The decline of email clients has reached its peak with Thunderbird, the well-known Mozilla application. The foundation behind Firefox has been trying for years to get rid of Thunderbird. However, it has then had to keep it, albeit by putting it under Mozilla Corporation. Certainly, at first it caused a feeling of resignation. But now the reality is that there are ambitious plans to renew the application. In addition, an Android version is on the way from the conversion of K-9 Mail. Yes, mail clients are not living their golden years. However, at least Thunderbird is once again a development worth keeping an eye on. This motivated us to learn more about email clients.

What email clients offer us.

E-mail clients are a type of application that interfaces with an e-mail service. This can be public (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo… ). It can also be installed in a closed infrastructure (e.g., a company). Its basic functions include accessing e-mails to read them and download attachments. In addition, we can send messages by creating new threads or replying to one that the user has previously received.

Obviously, it is always possible to encounter a wide range of possibilities. For example, it is possible to send messages only in plain text or HTML format and to deal with electronic signatures. Strangely enough, it is still possible to meet people who are very suspicious of HTML e-mails because of the possible embedding of malware. In any case, however, it is advisable not to display any messages of suspicious origin. Nor is it advisable never to load images by default. As you know, always be cautious when it comes to security.

Existing modalities. POP3

When it comes to viewing e-mails, users tend to use two ways. The first is Post Office Protocol. This is better known as POP3 in reference to its third version. This is a protocol that downloads e-mail so that it can be viewed locally and without an Internet connection. Therefore, it can be very useful in contexts or situations where the Internet connection is not of high quality. On the downside, much more space is lost for data storage. Due to the decreasing use of e-mail clients and the improvement of the quality of Internet connections, their use has been dropping. Even many clients no longer offer POP3 support, so they are forced to rely on IMAP.

IMAP

And then there is Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). This is a standard Internet protocol used by e-mail clients to retrieve messages from a server over a TCP/IP connection. It is designed to allow the complete management of an e-mail box by multiple e-mail clients. Consequently, clients generally leave messages on the server until the user explicitly decides to delete them.

With IMAP, mail clients are connected to the server all the time. In addition, their interface remains active to download messages on demand. That way, they can offer faster response times for users. Especially in situations where there are numerous messages.

JMAP

More recently, in 2019, start JSON Meta Application Protocol (JMAP). This is a set of open standard Internet protocols related to e-mail handling. This is a set of open standard Internet protocols related to e-mail handling. In addition, the JMAP implementation uses the JSON API over HTTP. Its development makes it an alternative to IMAP/SMTP and proprietary email APIs such as Gmail and Outlook.

The current research aims to obtain additional protocols and data models on the JMAP. Specifically for contact management and calendar synchronization. The purpose of this is to offer potential replacements for CardDAV and CalDAV. The current research aims to obtain additional protocols and data models on the JMAP. Specifically for contact management and calendar synchronization. The purpose of this is to offer potential replacements for CardDAV and CalDAV. However, in terms of usage, IMAP is still the preferred one.

SMTP

Finally, there is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). This is a standard Internet communication protocol for email transmission. User-level email clients generally use SMTP only to send messages to a server for relaying. Typically, through port 587 or 465.

Does this information seem excessive and too technical? The reality is that modern email clients have long tended to automatically configure access to a popular service such as Gmail and Outlook. This obviously reduces the knowledge required on the part of the user. Generally, after entering the password, the application usually asks whether you want to use POP3 or IMAP for receiving e-mail. As mentioned, many applications use the latter as the only option. Without further ado, let’s mention three such applications available at least for Windows and one exclusive for Linux.

Mozilla Thunderbird

We start with one of the options that offer powerful multi-format support, Thunderbird. It officially covers Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is also preparing its landing on Android through the aforementioned K-9 Mail conversion. In addition, it is free software, as the source code of its desktop application is published under the MPL 2 license.

During its first years, it stood out for being a simple and easy to configure mail client. It also made it easy, especially for those users who used IMAP. Let’s remember that this feature is far from being exclusive. In addition, there are those who think that it is currently better implemented in other applications.

In the second decade of the 21st century, it ended up in a state of semi-abandonment. Even Mozilla publicly showed its intentions to get rid of Thunderbird. However, after failing to find a new home for it, it had to keep the client, albeit under a different organization.

It is a very complete application with support for calendars, address books and the Matrix communications protocol. On the other hand, its interface is being redesigned to adjust to the times. Although it still has the disadvantage of not having support for Microsoft Exchange by default.

