | Multiple identities/aliases | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Keyboard-first shortcuts | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | ## Sources Sources for aerc. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **License**: MIT — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “The MIT License” - **Pricing model**: Free — (verified 2026-07-12) - Note: Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction" - Quote: “Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the ” - **Platforms**: Linux, macOS — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “aerc will copy the default config files to ~/.config/aerc on Linux or ~/Library/Preferences/aerc on MacOS” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “May 27, 2026” - **Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange)**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “See each protocol's man page for more details: - *aerc-imap*(5) - *aerc-jmap*(5) - *aerc-maildir*(5) - *aerc-notmuch*(5)” - **PGP / encryption support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “*pgp-provider* = _auto_|_gpg_|_internal_ If set to _gpg_, aerc will use system gpg binary and keystore for all crypto operations.” - **Conversation view**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “*threading-enabled* = _true_|_false_ Enable a threaded view of messages. If this is not supported by the backend (IMAP server or notmuch), threads will be built by the client. Default: _false_” - **Multiple identities/aliases**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “*aliases* = __ All aliases of the current account. These will be used to fill in the From: field.” - **Keyboard-first shortcuts**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-12) - Quote: “j = :next k = :prev g = :select 0 G = :select -1” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/