The best email clients of 2026 are nine apps current as of September 25: universal clients for computers and phones, built-in apps from Microsoft, Apple and Google, and Proton’s encrypted email. Most people will be fine with Mozilla Thunderbird: it’s free, with no ads or limits, and runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. Windows 11 already has the new Outlook, Macs and iPhones have Apple Mail, and Spark and Canary Mail give you one client on all your devices.
We compared what matters when choosing: platforms, free-version limits, price, calendar, encryption, AI features and where your email is stored. The data comes from official websites, privacy policies and developer help pages; our editors did not test the apps. Prices are listed as the official websites showed them to a visitor from Ukraine on September 25, 2026.
How we picked
- Current. Only apps you could download from an official website on September 25, 2026, or that are built into the operating system. Discontinued and abandoned apps are in “What didn’t make the list and why.”
- Any mailbox. The client connects Gmail, Outlook.com, iCloud and other accounts over IMAP. The exception is Proton Mail: it’s an encrypted email service with its own apps.
- An honest free version. We checked what it limits: the number of accounts and devices, ads, features.
- Privacy. We read the privacy policies: whether your email stays on your device and what goes to the developer’s servers and AI services.
- Platforms. Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android — and whether you can use one client on all your devices.
1. Mozilla Thunderbird
Best free pickEmail client
Mozilla Thunderbird
- Version
- 156.0.1, released September 22, 2026
- Accounts
- unlimited, with a unified inbox
- Protocols
- IMAP, POP3, Exchange (EWS and Microsoft Graph)
- Calendar, contacts, tasks
- yes
- Encryption
- OpenPGP
- AI
- none built in, add-ons available
- System
- Windows 10, macOS 10.15, Linux (64-bit) or later
WindowsmacOSLinuxAndroid
PriceFreechecked 25 September 2026
A free client with no ads or limits: email, calendar and OpenPGP encryption for any number of accounts on your computer and Android.
- Free, with no ads or limits
- Your email is stored on your device
- Built-in OpenPGP encryption
- No iPhone version
- Exchange calendars don’t sync yet
- No built-in AI
Thunderbird is a free, open-source client funded by user donations. Version 156.0.1 came out on September 22, 2026, and if you don’t want monthly updates, there’s the Extended Support Release 153 ESR from July. According to its privacy notice, your messages, name and address book are stored on your device and aren’t sent to Mozilla, and technical data collection can be turned off.
Since version 145, Thunderbird connects to Exchange email without add-ons, and since version 154 it also works through Microsoft Graph. That matters because Microsoft starts shutting down EWS in Microsoft 365 in October 2026. Exchange calendars and contacts don’t sync yet. Thunderbird for Android is on Google Play and F-Droid, and the developers plan to release an iPhone version by the end of 2026.
The Thunderbird team is also testing its own email service, Thundermail: it’s a waitlist beta, the early-bird plan costs $6 a month billed annually, and data is stored in Germany.
2. Microsoft Outlook
For Windows and Microsoft 365Email client
Microsoft Outlook
- Accounts
- Outlook.com, Microsoft 365, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, IMAP
- Unified inbox
- in Outlook for Mac, iOS and Android
- Calendar, contacts, tasks
- yes
- Free Outlook.com mailbox
- 15 GB
- Ad-free
- with a Microsoft 365 subscription
- AI
- Copilot in Microsoft 365 Personal and Family
WindowsmacOSiOSAndroidWeb
PriceFree; ad-free from UAH 589 a yearchecked 25 September 2026
Most convenient on Windows 11 and with a Microsoft 365 subscription: email, calendar and Copilot in one app on all your devices.
- Free and preinstalled on Windows 11
- Available on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
- Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscribers
- Ads in the inbox without a subscription
- Gmail and Yahoo sync through Microsoft’s cloud
The new Outlook for Windows is free: it’s the default on Windows 11, and on Windows 10 you can install it from the Microsoft Store. It replaced the Windows Mail and Calendar apps, which stopped sending and receiving email on December 31, 2024. Support for Windows 10 itself ended on October 14, 2025 — we explained how to move to the new system in How to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11.
Without a subscription, Outlook shows ads in your inbox. On Microsoft’s Ukrainian website on September 25, Microsoft 365 Basic (no ads, a 100 GB mailbox) cost UAH 589 a year, and Microsoft 365 Personal with Copilot in Outlook cost UAH 2,699 a year. Outlook for Mac is free with personal Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo and IMAP accounts.