Mailspring

Another option that stands out for being free and multiplatform software. Additionally, it comes with support for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Mailspring supports multiple accounts via IMAP and Office 365, unified inbox, touch gestures, themes and layouts, spell checking, contact management. Plus the ability to undo sending and advanced keyboard shortcuts. However, its most attractive feature is that its design is more in line with the lines that are usually used in recent years. Therefore, its appearance is modern and fresh.

Mailspring was born as a fork of another email client, originally called Nylas N1 and then Nylas Mail. However, the lead developer decided to discontinue the project in September 2017 and had the gesture to release its source code under the MIT license. Since then, one of the lead developers decided to continue its development by creating the aforementioned Mailspring. However, he licensed the source code to GPLv3 in order to prevent derivative projects from shutting it down.

Mailspring offers a Pro version for eight dollars a month. This offers powerful template support, rich contact profiles, company summaries and the ability to postpone messages. Still, the regular version should be sufficient for the average user.

Microsoft Outlook

We could not forget the email client that has traditionally been part of Microsoft Office. Therefore, hundreds of millions of users have had it or have it on their computers. Of course, it is likely that they do not use it, since the use of such an application is only necessary if you need to automate correspondence.

Given its origin, it is obvious that it is a proprietary application. In addition, its main platform is Windows, although it also supports macOS and makes available applications for Android and iOS. These can be obtained from the Play Store and the App Store, respectively.

We are talking about an application widely used in business environments (or at least it used to be). Therefore, its value is more than demonstrated. However, 20 years ago it had to introduce some barriers such as not loading images by default in HTML messages in order to avoid possible malware attacks. Like the other options mentioned in this article, it also supports calendars. Some of them are CalDAV, iCalendar, SyncML and vCard 3.0, and it is possible to set up a Gmail account if the user wishes.

Evolution

We close the list with the exclusive Linux application: Evolution. Many people criticize its old interface and the fact that it is a bit rough. However, it is a mail client that has more than proved its worth and also has support for Microsoft Exchange.

Evolution was created by Ximian, a company focused on the development of products around GNOME. Moreover, it was created by Miguel de Icaza, one of the fathers of the aforementioned desktop environment. It has changed hands several times due to the purchase of Ximian by Novell and the various reorganizations that SUSE has undergone. However, in 2013, its development was mainly handled by Red Hat after SUSE decided to disengage from Evolution in 2012. It is currently part of GNOME, and the Windows and Mac versions were discontinued about a decade ago.

It is free software, supports IMAP and POP3. In addition, over the years, it has incorporated mechanisms to automate the configuration of Gmail and Outlook accounts. However, it is also capable of integrating with accounts configured at the GNOME desktop level. Despite its advances, it can be a bit rough to configure. However, it is an application that has proven its worth. Finally, it is one of the most solid alternatives to Microsoft Office Outlook for businesses.

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The best programs for reading email in Windows

As we said, we will see the best tools to manage email in Windows.

Mozilla Thunderbird

Mozilla Thunderbird is one of the best email clients. In addition, it will be very useful and intuitive for Mozilla Firefox users. It also facilitates the use of Gmail or Hotmail emails, since it configures them automatically. A configuration wizard is also functional for most accounts working with IMAP, SMTP and SSL/TSL servers. In fact, all you have to do is enter your name, email address and password. The app will then configure the rest of the parameters automatically.

A key element of Thunderbird is that it is highly customizable. For this it has more than a thousand add-ons to modify it. In addition, we can integrate it with social networks. It even has its own integrated chat. Another distinctive element is the email management by tabs. In this sense, it behaves like a web browser. So you can open several tabs of open emails simultaneously. Consequently, you will be able to manage it in a faster way. In addition, it uses various external means to send attachments. Being open source, it is also a multiplatform tool.

Mailbird

Mailbird is a service that has been with us for several years. This allows it to continue to grow and offer better features. Therefore, it is one of the best clients we can find in the market. Its interface is very nice and allows you to combine between many possibilities. In addition, it includes a light mode for the day and a dark mode for the night. The sound notifications are also highly customizable. In fact, we can even use sounds from our audio collection.

It stands out for its compact design. The screen is not loaded with unnecessary elements. In addition, it offers a unified inbox and the possibility of integrating tools for the management of mails and agenda. On the other hand, it integrates with different management applications and social networks: Facebook, Evernote, Todoist, Dropbox, WhatsApp and many more. It is perfectly organized by folders and labels thanks to the integration with Gmail. Finally, it offers a free extensions store.

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is only available if you have an Office 365 subscription. Certainly, there are older free versions. However, in this case, the payment is quite justified. It allows you to group and work in an organized way in e-mail, calendar, contacts, and tasks. In addition, security is a very well worked aspect in Outlook. Even the home version uses the same layer of protection as the business clients. This includes encrypted protection of the information flow.

