# aerc review (2026): is it any good? > Terminal email client with Vim-style keys and git-email support Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. aerc is an email client that runs in a terminal. It supports IMAP, Maildir, Notmuch, mbox and JMAP backends, with asynchronous IMAP and JMAP handling, threading and PGP through GnuPG. Its site calls it 100% free and open source software, and the project is MIT licensed. - **Category:** Email Apps - **Made by:** aerc - **Website:** https://aerc-mail.org - **Runs on:** Linux, macOS - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want HTML mail shown the way it looks in a browser. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, aerc is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free to download and use; the project says it is 100% free and open source software. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Free | $0 | Free and open source; no paid plans. | Read from https://aerc-mail.org on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with aerc before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Developers who send and review patches by email - Terminal users who prefer Vim-style navigation ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. aerc is a free terminal mail client with Vim-style keys, an embedded terminal for writing mail and a git-email workflow. It runs only in a terminal, and HTML mail is shown through a separate terminal browser. - **Value for money: A.** Free, and the project says it is 100% free and open source. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Nothing is locked: free to download and use, with no paid plans. - **Features: C.** Several 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. - **Ease of use: D.** It's a terminal program that you set up by editing files, and there's a keyboard vocabulary to learn first. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Linux and macOS in a terminal. No graphical, web or phone version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from the aerc project's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among email apps - aerc's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 74 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 13. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 97 of 122) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - aerc has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/email ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** aerc is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. - You could not: An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. - You could not: A real app for macOS and Linux. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with GnuPG, Notmuch, git, tmux **Tags:** Email client, Open source, Keyboard-first ## Alternatives - [NeoMutt](https://toolgpa.com/tools/neomutt): Command-line mail reader forked from Mutt with extra features. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/aerc-vs-neomutt) - [Mutt](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mutt): Small text-based mail client for Unix systems. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/aerc-vs-mutt) - [Thunderbird](https://toolgpa.com/tools/thunderbird): Free, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/aerc-vs-thunderbird) - [Claws Mail](https://toolgpa.com/tools/claws-mail): Lightweight GTK email and news client, free under the GPL. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/aerc-vs-claws-mail) - [Mailspring](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailspring): Open-source desktop email client for Mac, Windows and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/aerc-vs-mailspring) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://aerc-mail.org - https://git.sr.ht/~rjarry/aerc - https://github.com/rjarry/aerc Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/aerc Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).