Side by side
Gnus vs MailMate
Both stand on email clients. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
Gnus offers broad message-source support inside the GNU Emacs environment at no cost. Its extensive manual and configurable design suit users comfortable with an Emacs-based workflow.
Visit Gnus Free plan Mac
MailMate offers a feature-rich macOS IMAP workflow with strong search, composition, encryption, and privacy controls. Its platform and Exchange limitations, plus the business-use licensing rule, should guide adoption decisions.
Visit MailMateThe facts
| Gnus | MailMate | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Mac |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | See the plans |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Maker | Not published | MailMate |
| Website | gnus.org | freron.com |
| On email clients | #55 of 142 | #59 of 142 |
Gnus: what it does well
- Reads and composes news and mail
- Supports IMAP, POP3, and NNTP
- RSS with OPML import and export
- Offline access and scheduled sending
- Free desktop software for three systems
What to know first
- Runs under GNU Emacs
- Development versions require repository sources
- Interface is designed for extensibility
MailMate: what it does well
- Unified inbox and offline access
- Advanced search and smart mailboxes
- OpenPGP and S/MIME encryption
- Markdown-to-HTML composition
- Blocks external HTML references by default
What to know first
- macOS only
- No native Exchange protocol support
- Business use requires Paid Mode
- Support emails may receive no reply
Alternatives to Gnus Alternatives to MailMate The whole list