Keep in mind: according to Microsoft, when you add a Gmail or Yahoo account to the new Outlook for Windows, a copy of your email, calendar and contacts is synced with Microsoft’s data centers, and in Outlook for Mac, iOS and Android the same applies to iCloud and IMAP accounts. If you want your email to stay only with your provider and on your computer, choose Thunderbird or eM Client.
3. Apple Mail
For Mac and iPhoneBuilt-in email client
Apple Mail
- Version
- part of macOS 27 and iOS 27
- Accounts
- iCloud, Gmail, Exchange, work and others
- Unified inbox
- All Inboxes in one list
- Sorting
- four automatic categories
- Encryption
- S/MIME with a personal certificate
- AI
- Apple Intelligence (no Russian or Ukrainian)
macOSiOSiPadOS
PriceFreechecked 25 September 2026
If you have a Mac and an iPhone, there’s nothing to install: Mail gathers all your accounts, sorts your messages and hides your IP address from senders.
- Built into macOS, iOS and iPadOS
- Hides your IP address from senders
- Automatic message categories
- Apple devices only
- Apple Intelligence lacks Russian and Ukrainian
Apple Mail sorts your messages into four categories on its own: Primary, Transactions (confirmations, receipts, shipping), Updates and Promotions. In macOS 27 and iOS 27, released on September 15, 2026, search finds messages by meaning, not just by the words you type.
Privacy is Mail’s biggest strength. Protect Mail Activity hides your IP address from senders and downloads images and other remote content in the background as soon as a message arrives, through two relays run by different companies. iCloud+ subscribers also get Hide My Email: random addresses that forward to your main inbox.
Apple Intelligence email summaries, Priority Messages and Smart Reply work only if your device and Siri language is on Apple’s list, and Russian and Ukrainian aren’t on it.
4. eM Client
Outlook alternativeEmail client
eM Client
- Version
- 10.4 (eM Client 11 in beta)
- Free
- 2 accounts, personal use only
- Calendar, contacts, tasks, chat
- yes
- Unified folder for all inboxes
- yes
- Encryption
- PGP and S/MIME
- AI
- AI Add-on powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI
WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
PriceFree (2 accounts); Personal $19.95 a year or $29.95 one-timechecked 25 September 2026
Email, calendar, tasks and PGP encryption in one window, like Outlook; the mobile apps are free.
- Calendar, tasks and chat in the free version
- PGP and S/MIME on every plan
- Lifetime license for $29.95
- Free: 2 accounts, no commercial use
- Notes and send later are paid
eM Client is made by the Czech company eM Client s.r.o. Like Outlook, it combines email, calendar, tasks, contacts and chat and connects to Gmail, Microsoft 365 and Exchange, and PGP and S/MIME encryption is included even in the free version. The paid versions add notes, send later, tracking-pixel blocking and translation of incoming messages.
The free license is for personal, non-commercial use only and up to two accounts, and it requires registration. Personal costs $19.95 a year with the AI add-on or $29.95 one-time with free lifetime upgrades — for one person and up to three devices; Business is $24.95 a year or $39.95 one-time per device. The iPhone and Android apps are free.
According to its privacy policy, the company has no access to your email, calendars and contacts: they’re stored on your device. The exception is push notifications in the mobile app, which send your address, a token or encrypted password, and each message’s subject and sender to the server. AI runs through Microsoft Azure OpenAI. The current version is 10.4, and eM Client 11 is in beta testing.
5. Spark
One client on every deviceEmail client
Spark
- Free
- unlimited accounts, calendar
- Smart Inbox
- important email kept apart from newsletters
- Gatekeeper
- screens out unwanted senders
- Send Later and reminders
- yes
- AI
- Spark +AI on the Plus and Pro plans
- System
- macOS 12, Windows 10 (64-bit), iOS 16.4, Android 10 or later
WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
PriceFree; Plus $99 a year or $10 a monthchecked 25 September 2026
For people with many accounts and several devices: the same client on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android, plus smart sorting of your email.
- Unlimited accounts for free
- One client on four platforms
- Gatekeeper sender screening
- AI only on paid plans
- Some features run through Spark’s servers
Spark comes from Spark Mail Limited in Ireland. Its Smart Inbox highlights important messages and keeps newsletters and notifications separate; the free version has no account limit, and a paid subscription covers all platforms. The Spark +AI assistant finds and summarizes email, helps with replies and takes meeting notes on the Plus ($99 a year or $10 a month) and Pro ($199 a year or $20 a month) plans.
