eM Client alternatives for Mac, free and paid
eM Client alternatives for Mac, free and paid, with which ones keep a calendar, take POP and Exchange, and let you use the free plan for work.
By Emmett Miller
The best eM Client alternative for Mac is Alrighty if your mail is iCloud, Gmail and Outlook and you want junk stopped and search that finds what you remember. Thunderbird is the free alternative that keeps a calendar. Apple Mail is free and built in. Outlook for Mac is the pick when your work runs on Microsoft 365, and Mailbird is the closest match on Mac and Windows. Spark's free plan takes unlimited accounts, and Mailspring is free for IMAP.
Most eM Client alternative lists are written by eM Client's rivals, and they rank apps without saying what you give up. eM Client is mail, calendar, contacts and tasks in one app, with POP, Exchange and a one-time license. So this page says, for each alternative, which of those it keeps.
How we checked
We read each app's own pricing, help and privacy pages on November 4, 2026, and every fact links to its source. For each app we noted what it costs, how far its free plan goes, which accounts it takes, whether it has a calendar, and where it keeps your mail. Alrighty is our app, and it's listed first. For the broader field, see our best email apps for Mac.
Why people look for an eM Client alternative
eM Client's free plan is the usual reason. Its pricing page gives the free plan "Home use on 1 device" and 2 email accounts, and its plan table lists commercial use as "None." So the free plan can't be used for work, and a third account means paying.
What the paid plans cost, per that page:
- Personal: $49.95 a year, for one person on up to 3 devices, with unlimited accounts and the AI Add-on included. Or $74.95 once, without the AI Add-on.
- Business: priced by device, with a commercial license. For 10 devices the page shows $250.95 a year ($25.10 each) or $382.95 once ($38.30 each).
- One-time licenses cover the current major version. You buy Lifetime Upgrades to get future ones.
There's a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The iPhone and Android apps are free.
What you'd give up
eM Client does more than mail, so check these before you switch:
- Calendar, contacts and tasks in the same app. They sync over CalDAV and CardDAV, EWS or AirSync (FAQ).
- POP and IMAP. eM Client "supports all standard mailing services that synchronize items through the IMAP protocol or download messages through the POP3 protocol." Its FAQ names Gmail, Apple iCloud, Office 365, Outlook.com, Microsoft Exchange, Yahoo, AOL and GMX.
- A one-time license, if you'd rather not subscribe.
- PGP and S/MIME encryption, which its plan table lists.
Where eM Client keeps your mail. It says it "never retrieves and has no access to the content of your emails," and that cached data stays on your device. Push notifications use "encrypted login and password or a special authorization token" (privacy policy). Its AI features use OpenAI, "or connect your own custom AI provider" (eM Client).
eM Client alternatives at a glance
| App | Price | Free plan | Calendar | POP and Exchange | Where your mail is kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alrighty | 14-day trial, then Free or Pro | Free plan after the trial | No | Neither; iCloud, Gmail, Outlook only | Your Mac |
| Thunderbird | Free | Free forever | Yes | Not stated on its home page | Your Mac |
| Apple Mail | Comes with macOS | Free | Not in Mail | Exchange yes; POP not stated | Your Mac |
| Outlook for Mac | Free with ads; Microsoft 365 extra | Free for personal accounts | Yes | Both | Not stated by Microsoft |
| Mailbird | Free (1 account); Premium $5.75/mo yearly | 1 account | In a side panel | No POP3; Exchange is Premium | Your computer |
| Spark | Free; Plus $99/yr, Pro $199/yr | Unlimited accounts | Yes | Exchange yes; POP not stated | Spark's servers for some features |
| Mailspring | Free; Pro $8/mo or $85/yr | Free forever | Not stated | Neither (IMAP and Microsoft 365) | Your Mac, except Pro metadata |
| eM Client | Free (2 accounts); $49.95/yr or $74.95 once | 2 accounts, home use only | Yes | Both | Your device, except push and sync |
Alrighty, Thunderbird, Outlook, Mailbird, Spark and Mailspring also run on Windows. Apple Mail is Mac only.
