The 10 Best MailMate Alternatives in 2026

Short answer: the closest MailMate alternative for keyboard-driven power users is Airmail, which also writes in Markdown and lets you build custom actions. If you want free and open source with OpenPGP built in, choose Thunderbird. Canary Mail (ours) adds PGP and AI on both Mac and iPhone, Apple Mail is the free default, and Mimestream is the best pick if all your accounts are Gmail.

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail, one of the apps below. Prices and features were checked on each vendor's own site or App Store listing on October 16, 2026.

Why people look for a MailMate alternative

MailMate is an IMAP email client for macOS by Freron Software, a one-person company in Copenhagen. Power users love it for extensive keyboard control, Markdown composition, very detailed search conditions and smart mailboxes, and built-in OpenPGP and S/MIME. (It is not the Japanese virtual mailbox service with the same name.) People start looking elsewhere for a few reasons:

• It moved to a subscription. Since the 2.0 betas, a license costs $10 every 3 months. Older one-time license keys more than two years old switched to Free Mode on July 1, 2025. Free Mode keeps every feature, but business users are expected to pay.
• Development is slow and beta-only. The developer recommends the 2.0 beta for new users because the public release is more than four years old. The latest beta came out in July 2025 and the latest test build in October 2025, and we found nothing newer as of October 2026.
• Gmail sign-in risk. In 2025 the developer warned that MailMate's OAuth2 sign-in for Gmail "might cease to work".
• Mac and IMAP only. There is no iPhone, Windows or Linux version, no POP support and no AI.

MailMate alternatives compared

The 10 best MailMate alternatives in 2026

1. Airmail: Best for power users

Airmail is the nearest thing to MailMate's flexibility in a more modern package. It has a Markdown composer, custom actions, smart folders, AppleScript support, snooze and send later, and integrations with apps like Fantastical and OmniFocus. Settings sync through iCloud, and there are iPhone and iPad apps.

• Who it's for: MailMate users who want Markdown and deep customization, plus a phone app
• Price: free for one account; Pro $7.99/month or $49.99/year on the Mac App Store ($39.99/year on iPhone)
• Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
• Downside: no built-in PGP, and its Exchange support still waits on a promised update to Microsoft's newer connection.

2. Thunderbird: Best free, open-source option

Thunderbird is free, open source and funded by donations. Like MailMate, it has OpenPGP and S/MIME built in, saved searches and powerful message filters, and add-ons can fill most gaps. It also has a calendar, contacts and tasks, and handles POP as well as IMAP.

• Who it's for: people who want MailMate's control without paying
• Price: free
• Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux, Android; iPhone app in public beta on TestFlight
• Downside: the interface feels less like a Mac app, and Markdown composing needs an add-on.

More: Apple Mail vs Thunderbird.

3. Canary Mail: Best for PGP and AI on Mac and iPhone

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail.

Canary keeps PGP, which many MailMate users rely on, and adds an iPhone app, so encrypted mail works on both. The Pro+ plan includes PGP, SecureSend and phishing and impersonation detection, and the Growth plan adds AI writing and summaries, read receipts, send later and a calendar. Tracker blocking is on by default, inbox sorting runs on your device, and your email isn't used to train AI. It works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and IMAP accounts.

• Who it's for: people who want encryption on Mac and iPhone with modern AI tools
• Price: free for unlimited accounts on 2 devices; Growth $36/year; Pro+ $100/year; lifetime $100 and $300; 7-day trial
• Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android
• Downside: fewer keyboard and Markdown options than MailMate, and PGP needs the Pro+ plan.

4. Apple Mail: Best free default

Apple Mail comes with every Mac. It has smart mailboxes, rules, categories, Send Later, Undo Send and S/MIME, and Apple Intelligence adds summaries and writing tools on Apple silicon Macs. It's simpler than MailMate, but free and well integrated with the iPhone.

• Who it's for: people who want something free and dependable
• Price: free
• Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad
• Downside: no PGP without a third-party plug-in, no Markdown, and far fewer search operators.

More: Apple Mail alternatives.

5. Mimestream: Best for Gmail power users

Mimestream is a native Mac app built on the Gmail API, so labels, filters, categories and Gmail search work as they do on the web. It is fast and keyboard-friendly, and avoids the Gmail sign-in worry that MailMate's developer raised.

• Who it's for: MailMate users whose accounts are all Gmail or Google Workspace
• Price: $4.99/month or $49.99/year after a 14-day trial, no card needed
• Platforms: Mac only
• Downside: Gmail only, and no free plan.

6. eM Client: Best all-in-one app

eM Client puts mail, calendar, contacts, tasks and notes in one window and includes PGP and S/MIME on every plan. Version 11 (October 2026) added built-in AI on its yearly plans. Its iPhone and Android apps are free.