According to its privacy policy dated September 10, 2026, Spark stores your credentials as tokens, and email is mostly processed on your device. But send later, shared emails and drafts run through Spark’s servers in the US and Europe, and AI features use models from Microsoft Azure OpenAI, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google. Spark promises not to train AI on your data; the providers may keep inputs for up to 30 days.
6. Canary Mail
PGP and AI on every platformEmail client
Canary Mail
- Free
- unlimited accounts, unified inbox, 2 devices
- Growth
- Copilot AI assistant, calendar, send later
- Pro+
- PGP encryption, SecureSend, phishing protection
- Billing
- yearly or one-time, no monthly plans
WindowsmacOSiOSAndroid
PriceFree; Growth $36 a year or $100 one-timechecked 25 September 2026
A cross-platform client that keeps your email on the device: the AI assistant starts at $36 a year, and PGP encryption comes with the Pro+ plan.
- Email stays on your device
- PGP encryption on the Pro+ plan
- Affordable yearly Growth plan
- PGP only on Pro+ at $100 a year
- Free plan: 2 devices max
Canary Mail works on Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android with a single license. The Growth plan adds the Copilot AI assistant, calendar, send later and read receipts; Pro+, at $100 a year or $300 one-time, adds PGP, SecureSend and phishing protection. There’s no monthly subscription.
Canary’s privacy policy says it doesn’t collect or store your email content by default: your address, access tokens and messages stay on the device. The exceptions are cloud sync and push notifications on iOS and Android: the server temporarily keeps your address and credentials and deletes a message’s sender, subject and first line once the notification is delivered. For AI, Canary uses OpenAI, Anthropic, Cohere and Google models and has opted out of data sharing for their training.
7. Mailbird
Email and apps in one windowEmail client
Mailbird
- Free
- 1 account
- Premium
- unlimited accounts, up to 3 devices
- Unified inbox
- yes
- Integrations
- Google Calendar, Slack, Dropbox, Asana and more
- AI
- ChatGPT integration on Premium
- System
- Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), macOS Ventura or later
WindowsmacOS
PriceFree (1 account); Premium €2.46 a month billed annuallychecked 25 September 2026
For Windows and Mac when you want your calendar, Slack and other services next to your email; the free version covers only one account.
- Apps and messengers next to your email
- One license for Windows and Mac
- Mailbird says email is stored on your PC
- Free version: only 1 account
- No iPhone or Android apps
- Exchange and AI are Premium-only
Mailbird opens calendars, messengers and cloud services next to your email, and one license covers both Windows and Mac. There are no iPhone or iPad versions; the developer calls mobile apps part of its future roadmap. The free version connects one account, while send later, filters, Exchange and ChatGPT are Premium-only.
On September 25, the Mailbird website showed a visitor from Ukraine Premium for €2.46 a month billed annually or €92.25 one-time — discounts of 50% and 75% off the prices listed on the same page. Mailbird says your email is stored on your computer, not on the company’s servers. Premium also includes open tracking for the emails you send.
8. Proton Mail
For private correspondenceEncrypted email
Proton Mail
- Free
- 1 GB, 1 address
- Mail Plus
- 15 GB, 10 addresses, custom domain
- Encryption
- zero-access, end-to-end between Proton addresses
- Desktop app
- paid plans, 14 days free on the free plan
- Bridge
- Proton in Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail (paid)
- AI
- Proton Scribe on the Duo, Family, Visionary and Lifetime plans
WindowsmacOSLinuxiOSAndroidWeb
PriceFree; Mail Plus $4.99 a month or $47.88 a yearchecked 25 September 2026
For people who care about keeping their email private: Proton can’t read your messages, and there are apps for every major platform.
- Proton can’t read your email
- Swiss company, open-source apps
- Migration and forwarding from Gmail
- Free plan: only 1 GB
- Desktop app and Bridge are paid
- Its own email service, not a client for any inbox
Proton Mail isn’t a universal client but an encrypted email service with its own apps for Windows, macOS, Linux (beta), iPhone and Android. Proton is a Swiss company; it says that thanks to zero-access encryption it can’t read your email on any plan, and all its apps are open source and independently audited. Proton Unlimited, with a VPN and a password manager, costs $12.99 a month or $119.88 a year.
