The short answer. Thunderbird is the long-established free desktop client with the widest protocol support. Mailspring is the open-source one built for speed. CanaryMail, Skiff Mail and Tutanota are the three that take a different position on encryption and they are not interchangeable — one is a client with built-in PGP, one is a decentralised service, one is an encrypted mail service. Airmail, Spark, Edison Mail, Foxmail, Polymail and Postbox are the mainstream clients that differ mostly in polish and account handling. The real decision is whether the client speaks IMAP natively or wraps a web view, because that decides what happens to your mail if you change your mind.
This guide covers 11 email clients for macOS. Every fact below is drawn from the same verified records that back each app’s own page. The recommendations are our editorial judgment, not payment.
Quick comparison
| App | What it is | Pricing | Licence | Version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airmail | email client | not published | not published | — |
| CanaryMail | email client | Free | not published | 5.26.0 |
| Edison Mail | productivity app | Free | not published | — |
| Foxmail | productivity app | Free | not published | 1.5.8.95111 |
| Mailspring | productivity app | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 1.26.0 |
| Polymail | productivity app | Free | not published | 2.4.3006 |
| Postbox | productivity app | not published | not published | 7.0.65 |
| Skiff Mail | productivity app | Open source | not published | — |
| Spark | productivity app | Free | not published | 3.31.4.141103 |
| ThunderBird | productivity app | Free | not published | 157.0.1 |
| Tutanota | productivity app | Open source | GPL-3.0 | 1.2.3612610060 |
What actually decides this
- Native IMAP or a wrapped web view. A native client keeps a local cache and works with any provider that speaks the protocol. A wrapped web view is tied to the service it was built for and inherits every change that service makes. The distinction is visible in how the app behaves offline and in which accounts it accepts.
- Encryption, and where the key lives. PGP support inside a client, an end-to-end encrypted service and encryption in transit are three different claims that all use the word encrypted. The second two require the other party to be on the same system, which is the constraint people forget.
- Account model and how many you can run. Three accounts across two providers with one unified inbox is the common case. How the client separates them — profiles, colours, unified folders — decides whether it stays usable as the count grows.
- What the smart features touch. Read receipts, send-later, snooze and AI assistance all involve the client doing something with your mail. Whether that happens on the machine or on someone else server is the part worth knowing.
- How it handles Gmail specifically. Gmail is not quite IMAP: it has labels, it has all mail, and it has a different notion of archiving. A client that does not handle this turns into a mail-loss machine, and it is the single most common reason people abandon a new client.
Our picks
- ThunderBird — Its record describes software that makes email easier, and it is the long-established desktop client in this group. Choose it when you want a free desktop client with the broadest protocol and account support.
- Mailspring — Its record describes a beautiful, fast and fully open source mail client, which is the open-source case. Choose it when you want an open-source client whose priority is speed.
- CanaryMail — Its record describes a secure mail app with built-in PGP support and AI assistance, which is the PGP-in-client case. Choose it when you want PGP inside the client rather than a separate encrypted service.
- Skiff Mail — Its record describes encrypted and decentralised email available on web, mobile and macOS, which is the service case. Choose it when you want a decentralised encrypted service rather than a client feature.
- Tutanota — Its record describes encrypted email focused on security and privacy, which is the all-encrypted case. Choose it when you are willing to move to an encrypted service for the encryption to be real.
- Spark — Its record describes a fast email client for Mac and iOS, which is the mainstream-smart case. Choose it when you want a mainstream client with smart triage and cross-platform continuity.
The apps
Airmail
Airmail is an email client for macOS. Fast email client. For both Mac OS and iOS. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Airmail - Lightning Fast Mail Client for Mac and iOS.
Full profile and verified facts for Airmail →
CanaryMail
CanaryMail is an email client for macOS. Secure email app for Mac and iPhone with built-in PGP Support and AI assistance. It is free.
What it does. Discover Canary Mail, the best email client with AI-powered features and integrated calendar. Access multiple accounts, prioritize important emails, and boost productivity effortlessly.
CanaryMail is listed with current version 5.26.0.
Full profile and verified facts for CanaryMail →
Edison Mail
Edison Mail is a productivity app for macOS. A customisable, simple, and beautiful email client. It is free.
What it does. A free email client for Mac that makes it easy to manage all your email accounts in one place. Edison Mail is also fast and secure. Download the app today!
Full profile and verified facts for Edison Mail →
Foxmail
Foxmail is a productivity app for macOS. Fast email client. It is free.
Foxmail is listed with current version 1.5.8.95111.
Full profile and verified facts for Foxmail →
Mailspring
Mailspring is a productivity app for macOS. A beautiful, fast, and fully open source mail client. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. Mailspring is a fast, native email client for Mac, Windows, and Linux — with read receipts, link tracking, send later, grammar checking, and more. Free to download. Pro at $8/month.
Mailspring is listed with current version 1.26.0.