• Who it's for: people who want encryption plus a full calendar and tasks
• Price: free for 2 accounts, home use; Personal $24.95/year or $39.95 once (3 devices)
• Platforms: Mac, Windows; free iPhone and Android apps
• Downside: busy interface, and the free plan is limited to two accounts.

More: eM Client alternatives.

7. Spark: Best for a sorted inbox

Spark sorts mail from people above newsletters, screens new senders with Gatekeeper, and adds snooze, send later and team features. The free plan covers unlimited accounts.

• Who it's for: people who'd rather have the app sort mail than write rules
• Price: free; Plus $10/month or $99/year; Pro $20/month or $199/year, per user
• Platforms: Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows, Android
• Downside: the Mac app is built with Electron, some mail is processed on Readdle's servers, and there is no PGP.

More: Spark alternatives.

8. Mailspring: Best clean, free app

Mailspring is free and open source with unlimited accounts, a unified inbox and fast search. Pro adds read receipts, link tracking, send later, snooze and templates.

• Who it's for: people who want a tidy free app, including on Linux
• Price: free; Pro $8/month
• Platforms: Mac, Windows, Linux
• Downside: built on Electron, no POP or Exchange protocols, and no mobile app.

9. Microsoft Outlook: Best for Microsoft 365

The new Outlook for Mac is free with Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo and IMAP accounts and has a full calendar and Focused Inbox. It's the obvious choice if your work runs on Microsoft 365.

• Who it's for: Microsoft 365 users
• Price: free with ads; Microsoft 365 Basic ($1.99/month or $19.99/year) removes them
• Platforms: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, web
• Downside: ads in the free version, and send later and read receipts on the Mac need Microsoft 365.

More: Outlook alternatives for Mac.

10. Mailbird: Best for app integrations

Mailbird, long a Windows app, now runs on the Mac too. It puts many accounts in one inbox and connects to calendars, chat and other apps from a sidebar.

• Who it's for: people who want email and their other apps side by side
• Price: free for one account; Premium $34.49/year or $159 once on the Mac App Store (prices vary by region and store)
• Platforms: Mac, Windows; Android in beta
• Downside: the Mac version is new, and Mailbird is in the middle of a version change: Mailbird 2 stops getting updates at the end of 2026.

More: Mailbird alternatives.

Also worth a look

• GyazMail: a long-running Mac shareware client, still updated in 2026, with POP and IMAP, regular expression search and fully customizable shortcuts. It can't sign in to Google accounts, so it doesn't work with Gmail.
• Unibox: groups mail by person instead of by message. Free to download, with a $9.99 Pro upgrade.

Postbox, which used to appear on lists like this, was bought by eM Client and is no longer developed. More Mac options: the best email clients for Mac.

How to switch from MailMate

MailMate is IMAP-only, so your mail lives on your provider's server. Add the same accounts to your new app and the mail and folders appear. Smart mailboxes, tags and custom key bindings don't transfer, so note your most-used ones first. If you use OpenPGP, move your keys to the new app (Thunderbird, eM Client and Canary Mail's Pro+ plan support PGP).

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Frequently asked questions

Is MailMate free?

Not quite. After a 14-day trial (counted in days of active use), MailMate costs $10 every 3 months. If you stop paying, it drops to Free Mode, which keeps every feature, but the developer asks businesses to pay.

Is MailMate still being developed?

Slowly. It's a one-person project, the public release is more than four years old, and new users are pointed to the 2.0 beta. The latest beta is from July 2025 and the latest test build from October 2025.

Is MailMate available for Windows, Linux or iPhone?

No. MailMate is Mac-only. Thunderbird runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, and Airmail and Canary Mail have iPhone apps.

What is the best MailMate alternative with Markdown?

Airmail, which has a Markdown composer. Thunderbird can add Markdown writing through add-ons.

Which MailMate alternative supports PGP?

Thunderbird (free, OpenPGP and S/MIME), eM Client (PGP and S/MIME on every plan) and Canary Mail (PGP on the Pro+ plan, on Mac and iPhone). Apple Mail supports S/MIME but not PGP.

Does MailMate work with Gmail?

Yes, over IMAP, but in 2025 the developer warned that its Gmail sign-in might stop working at some point. Mimestream uses the Gmail API instead.

Sources

• MailMate (Freron Software)
• MailMate pricing and license modes
• MailMate download
• MailMate blog: Another MailMate 2.0 beta released
• MailMate blog: Why did MailMate switch to Free Mode
• MailMate test release notes
• Airmail on the Mac App Store
• Thunderbird
• Canary Mail pricing
• Mimestream pricing
• eM Client pricing
• Spark on the App Store
• Mailspring Pro
• Mailspring supported providers
• Microsoft: Outlook for Mac features
• Mailbird on the Mac App Store
• GyazMail
• Unibox on the Mac App Store