AltCatalog
Catalog Email clients Sparrow
Discontinued Sparrow was discontinued in June 2013. The alternatives below are active products you can switch to. All discontinued →

Alternatives to Sparrow

The Mac email client Google bought

None of its 11 checklist rows are verified yet.

The Mac email client Google bought. Sparrow has been discontinued; the active alternatives listed here are maintained products you can switch to.

Most compared with aercApple MailAqua Mail
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Who it's for

Mac and iPhone users, particularly Gmail users, who wanted a faster and more polished alternative to Apple Mail or the Gmail web interface.

What you get

A native email client with a clean, minimalist inbox, threaded conversation view, and quick actions for archiving, replying, and deleting messages via swipe gestures or keyboard shortcuts. It supported multiple accounts, including Gmail and other IMAP providers, and offered rich notifications with inline quick-reply.

How it works

Users added their email accounts and Sparrow synced messages into a unified, conversation-style inbox, where they could triage, archive, and reply to messages using swipe gestures or keyboard shortcuts.

Why people leave Sparrow

Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.

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Ranked alternatives

Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.

Sponsored Paid slot. Never affects the ranked order below. Promote here →
01
a

Modern terminal email for developers.

MIT LinuxmacOS
02

The built-in Apple mail client.

Proprietary macOSiOS
03

Configurable Android mail client.

Proprietary Android
04

Cross-platform unified inbox.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSLinuxiOS +2
05

PGP-capable mail with AI writing.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
06

Full-featured desktop client with one-time license.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
07

GNOME's full groupware client.

LGPL-2.1 Linux
08

Privacy-first Android email.

GPL-3.0 Android
09

GNOME's lightweight mail app.

LGPL-2.1-or-later Linux
10

Open source Android mail, now Thunderbird Mobile.

Apache-2.0 Android
11

Windows-first unified inbox.

Proprietary WindowsmacOS
12
M

Open source client with read receipts.

GPL-3.0 WindowsmacOSLinux
13

Native macOS client for Gmail.

Proprietary macOS
14

Shared inboxes and team email collaboration.

Proprietary WebWindowsmacOSiOS +1
15

The terminal mail power tool.

GPL-2.0 LinuxmacOS
16

Microsoft's mail and calendar client.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid +1
17

Power-user desktop mail (acquired by eM Client).

Proprietary macOSWindows
18

AI-first Gmail client from ex-Googlers.

Proprietary WebmacOSWindowsiOS +1
19

Smart inbox with team comments.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
20

Speed-obsessed premium email.

Proprietary WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid +1
21

Veteran secure Windows mail client.

Proprietary Windows
22

Mozilla's open source desktop mail.

MPL-2.0 WindowsmacOSLinux

FAQ

Yes. aerc, Apple Mail and Aqua Mail have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.

aerc, Evolution and FairEmail — every license claim links its source.