Balsa

Free plan Linux

What Balsa is

Balsa is a free, open-source graphical email client for Linux and part of the GNOME desktop environment. It works with IMAP, POP3 and local mailboxes, including mbox, maildir and MH formats, and sends through sendmail or direct SMTP. Multithreaded retrieval and sending, automatic mail checks, printing and inline attachment viewing are included. For protected messages, Balsa supports OpenPGP and S/MIME signing and encryption through GpgME and compatible cryptographic backends. It prefers TLS over STARTTLS and can perform optional DKIM and DMARC checks. Limited CardDAV and read-only LDAP address-book support are available under stated build options. With libsecret, credentials use the desktop Secret Service; otherwise they are obfuscated in a configuration file, which the project does not recommend. Version 2.6.5 is listed as released on 2025-04-12. Balsa can also act as the system mailto handler.

Who it suits

Balsa suits Linux and GNOME users who want a desktop client for multiple mailbox types and encrypted email.

What it does well

Free and open source under GPL-2.0-or-later
Supports IMAP, POP3 and several local formats
OpenPGP and S/MIME message protection
TLS preferred over STARTTLS
Can register as the system mailto handler

What to know first

Linux desktop application only
CardDAV support is limited
Without libsecret, credential storage is not recommended
Read-only LDAP address books

Verdict

Balsa provides broad mailbox support, desktop email functions and message encryption without a listed charge. Its address-book limits and credential-storage differences depend on build configuration.

Facts from Balsa's own pages

Address books: Optional integrations include read-only LDAP and limited CardDAV address book support. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
App coverage: desktop · github.com, 21 Sept 2026
Build and distribution: The project describes building Balsa with Meson and Ninja and says Debian-like systems can create .deb packages with dpkg-buildpackage. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Credential storage: When built with libsecret, it stores credentials through the desktop environment’s Secret Service; otherwise, credentials can be stored obfuscated in a config file, which the project says is not recommended. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Desktop requirements: The project lists GTK 3.24 or later among Balsa’s build requirements. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Encryption: It supports signing and encrypting messages with OpenPGP and S/MIME, using GpgME and suitable cryptographic backends. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Known limitation: If mailbox dot locking is not possible because of file permissions, Balsa opens the mailbox read-only. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
License: The repository identifies the project license as GPL-2.0. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Local mailbox formats: It supports local mailbox formats including mbox, maildir and MH. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Mail access: It supports local mailboxes, POP3 and IMAP. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Mail features: The project lists multithreaded message retrieval and sending, automatic mail checking, printing, and inline attachment viewing among its features. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Mail integration: Balsa can be installed as the system mailto protocol handler. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Mail protocols: Balsa supports IMAP, POP3, local mail folders, and sending through sendmail or direct SMTP. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Product: Balsa is a graphical email client and part of the GNOME desktop environment. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Purpose: Balsa is an e-mail reader and part of the GNOME desktop environment. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026
Recent release: The project lists version 2.6.5, released 2025-04-12, with fixes and improvements including IMAP connection handling and attachment saving. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Security: Balsa prefers TLS connections over STARTTLS and offers optional DKIM and DMARC checks. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Support: The project directs users to report bugs through its GitLab issue tracker and says patches are welcome. · github.com, 12 Oct 2026

Where Balsa stands on Freedom251

Email clients#115 of 142