# Terminal Email

> Terminal email clients for Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD and Android, compared by the facts.

Read and send email from a terminal on Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD and Android. Featured: [Forward Email](https://terminalemail.com/clients/forward-email/index.md)'s terminal app, made by the team behind this site (Forward Email's webmail in the terminal: mail, calendar, contacts and settings, with mouse support and a key hint bar.)

## Clients

| Client | Interface | Systems | License |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Forward Email](https://terminalemail.com/clients/forward-email/index.md) (featured) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | Business Source License 1.1 |
| [aerc](https://terminalemail.com/clients/aerc/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | MIT |
| [alot](https://terminalemail.com/clients/alot/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | GPL 3.0 or later |
| [Alpine](https://terminalemail.com/clients/alpine/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | Apache 2.0 |
| [Cone](https://terminalemail.com/clients/cone/index.md) | TUI | Linux, Windows, BSD | GPL 3.0 |
| [Gnus](https://terminalemail.com/clients/gnus/index.md) | Emacs | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 3.0 or later |
| [Himalaya](https://terminalemail.com/clients/himalaya/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | MIT or Apache 2.0 |
| [Matcha](https://terminalemail.com/clients/matcha/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | MIT |
| [mblaze](https://terminalemail.com/clients/mblaze/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | CC0 1.0 and MIT |
| [meli](https://terminalemail.com/clients/meli/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, BSD | EUPL 1.2 or GPL 3.0 or later |
| [mu4e](https://terminalemail.com/clients/mu4e/index.md) | Emacs | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 3.0 or later |
| [Mutt](https://terminalemail.com/clients/mutt/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 2.0 or later |
| [NeoMutt](https://terminalemail.com/clients/neomutt/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 2.0 or later |
| [nmail](https://terminalemail.com/clients/nmail/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS | MIT |
| [nmh](https://terminalemail.com/clients/nmh/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | BSD 3-Clause |
| [Notmuch Emacs interface](https://terminalemail.com/clients/notmuch-emacs/index.md) | Emacs | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 3.0 or later |
| [S-nail](https://terminalemail.com/clients/s-nail/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | ISC and BSD 2-Clause and BSD 3-Clause and BSD 4-Clause |
| [Sup](https://terminalemail.com/clients/sup/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | GPL 2.0 or later |
| [Wanderlust](https://terminalemail.com/clients/wanderlust/index.md) | Emacs | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 2.0 or later |

## Mail tools

| Client | Interface | Systems | License |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [getmail6](https://terminalemail.com/tools/getmail6/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | GPL 2.0 |
| [isync](https://terminalemail.com/tools/isync/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 2.0 or later |
| [msmtp](https://terminalemail.com/tools/msmtp/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 3.0 or later |
| [mutt-wizard](https://terminalemail.com/tools/mutt-wizard/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | GPL 3.0 |
| [notmuch](https://terminalemail.com/tools/notmuch/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD, Android | GPL 3.0 or later |
| [OfflineIMAP](https://terminalemail.com/tools/offlineimap/index.md) | CLI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | GPL 2.0 or later |
| [Pop](https://terminalemail.com/tools/pop/index.md) | TUI | Linux, macOS, Windows, BSD | MIT |

## By system

- [Terminal email clients for Linux](https://terminalemail.com/linux/index.md): 19 clients, 18 native
- [Terminal email clients for macOS](https://terminalemail.com/macos/index.md): 18 clients, 18 native
- [Terminal email clients for Windows](https://terminalemail.com/windows/index.md): 17 clients, 5 native
- [Terminal email clients for BSD](https://terminalemail.com/bsd/index.md): 18 clients, 15 native
- [Terminal email clients for Android](https://terminalemail.com/android/index.md): 10 clients, 0 native

## By feature

- [Terminal email clients with OpenPGP](https://terminalemail.com/features/pgp/index.md) (15)
- [Terminal email clients with built-in IMAP](https://terminalemail.com/features/imap/index.md) (12)
- [Terminal email clients with POP3](https://terminalemail.com/features/pop3/index.md) (9)
- [Terminal email clients with JMAP](https://terminalemail.com/features/jmap/index.md) (4)
- [Terminal email clients that read Maildir](https://terminalemail.com/features/maildir/index.md) (16)
- [Email clients for notmuch](https://terminalemail.com/features/notmuch/index.md) (5)
- [Terminal email clients with OAuth2 sign-in](https://terminalemail.com/features/oauth2/index.md) (13)
- [Terminal email clients you can use with a mouse](https://terminalemail.com/features/mouse/index.md) (10)
- [Terminal email clients with Vim-style keys](https://terminalemail.com/features/vim-keys/index.md) (7)
- [Terminal email clients with calendar support](https://terminalemail.com/features/calendar/index.md) (8)
- [Email clients for Emacs](https://terminalemail.com/features/emacs/index.md) (4)
- [Open-source terminal email clients](https://terminalemail.com/features/open-source/index.md) (18)

## Questions

### What is a terminal email client?

A program that reads and sends email inside a terminal window, with text instead of graphics. Full-screen ones (TUIs) such as NeoMutt, aerc and Forward Email work like an app inside the terminal. Command-line ones such as Himalaya and s-nail are commands you run and script.

### Which terminal email clients run natively on Windows?

Forward Email, Alpine, Gnus, Himalaya and Matcha run directly on Windows. 12 other clients run in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). meli and nmail are not available for Windows. See terminal email on Windows.

### Can I use Gmail or Outlook?

Yes, over IMAP and SMTP. Google and Microsoft require OAuth2 sign-in for most accounts: aerc, Alpine, Matcha and nmail handle it themselves, and Gnus, Himalaya, meli, mu4e, Mutt, NeoMutt, Notmuch Emacs interface, S-nail and Wanderlust need extra setup, such as a token helper script or an Emacs package.

### Can terminal clients show HTML email?

Most show the plain-text part of a message and pass HTML to a text browser such as w3m or lynx, which turns it into readable text with numbered links. Images are not shown in the terminal; most clients can open a message in a graphical browser when needed.

### Which clients support JMAP?

aerc, Himalaya, Matcha and meli support JMAP, the JSON protocol some providers offer instead of IMAP. The other clients use IMAP, POP3 or local folders, and Forward Email's app uses Forward Email's own API.

### Which clients work with a mouse?

Forward Email, aerc, alot, Alpine, Gnus, Matcha, meli, mu4e, Notmuch Emacs interface and Wanderlust respond to clicks and scrolling. The others are keyboard-only.

### Are they open source?

All of them except Forward Email, whose code is public under the Business Source License 1.1, a source-available license. Each page links to the project's repository and license.

### How do I use a terminal client with Forward Email?

Point the client at imap.forwardemail.net (port 993) and smtp.forwardemail.net (port 465), with your alias address as the username and a generated password. Every client page has a ready-made config, and the setup page collects them all. Forward Email's own terminal app needs no config: run forwardemail and sign in.