Alrighty: best eM Client alternative for iCloud, Gmail and Outlook
Alrighty is a desktop mail app for Mac, Windows and Linux that puts iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts in one inbox. Gmail connects with Sign in with Google or an app password, Outlook and Microsoft 365 with Sign in with Microsoft, and iCloud with an app-specific password. eM Client works on the mail you have. Alrighty also goes after the mail you never wanted.
- Stop mail. One click ends a sender's mail. Alrighty unsubscribes in every way the message offers, archives their mail, and moves their new mail out as it arrives.
- Clean up. It lists the senders you probably don't want, such as scams, cold outreach and newsletters you never open, so you can stop them all at once.
- Filters. For mail that comes from a new sender each time, like cold sales, describe it in your words or set rules. New mail that fits moves to Archive before you see it. Mail from people you've written to is never moved.
- Search that finds what you remember. It runs on your Mac and matches what you mean as well as the words: "when is my flight" finds the airline's confirmation. One search covers every account.
- Your own AI. eM Client lets you pick the AI provider for its writing tools. Alrighty lets the AI you already use, such as Claude, ChatGPT's desktop app or a local model, read and search your mail and work in a window you watch. Nothing sends until you click Send.
Where your mail goes. Your mail stays with Apple, Google and Microsoft, and Alrighty keeps its copy and its search index on your Mac. Your passwords and sign-ins stay on your Mac, encrypted with a key from your system's keychain. AI features and Clean up send only the emails they need to Alrighty's server, which passes them to an AI model (OpenAI's for answers and replies).
Price. A 14-day trial with no card, then a Free plan or Pro. The Free plan has a small monthly AI allowance. See everything Alrighty does.
What it can't do. This is where eM Client users should look hard. Alrighty has no calendar, contacts or tasks. It takes iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts only, so no POP, no Exchange server, and no Yahoo, AOL or GMX. It has no iPhone app, and on a Mac it needs Apple silicon. It has no PGP or S/MIME. It's a new app with no long track record.
Pick it if you used eM Client mostly for mail across iCloud, Gmail and Outlook, and junk and search matter more to you than a built-in calendar.
Thunderbird: best free alternative with a calendar
Thunderbird is the closest free match to eM Client's all-in-one design. It's an "email, calendar, and contacts app for Windows, Linux, and macOS," and it's "Free forever" (Thunderbird). You can "Manage all accounts separately or in a unified inbox."
Where your mail goes. Its privacy notice says your messages "are stored and processed locally on your device." It also says "Thunderbird sends telemetry about your interactions with Thunderbird to us."
What it can't do. Its home page doesn't list the providers or protocols it supports, so check your account before you switch. It advertises no AI features.
Pick it if you want eM Client's mail, calendar and contacts in one free, open-source app. Our Thunderbird alternatives page covers the apps people try next.
Apple Mail: best free alternative built into macOS
Apple Mail comes with macOS and adds "iCloud, Gmail (Google), Exchange, school, work, or other" accounts (Apple). It sorts mail into Primary, Transactions, Updates and Promotions, lets you unsubscribe "directly in Mail," and can block up to 3,000 senders (Apple).
AI. With Apple Intelligence on, a short summary appears under each unread email, and you can turn summaries off (Apple). Apple Intelligence isn't available in every language or region.
What it can't do. Mail's search depends on your Mac's Spotlight index and can miss mail you can see. Our Apple Mail search guide has the fixes. Its categories aren't available in every country or region.
Pick it if you want free and built in, and you keep your calendar in a separate app. If you want to keep it and add tools, see our Apple Mail plugins page.
Outlook for Mac: best when work runs on Microsoft 365
Outlook for Mac is free on the Mac App Store and is "Compatible with Microsoft 365, Outlook.com (including Hotmail and MSN), Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, iCloud, IMAP, and POP accounts." Like eM Client, it keeps mail, calendar and contacts together. It needs macOS 14 or later.
Price. Free for personal accounts. A Microsoft 365 subscription, from $9.99 a month, removes the ads. Work and school accounts need "a license assigned by your IT administrator" (Microsoft).
What to know. The free app shows ads. Its App Store privacy label lists "User Content (emails or text messages)" among the data it may collect. Copilot features need a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Pick it if you chose eM Client for Exchange or Microsoft 365 and want the app Microsoft makes. See our Outlook alternatives for Mac too.
