Alternatives to The Bat!
Veteran secure Windows mail client
The Bat! ranks #4 of 22 in Email clients, with an Alt Score of 92. It is proprietary, sold as a one-time purchase from €47.95 one-time (Home Edition) and available on Windows. 11 of 11 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Windows users who handle sensitive email and want strong control over encryption and message organization, including professionals, remote workers, and small businesses.
A desktop email client with built-in PGP/GnuPG and S/MIME support for end-to-end encrypted and signed messages, plus optional on-the-fly disk encryption so stored mail and address books stay unreadable without a password. Its "Sorting Office" filtering engine automates message routing, auto-replies, forwarding, and folder organization across IMAP4 (with simultaneous connections), POP3, CardDAV, and RSS accounts. It also includes templates with macros, scheduled sending, and a built-in address book.
You add one or more IMAP or POP3 accounts, then configure filters and templates to automate incoming and outgoing mail handling. For encrypted correspondence, you set up PGP/GnuPG or S/MIME keys per account so messages are signed and encrypted automatically as you send and receive them.
Why people leave The Bat!
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.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Email clients checklist (15 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Email clients checklist | The Bat! | eM Client | BlueMail | Canary Mail | Apple Mail | FairEmail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange) | ||||||
| Unified inbox | ||||||
| Snooze & send later | ||||||
| Tracking pixel blocking | ||||||
| PGP / encryption support | ||||||
| Conversation view | ||||||
| Offline mode | ||||||
| Rules & filters (local) | ||||||
| Calendar integrated | ||||||
| Multiple identities/aliases | ||||||
| Keyboard-first shortcuts |
Every fact and feature listed for The Bat! is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Platforms Windows verified 2026-07-12
The Bat! is certified for Windows 10
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/ -
License Proprietary verified 2026-07-12
The Bat!, including, but not limited to, its source code, selection and arrangement, executable code, structure, and organization, contains the valuable trade secrets and intellectual property of Ritl
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/licence.php -
Pricing model One-time verified 2026-07-12
The Bat! Home Edition €47.95*
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/order/ -
Starts at €47.95 one-time (Home Edition) verified 2026-07-12
The Bat! Home Edition €47.95*
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/order/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-12
The Bat! v11.4: Full CalDAV Support and Calendar Synchronization
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/news/8352/ -
Protocols (IMAP / POP3 / JMAP / Exchange) Yes verified 2026-07-12
Check, consolidate, manage multiple IMAP4, POP3, RSS and MAPI accounts - all your email in one place.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/ -
Unified inbox Yes verified 2026-07-12
Check, consolidate, manage multiple IMAP4, POP3, RSS and MAPI accounts - all your email in one place.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/ -
Snooze & send later Partial verified 2026-07-12
You can schedule to send emails later, for future delivery: at a set moment, specifying exact date and time, or with a delay.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/features.php -
Tracking pixel blocking Yes verified 2026-07-12
The Bat! blocks malicious code and tracking pixels that spread via email.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/ -
PGP / encryption support Yes verified 2026-07-12
The Bat! supports PGP and GnuPG (GPG) for end-to-end email encryption
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/features.php -
Conversation view Yes verified 2026-07-12
The newly introduced Conversation Thread View offers a swift summary of messages that share similarities.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/news/8101/ -
Offline mode Yes verified 2026-07-12
/OFFLINE and /ONLINE command line parameters to start/switch The Bat! into offline/online mode on start or while it's running
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/revision-history/7752/ -
Rules & filters (local) Yes verified 2026-07-12
The Sorting Office is a powerful filtering system that not only organizes your incoming, outgoing, read, and replied messages by folders, but also can auto-respond; reply with a custom template; forwa
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/features.php -
Calendar integrated Yes verified 2026-07-12
You will be able to receive invitations in the .ics format and add them to your calendar in The Bat! v10. Moreover, you will be able to send out your own invitations to the events.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/news/7621/ -
Multiple identities/aliases Yes verified 2026-07-12
Creating an alias also creates a matching sending identity, which lets you send messages from your main account using the email address matching that alias.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/support/tips-and-tricks/7581/ -
Keyboard-first shortcuts Partial verified 2026-07-12
Keyboard shortcuts (hot keys) are combinations of keys that allow fast access to those menu functions you use more often and make it easier to navigate through the interface.
https://www.ritlabs.com/en/support/tips-and-tricks/3831/
FAQ
Yes. eM Client, BlueMail and Canary Mail have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
FairEmail, Evolution and Mailspring — every license claim links its source.