aerc vs Claws Mail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Claws Mail grades higher than aerc: 2.8 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Claws Mail grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick aerc if
- Fits if you send patches by email and want git and mail in one place
- Works for people who already think in Vim keys
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want HTML mail shown the way it looks in a browser
- Not for you if you need a graphical or web version, as it only runs in a terminal
- Skip it if you don't want to configure it by hand
- Watch out: support is mailing lists, a bug tracker and a wiki
Pick Claws Mail if
- Fits if you want a light mail client you can drive from the keyboard
- Works for people who use GnuPG and want plugins for extras
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a calendar built in, as that's a plugin
- Not for you if you use a Mac, since the downloads page mentions no macOS version
- Watch out: Windows is a separate port
- Too light on looks if you want a modern design: the interface is built on GTK and follows older desktop mail clients
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAaercGood | 2.8GPAClaws MailGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree, and the project says it is 100% free and open source. | AFree under the GPL for anyone to download. A program anyone can download and run counts as free and substantial. |
| Free plan and trial | ANothing is locked: free to download and use, with no paid plans. | AFree outright, the whole app, with no paid edition. |
| Features | CSeveral backends, PGP through GnuPG and git patch workflows. HTML mail goes through an interactive terminal browser instead of showing in place, which is a real gap for ordinary mail. | CA keyboard-driven client with filtering, search, GnuPG, plugins, several protocols and MH storage. Gaps: calendar and RSS are plugins, not the base app. |
| Ease of use | DIt's a terminal program that you set up by editing files, and there's a keyboard vocabulary to learn first. | CNo store rating on record. You install from a distro package or source, connect your accounts and add plugins for extras. |
| Platforms and integrations | CLinux and macOS in a terminal. No graphical, web or phone version. | CLinux, plus a separate Windows port. No macOS version is mentioned and there's no phone or web version. |
| Best for | a terminal mail client with Vim-style keys | a lightweight keyboard-driven mail client |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: aerc and Claws Mail. How we grade
Price against what you get
aerc has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Claws Mail has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Claws Mail scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than aerc for less, and none scores higher than Claws Mail for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Claws Mail also covers inbox filtering.
At a glance
| aerc | Claws Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free to download and use; the project says it is 100% free and open source software. | The whole application is free software under the GPL. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | aerc | Claws Mail project |
| Price read from | aerc-mail.org | claws-mail.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
aerc
- Runs only in a terminal; there is no graphical or web version.
- HTML email is rendered through an interactive terminal browser rather than shown natively.
- Support is via mailing lists, a bug tracker and a wiki.
Claws Mail
- Calendar and RSS are plugins, not part of the base application.
- Windows is listed as a separate port; no macOS version is mentioned on the downloads page.
- The interface is built on GTK and follows the look of older desktop mail clients.
Key features
aerc
- Embedded terminal compose
- Edit emails in an embedded terminal, tmux-style, while checking incoming mail and other threads.
- Vim-style keybindings
- Vim-style keys and an ex-command system allow automation from a single keystroke.
- Several backends
- Supports multiple accounts over IMAP, Maildir, Notmuch, Mbox and JMAP, with SMTP and sendmail for sending.
- git and email workflow
- Highlights patches with diffs and offers first-class support for working with git and email.
- PGP with GnuPG
- Signs, encrypts and verifies messages using GnuPG; HTML mail renders through a terminal web browser.
Claws Mail
- Keyboard-driven interface
- Almost all commands can be reached from the keyboard, in a layout meant to look familiar to people from other mail clients.
- Filtering and search
- Filtering, per-folder processing, message scoring, colour labels and a search function for sorting a busy mailbox.
- GnuPG support
- Encrypt and sign messages with GnuPG through GPGME, and switch the encryption type while composing.
- Plugins
- Extras such as an RSS aggregator and a calendar come as plugins, and the project lists them on a plugins page.
- Protocols and accounts
- Multiple accounts over POP3, IMAP4rev1 and SMTP with SSL, plus Usenet news reading and posting through NNTP.
- MH storage and import
- Messages are kept in the MH format, and mbox import and export lets you move mail in and out of other clients.
Plans
aerc
Free$0
Free and open source; no paid plans.
Claws Mail
Claws Mail$0
Free under the GPL; install from a distribution package or the source tarballs.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, aerc or Claws Mail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both aerc and Claws Mail are free to use.
Which has a free plan, aerc or Claws Mail?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both aerc and Claws Mail have a free plan.
Which platforms do aerc and Claws Mail run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only aerc lists a macOS app and only Claws Mail lists a Windows app. Both list a Linux app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.