The desktop app comes with paid plans; free users can try it for 14 days. Proton Mail Bridge, also paid, connects your Proton account to Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail over IMAP and SMTP and encrypts email right on your computer. Easy Switch moves your old email: it imports messages from any IMAP account and forwards new Gmail messages, for one Gmail account on the free plan and up to three on paid plans.
9. Gmail
For your phoneMobile email client
Gmail
- Accounts
- Gmail, Outlook, iCloud Mail, Yahoo and others via IMAP
- Storage
- 15 GB free, shared by Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos
- Protection
- blocks more than 99.9% of spam and phishing (per Google)
- AI
- Gemini thread summaries and writing help
- Ads
- may appear in a free account
AndroidiOSWeb
PriceFreechecked 25 September 2026
For email on your phone: the free app connects not only Gmail but also Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo and other accounts.
- Free and works with other accounts
- Strong spam filter
- Free Gemini thread summaries
- No desktop app
- POP fetching is going away on the web
The Gmail app for Android and iPhone connects not only Google accounts but also Outlook, iCloud Mail, Yahoo and others via IMAP. According to Google, messages are encrypted at rest and in transit between data centers, and the company won’t scan or read your email to show you ads — although ads may appear in a free account.
Gemini summarizes long threads for free (not in every language) and helps you write emails, while asking questions about your inbox and other features require a Google AI Pro or Ultra subscription — we covered what changed in those plans in Google updates its AI plans.
In Gmail on the web, fetching mail from other accounts over POP and the Gmailify feature are no longer available to new users after the first quarter of 2026, and existing users can keep them until January 2027. Google suggests reading other accounts in the mobile app or setting up forwarding.
Comparison
| App | Best for | Key strength | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mozilla Thunderbird | Anyone who wants a free client | No ads or limits, OpenPGP | Free |
| Microsoft Outlook | Windows 11 and Microsoft 365 | Email, calendar and Copilot | Free; ad-free from UAH 589/yr |
| Apple Mail | Mac and iPhone owners | Hides your IP from senders | Free |
| eM Client | An Outlook replacement on PC and Mac | Calendar, tasks and PGP | Free (2 accounts), from $19.95/yr |
| Spark | Many accounts and devices | Smart inbox sorting | Free; Plus $99/yr |
| Canary Mail | PGP and AI on every platform | Email stays on your device | Free; Growth $36/yr |
| Mailbird | Email next to Slack and Asana | App integrations | 1 account free, from €2.46/mo |
| Proton Mail | Private correspondence | Zero-access encryption | Free (1 GB), from $47.88/yr |
| Gmail | Email on your smartphone | Spam filter and Gemini | Free |
Platforms, encryption and AI
| App | Computer | Phone | Encryption | AI features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mozilla Thunderbird | Windows, macOS, Linux | Android | OpenPGP | None built in |
| Microsoft Outlook | Windows, macOS | iOS, Android | With a Microsoft 365 subscription | Copilot with Microsoft 365 |
| Apple Mail | macOS | iOS, iPadOS | S/MIME | Apple Intelligence |
| eM Client | Windows, macOS | iOS, Android | PGP, S/MIME | AI Add-on |
| Spark | Windows, macOS | iOS, Android | Not stated | Spark +AI on Plus and Pro |
| Canary Mail | Windows, macOS | iOS, Android | PGP on Pro+ | Copilot on Growth and Pro+ |
| Mailbird | Windows, macOS | None | Not stated | ChatGPT on Premium |
| Proton Mail | Windows, macOS, Linux | iOS, Android | Zero-access | Proton Scribe |
| Gmail | Browser only | iOS, Android | In transit and at rest | Gemini |
What didn’t make the list and why
These apps were in the previous version of this article or often show up in other roundups, but as of September 25, 2026, they’re discontinued or fall short of the apps above:
- Windows Mail and Calendar — stopped sending and receiving email on December 31, 2024. Saved messages, events and contacts can be exported and moved to the new Outlook.
- Opera Mail — it’s gone from Opera’s website: the client’s old page address now opens the Opera browser page.
- MetroMail, TouchMail and other Windows 10 Mobile apps — the operating system itself has been unsupported since January 14, 2020.
- Postbox — the makers of eM Client bought it in October 2024; the app is no longer sold or developed.
