FairEmail vs Spark Mail

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

Spark Mail

• People juggling several email accounts across desktop and phone
• Individuals who want a free client with a unified inbox and send later
• Small teams that want to comment on emails and draft replies together

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.

Spark Mail

• The vendor lists apps for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android only; there is no web or Linux version.
• Gatekeeper, Priority, Spark +AI and third-party integrations require Plus or higher.
• Shared inboxes, read statuses and the HubSpot integration are limited to Pro and Enterprise.
• The free plan's AI is a limited preview: 5 meeting notes in total and 1 month of email history for the AI Assistant.

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.

Spark Mail

Smart Inbox and unified inbox

Brings every connected account into one inbox and separates priority mail from newsletters and notifications. Included in the free plan.

Gatekeeper and Priority

Gatekeeper lets you accept or block new senders before they land in the inbox, and Priority highlights chosen senders. Both are part of Plus and above.

Spark +AI and AI Assistant

+AI drafts, proofreads, summarizes and translates email. The AI Assistant answers questions about your mail, reaching back 1 month on Free, 1 year on Plus and without limit on Pro.

Snooze, Send Later and reminders

Snooze a message, set it aside, schedule a send or get a follow-up reminder. These scheduling tools are in the free plan.

Team collaboration

Share a thread with teammates, discuss it in private comments and write drafts together in real time. Shared inboxes for addresses such as support@ need Pro.

Calendar and AI meeting notes

A built-in calendar can add Zoom, GoTo or Microsoft Teams call links. AI meeting notes are capped at 5 in total on Free and 40 a month on Plus, and unlimited on Pro.

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.

Spark Mail

• Free$0

  Unlimited accounts, Smart Inbox, unified inbox, snooze, send later, reminders, calendar and 5 lifetime AI meeting notes.

• Plus$8.25

  per user / month, billed annually ($99); $10 billed monthly

  Adds Gatekeeper, Priority, Spark +AI, the AI Assistant with 1 year of history, 40 AI meeting notes a month, integrations and team collaboration.

• Pro$16.58

  per user / month, billed annually ($199); $20 billed monthly

  Everything in Plus, plus shared inboxes, read statuses, unlimited AI meeting notes, HubSpot integration and Spark CLI triage access.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Pro, plus security and controls, a dedicated success manager and 1:1 productivity coaching.

FairEmail

No public discounts listed.

Spark Mail

• Annual discount

  Save 17% with annual billing

  The pricing page shows Plus at $99 a year instead of $120 and Pro at $199 a year instead of $240 when billed annually, a 17% saving over paying monthly.