Full profile and verified facts for Mailspring →
Polymail
Polymail is a productivity app for macOS. Simple, beautiful and powerful email client. It is free.
What it does. Turn your inbox into a control center for getting work done. Polymail combines tracking, follow-ups, and scheduling directly inside email for founders and operators.
Polymail is listed with current version 2.4.3006.
Full profile and verified facts for Polymail →
Postbox
Postbox is a productivity app for macOS. Powerful, simple and beautiful email client, need to pay for a license. Its pricing is not published.
What it does. Postbox is the power email app for busy professionals, like you.
Postbox is listed with current version 7.0.65.
Full profile and verified facts for Postbox →
Skiff Mail
Skiff Mail is a productivity app for macOS. Encrypted & Decentralized Email – available on web, iOS/Android, and macOS. It is open source.
What it does. Skiff Mail feature, product, security, open-source, and mobile app overview.
Full profile and verified facts for Skiff Mail →
Spark
Spark is a productivity app for macOS. Fast email client. For both Mac OS and iOS. It is free.
What it does. Spark helps you take your inbox under control. Instantly see what’s important and quickly clean up the rest.
Spark is listed with current version 3.31.4.141103.
Full profile and verified facts for Spark →
ThunderBird
ThunderBird is a productivity app for macOS. Software that makes email easier. It is free.
What it does. Thunderbird is a free email application that’s easy to set up and customize - and it’s loaded with great features!
ThunderBird is listed with current version 157.0.1.
Full profile and verified facts for ThunderBird →
Tutanota
Tutanota is a productivity app for macOS. Encrypted email focused on security and privacy. It is released under GPL-3.0.
What it does. Tuta guarantees your data stays private for free & without ads. Quantum-resistant encryption makes Tuta the best secure technology solution to protect your privacy.
Tutanota is listed with current version 1.2.3612610060.
Full profile and verified facts for Tutanota →
How to choose
- Free of charge. CanaryMail, Edison Mail, Foxmail, Polymail, Spark and ThunderBird — no payment is required.
- No licence fee, source available. Mailspring, Skiff Mail and Tutanota — the source can be read and, under the terms of each licence, reused.
- Pricing not published in our data. Airmail and Postbox — check the developer’s own site before assuming anything about cost.
Open source: Mailspring, Skiff Mail and Tutanota (3 of 11).
Common mistakes
- Switching clients over a feature you use twice a week. Migration cost is paid on day one and every day after that.
- Assuming a client can read a proprietary server format. If the provider has no IMAP, the choice of client is not yours.
- Granting a third-party client full access to an account and forgetting about it. The grant outlives your interest in the client.
- Judging encryption by the padlock. A service that decrypts on its own server to show you the mail has the key, whatever the marketing says.
How this guide was put together
Each app’s facts come from its own record: the developer’s own pages and repository, the App Store listing where one exists, and the documentation, each with a source grade and an access date. Where a fact rests on the developer’s own statement rather than on something we verified independently, the sentence says so. Where our data has no value for something, the guide says “not published” instead of guessing.
A price appears here only where the record carries one from a stated source; the guide never estimates one, and it records the pricing model alongside so the two can be read together. Prices change and vary by region, so each app links to its own page for the current detail.
The facts and the recommendations are kept apart on purpose. Everything in the app entries, the comparison table and the answers above is composed from the records. The short answer, the criteria and the picks are our editorial judgment: they reflect what we would choose and why, and they are not paid for. Where we make a recommendation we name the condition it applies under, because we do not call anything “the best” without explaining the criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose between these email clients?
There is no single answer — it depends on what you need. This guide covers 11 email clients: Airmail, CanaryMail, Edison Mail, Foxmail, Mailspring, Polymail, Postbox, Skiff Mail, Spark, ThunderBird and Tutanota. They differ mainly in pricing model, licence and the trade-offs each one carries. Pick by the trade-off you care about rather than by rank.
Are these email clients free?
Pricing across this group: not published (Airmail and Postbox), free (CanaryMail, Edison Mail, Foxmail, Polymail, Spark and ThunderBird) and open source (Mailspring, Skiff Mail and Tutanota). Where we list pricing as not published, the developer does not state a model we could verify — check their own site before assuming anything about cost. We quote a price only where the record carries one from a stated source, and we never estimate one. Prices change and vary by region and by store, so always check the developer’s own page for the current figure.
Which of these email clients are open source?
Mailspring (GPL-3.0), Skiff Mail (not published) and Tutanota (GPL-3.0) are open source.
Do these email clients support Apple Silicon?
Our data does not carry an explicit Apple Silicon statement for any app in this group, so we do not claim one. The absence of a statement is not the same as the absence of support.
How do I choose between them?
Start with how you pay: the guide groups these apps by pricing model, because the budget is the constraint most people actually have. Then check the trade-offs listed for each app: the limitations are the part that decides most people’s choice, because they describe what the app will not do for you.