- The Bat! — sold in Home and Professional editions with a 30-day trial and supports OpenPGP and S/MIME, but it runs only on Windows and has no free version.
How to choose an email client
- Where you read email. If it’s on both your computer and your phone, pick a client that runs everywhere: Outlook, eM Client, Spark or Canary Mail. Thunderbird has no iPhone version yet, Mailbird has no mobile apps, and Apple Mail works only on Apple devices.
- Which accounts you have. Gmail, Outlook.com and iCloud connect almost everywhere. For Microsoft 365 and Exchange work email with a calendar, Outlook or eM Client will do: Thunderbird syncs only Exchange email for now.
- Where your email is stored. Thunderbird, eM Client, Canary Mail and, according to its developer, Mailbird keep your email on the device. The new Outlook syncs Gmail and Yahoo through Microsoft’s cloud, and Spark processes some data on its servers.
- Encryption. OpenPGP is built into Thunderbird, PGP is in eM Client and Canary Mail (Pro+ plan), and S/MIME is in Apple Mail and eM Client. If you want even your email provider to be unable to read your messages, you need a different email service, such as Proton Mail.
- AI. Almost every app here except Thunderbird can summarize and draft email, but usually for a fee, and most of them send text to cloud models. Apple Intelligence doesn’t work in Russian or Ukrainian.
- The free version. Thunderbird and Apple Mail are free with no limits. The others have caps: ads in Outlook, 2 accounts in eM Client, 1 account in Mailbird, 2 devices in Canary Mail, 1 GB in Proton Mail.
IMAP vs. POP3 and app passwords
When you set up an account manually, the client will ask for a protocol. IMAP keeps your email on the server and syncs it across devices: a message read on your phone shows as read on your computer, and sent messages are visible everywhere. Microsoft explicitly recommends IMAP if you check email on several devices.
POP3 downloads new messages to one computer; according to Microsoft, they’re then deleted from the server, and sent messages don’t sync between devices. It only makes sense if you read email on a single computer.
An app password is a separate password for an app that can’t sign in through your email provider’s sign-in page (OAuth). These days you rarely need one: modern clients sign in to Gmail and Outlook.com through the provider’s own window. Here’s what the developers’ help pages say:
- Gmail. Google says app passwords aren’t recommended and are unnecessary in most cases. You can create a 16-digit app password only with 2-Step Verification turned on, and all of them are revoked when you change your account password. They aren’t available for work or school accounts or with Advanced Protection.
- iCloud. Apps not made by Apple need an app-specific password. Your Apple Account must be protected with two-factor authentication; you can have up to 25 active app-specific passwords, and all of them are revoked when you change your main password.
- Outlook.com. Since September 16, 2024, signing in with a username and password (Basic authentication) in third-party apps no longer works. Choose OAuth2 in your client’s settings.
You can’t create an app password with Google or Apple without a second factor, so turn it on in your account settings first.
Sources and methodology
Analysis of public sourcesChecked 25 September 2026
- Mozilla — Thunderbird Privacy Notice mozilla.org
- Microsoft — Sync your account in Outlook to the Microsoft Cloud support.microsoft.com
- Microsoft — What are IMAP and POP? support.microsoft.com
- Google — Sign in with app passwords support.google.com
- Prices — developers’ official websites as of September 25, 2026
FAQ
What’s the best email client for Windows?
For free and without ads, Mozilla Thunderbird; for Windows 11 and a Microsoft 365 subscription, the new Outlook that’s already installed. If you want an Outlook-style calendar, tasks and PGP, look at eM Client: it’s free for two accounts.
Which free email client should I choose?
Thunderbird for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android and the built-in Apple Mail on Mac and iPhone are completely free with no limits. The free versions of Outlook, eM Client, Mailbird, Spark and Canary Mail are limited by ads or the number of accounts or devices, or they lack AI.
What replaces the Mail app in Windows?
Since December 31, 2024, Windows Mail and Calendar can’t send or receive email. Microsoft offers the free new Outlook, where you can move your saved messages, and an ad-free alternative is Thunderbird.
IMAP or POP3: which should I choose?
IMAP, if you need your email on several devices: messages are stored on the server and synced. POP3 downloads messages to one computer and, according to Microsoft, deletes them from the server.
Do I need an app password for Gmail?
Usually not: Google recommends signing in through Google’s own sign-in page. Only older apps need an app password; you can create one only with 2-Step Verification turned on, and it stops working after you change your account password.
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