Mailbird: closest to eM Client on Mac and Windows
Mailbird, like eM Client, runs on Windows and Mac. "A Mailbird Next license works on Windows and Mac," and the Mac app needs macOS Ventura or later. It takes "Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft 365, iCloud, Yahoo, and any IMAP account," and Exchange is a Premium feature (Mailbird). It puts apps like Google Calendar, WhatsApp and Asana in a side panel next to your mail, rather than building a calendar in.
Price. The free version "has no time limit and works with one email account." Premium is $5.75 per user a month, paid yearly, or $99.75 once (pricing).
Where your mail goes. "Your mail is stored on your computer, never on Mailbird's servers."
What it can't do. "Currently, connecting a POP3 account to Mailbird Next is not supported." The free plan takes one account, fewer than eM Client's two.
Pick it if you want a one-time license that also covers Windows, and you don't need POP. Our Mailbird alternatives page has more.
Spark: best free plan for many accounts on every device
Spark's free plan includes unlimited email accounts and a calendar (pricing), so it removes eM Client's two-account cap at no cost. It runs on Mac, iPhone, Windows and Android, and works with IMAP, iCloud, Exchange, Outlook, Yahoo and Google accounts (Spark).
Price. Free. Plus is $99 a year and Pro is $199 a year, and Spark's AI is part of the paid plans.
Where your mail goes. Spark says some features "require our server-side email processing to work," and for AOL, Exchange and custom IMAP accounts it stores your login, with the password encrypted in its database (Spark). eM Client keeps your mail on your device.
Pick it if you want many accounts and a calendar for free, on every device, and accept Spark's servers. See our Spark alternatives.
Mailspring: best free app for IMAP accounts
Mailspring is "free forever for Mac, Windows, and Linux!" (Mailspring) and supports "Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, FastMail, Outlook.com, Yahoo!, and IMAP/SMTP" (Mailspring). It says "your email goes straight from your mail provider to your machine, not through our servers."
Price. Free. Pro is $8 a month or $85 a year and adds read receipts, link tracking, send later, reminders and templates.
What it can't do. Its FAQ says "Mailspring supports IMAP only; POP3 support is not planned," and Exchange Web Services and ActiveSync aren't supported. Pro features send metadata to Mailspring. Its pages list no AI, and we found no calendar on the pages we read.
Pick it if you want a free app for IMAP accounts that connects straight to your provider, on Mac, Windows or Linux.
How to choose
- iCloud, Gmail and Outlook on a Mac, with junk stopped and search that works: Alrighty.
- Free and open source, with a calendar: Thunderbird.
- Free and built in: Apple Mail.
- Microsoft 365 at work, with POP too: Outlook for Mac.
- A one-time license on Mac and Windows: Mailbird.
- Unlimited accounts and a calendar on every device, free: Spark.
- Free and direct, for IMAP, on Linux too: Mailspring.
- Your accounts in one inbox, compared across more apps: our best email app for multiple accounts page.
For a side-by-side of the two apps, see Alrighty vs eM Client.
Questions
Is there a free alternative to eM Client for Mac?
Yes. Apple Mail comes with macOS, Thunderbird is free and has a calendar, and Mailspring is free. Spark's free plan takes unlimited accounts, where eM Client's takes 2. Alrighty has a Free plan after its 14-day trial.
Can I use eM Client's free plan for work?
No. eM Client's free plan is "Home use on 1 device," and its plan table lists commercial use as "None." The Business plan, priced by device ($25.10 a device a year for 10 devices), includes a commercial license.
Which eM Client alternatives have a calendar?
Thunderbird, Outlook for Mac and Spark have a calendar in the app. Mailbird shows calendars such as Google Calendar in a side panel. Alrighty has no calendar.
Which eM Client alternatives support POP accounts?
Outlook for Mac names POP accounts. Mailspring and Mailbird Next don't support POP3, and Alrighty takes iCloud, Gmail and Outlook accounts only.
Does eM Client read my email?
eM Client says it "never retrieves and has no access to the content of your emails." Its AI features send the message you're viewing to the AI provider, which is OpenAI unless you connect your own.