It integrates with Office and allows you to share attachments from OneDrive, access your contacts and view LinkedIn profiles. Even Microsoft does not track your personal information on logins, sent and received messages for advertising purposes. In addition, it automatically adds payments, invoices, or travel or event schedules to the calendar. It also allows you to plan schedules and check when coworkers are available.

Postbox

Postbox is another email management tool that stands out. Not only does it include useful features for using email. In fact, it also includes elements that set it apart from others. Its configuration is perfectly compatible with most emails: Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo! Mail, AOL, Office 365, Outlook, Fastmail and ProtonMail. Therefore, you will only need to add the email address, username, and password to activate your Postbox account.

Postbox folders are synchronized with Gmail labels. Logically, this affects the organization and order of the emails. In addition, we can use shortcuts to move more quickly between your options. The contacts are also integrated with Gmail, which allows you to autocomplete your mails. From Postbox we can also access the information of Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn contacts. Simply link the accounts in the configuration tab. The tool also has more than 25 customizable email signatures to use.

Polymail

Polymail is an email manager with a lot of future. Especially among those who require teamwork. For this purpose, it has message tracking that allows us to know when and who has read our emails. The application has an activity feed in which we can see everything in detail in real time. In addition, the organization is simple thanks to its great design and customization.

We can also configure an email to send it later. In the same way, we can postpone an email to appear later. We can even cancel an email seconds after sending it if we have sent it too early. Its main interest is to save time to the user, avoiding having to read, manage and answer emails. Consequently, the conversations are grouped in a more comfortable way.

eM Client

eM Client is an excellent free option for e-mail management. It certainly has a Pro version. However, the free version is very complete. Moreover, its features are similar to those offered by Windows. Therefore, these users will feel comfortable with its interface. However, it can also be run on macOS. It is a very complete client that offers encrypted emails. It also presents threads and conversations in a comfortable and attractive way. In addition, it has predefined replies.

This service integrates with systems such as Gmail or iCloud. Therefore, we will be able to import contacts and tasks, in addition to the calendar with Google Calendar. It offers calendar, address book and to-do list functions. A real all-in-one tool. In addition, customization is available through various widgets.

Ultimately, we have seen the best tools to manage email in Windows. You already know, you have multiple options to choose from. Bye!

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Let’s take a look at the best email clients for your Linux distro.

• Thunderbird

It is one of the most popular email clients for everyone. Developed and maintained by Mozilla, Thunderbird offers the best possible experience one can ask for – for free!

Some of the cool features of Thunderbird are –

• Custom, personalized email address
• One-click address book
• Tabs and search
• Web searching
• Activity manager
• Message archive
• Automated updates

We’ve already discussed about backing up Thunderbird profile and enjoying Arc theme on Thunderbird.

• Mailspring

This is a next-gen email client that’s developed using open web techs. The user interface is really modern and slick. There are 2 versions of Mailspring – Free and Pro. The free version is more than enough for everyday users. However, the Pro version targets only for professionals and/or business organizations.

Some of the core Mailspring features include –

• Unified inbox – all the email from different email providers in one inbox
• Enhanced contact management
• Snooze, schedule emails
• Improved privacy & security with PGP
• Analytics and tracking
• Translator buil-in

• Geary

It’s a nice, open-source email client that’s primarily developed for GNOME project. However, it’s available in Flathub. That means, if your system has Flatpak installed, you can easily enjoy Geary, no need to follow any complex installation method.

Some features of Geary –

• Easy integration with all the popular email providers
• Nice integration with system

Note that as Geary is a part of the GNOME system, it’ll provide the best possible experience if your desktop is running GNOME desktop environment.

• Evolution

It’s another awesome email client from GNOME project. Evolution is much like Geary, except a few additional features and interface changes.

Core features of Evolution –

• Contact management
• Task management
• Notes
• Filter & folders
• Plugins

For getting Evolution, you need to build it from source. Worry not; GNOME project explains installation of Evolution through Flatpak.

• Sylpheed

If you’re looking for an email client that’s lightweight and easy-to-use, Slypheed is just the email client for you. It’s REALLY simple in terms of usage and look. It’s best suited for users with minimal needs like new users and with minimal feature requirements.

Some cool features include –

• Simple, easy-to-use interface
• Pluggable
• Well-organized, easy-to-understand config
• Various protocol support
• Security features like GPG, SSL/TLSv

There are lots of other email clients out there like the Claws Mail, KMail, Hiri (not free), and Mutt etc. Feel free to share your opinion and your favorite email client.

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