FairEmail vs Gmail

FairEmail

• Android users who want an open source email client with no ads or tracking
• People with several accounts at different IMAP or POP3 providers
• Paying once for advanced features instead of subscribing

Gmail

• Anyone who wants a free personal address with 15 GB of shared storage
• Organizations that want email on their own domain inside Google Workspace
• People who already rely on Google Calendar, Meet, Chat and Drive

FairEmail

• Supported on Android phones, tablets and ChromeOS only. There is no iOS, desktop or web version.
• Microsoft Exchange Web Services and ActiveSync are not supported; accounts connect over IMAP, POP3 and SMTP.
• The F-Droid build cannot reuse a Play Store purchase and does not support OAuth sign-in, so the Gmail quick setup is missing there.
• It is an email client only: the Play listing says it is not a calendar, contact, task or note manager.

Gmail

• Business email is only sold as part of Google Workspace, which also includes Calendar, Drive, Meet and Docs.
• The free 15 GB is shared with Drive and Photos. More space is a paid add-on: the US App Store listing shows 100 GB at $1.99 and 200 GB at $2.99, with no billing period given.
• Free accounts may show ads, though Google says it does not use Gmail content to personalize them.
• No desktop app is listed: Gmail runs in a browser and as Android and iOS apps, or through another mail client.

FairEmail

Unified inbox for unlimited accounts

Any number of accounts and email addresses can be added, with a unified inbox, conversation threading, two-way synchronization and push through IMAP IDLE.

Offline storage and operations

Messages are stored on the device, and actions taken while offline are synchronized later. The developer states that no data is stored on third-party servers.

Tracking and phishing protections

The app asks before showing images or opening links, tries to recognize and disable tracking images, reformats messages and warns when a message could not be authenticated.

OpenPGP and S/MIME encryption

Optional end-to-end encryption uses PGP, through the separate OpenKeychain or PGPony app, or S/MIME. Signing and encrypting with S/MIME is one of the pro features.

Snooze, send later and filter rules

The pro purchase adds snoozing, sending after a chosen time, reply templates, filter rules, automatic message classification, search indexing and a message list widget.

Optional translation and AI services

DeepL translation, LanguageTool grammar and style checks, and OpenAI or Gemini can be turned on in the integration settings. DeepL, OpenAI and Gemini each need your own API key.

Gmail

Spam, phishing and malware blocking

Google says Gmail automatically blocks 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts and malware, and flags a suspicious message that could still be legitimate.

Gemini in Gmail

Drafts and polishes replies and summarizes long threads. On personal accounts, asking Gemini to search the inbox is a premium feature of Google AI Pro or Ultra plans.

Smart Compose, Smart Reply and Nudges

Suggests replies and sentence completions as you type, and reminds you to answer or follow up on messages you have not dealt with.

Confidential Mode

Set an expiry date on a message, require the recipient to verify by text, and remove the options to forward, copy, download or print it.

Custom domain email and mail merge

Workspace puts addresses on your own domain, with up to 30 aliases per user. Mail merge, from Business Standard, takes up to 1,500 recipients from a linked spreadsheet.

Offline mail and other clients

Gmail offline lets you read, reply to, delete and search messages without a connection. Accounts also work in Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird.

FairEmail

• Free$0

  Unlimited accounts and email addresses, unified inbox, conversation threading, offline storage and the privacy features. No advertisements.

• Pro features (Google Play)$7.49

  one-time in-app purchase (US Google Play)

  All current and future pro features, including snooze, send later, reply templates, filter rules, S/MIME signing and biometric lock. No subscription.

• Pro features (GitHub version)€7 or more

  one-time donation

  For copies installed outside the Play Store. €7 or more activates pro features on every Android device you own; a smaller donation activates them once.

Gmail

• Personal Google Account$0

  Gmail for personal use with 15 GB of storage shared with Drive and Photos. No address at your own domain, and the account may show ads.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with email at your own domain, 30 GB of pooled storage per user and the Gemini assistant in Gmail.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  2 TB of pooled storage per user, plus custom email layouts, mail merge and Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  5 TB of pooled storage per user, with Google Vault for retention and eDiscovery and advanced endpoint management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  No user limit, where the Business editions stop at 300. Adds S/MIME encryption and data loss prevention; priced through Google sales.

FairEmail

No public discounts listed.

Gmail

• Annual discount

  Lower rate with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan versus $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Other savings

  Introductory discount for the first 3 months

  The US pricing page gives new Workspace customers 50% off Starter, 30% off Standard and 20% off Plus for their first 3 months, and describes the offer as valid for a limited time.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available at no charge to qualifying institutions. Education Plus is a paid edition.