# MailMate

> Keyboard-driven IMAP email client for macOS with Markdown composing

MailMate is an IMAP email client for macOS made by Freron Software in Copenhagen. Emails are written in a plain text editor with optional Markdown, and the app is built around keyboard control, detailed search conditions, smart mailboxes and tagging, with OpenPGP and S/MIME for encryption and signing. A license key comes from a $10 subscription billed every 3 months, and the app keeps working in a Free Mode if the subscription is cancelled.

- **Category:** Email Apps
- **Made by:** Freron Software (since 2010)
- **Website:** https://freron.com
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

MailMate is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $10 every 3 months (local-currency equivalent plus any VAT).

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** Trial Mode: every feature, currently for 14 days of active use.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Paid Mode | $10 every 3 months, plus any VAT | The MailMate Development subscription issues the license key and pays for ongoing development. All features are included, and business use requires it. |
| Free Mode | $0 | After a subscription ends, all features keep working for non-business use, and outgoing mail is labelled "MailMate Free Mode" in its headers. |

Read from https://freron.com/pricing/ on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with MailMate before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Non-profit use can stay in Free Mode** (Nonprofit): The pricing page says non-profit use does not require Paid Mode, so the subscription can be cancelled and MailMate keeps all of its features in Free Mode. Source: https://freron.com/pricing/

## Key features

- **Markdown composing:** Emails are written in a plain text editor. Optional Markdown is converted to HTML for lists, tables, code segments and inline images, with a preview of what recipients will see.
- **Keyboard control:** The app is designed to be driven from the keyboard, with shortcuts for searching, moving messages to a mailbox and tagging, and support for custom key bindings.
- **Smart mailboxes and search:** Smart mailboxes are built from conditions on any message header, with nested All/Any rules, and any search can be saved as one. Clicking a name or subject runs a related search.
- **OpenPGP and S/MIME:** Messages can be encrypted and signed with either OpenPGP or S/MIME from within the client.
- **Bundles for other apps:** Bundles connect MailMate to third-party task managers, calendar managers and external text editors. They are fetched and updated separately from the app itself.
- **Alternative layouts:** Besides the standard view there is a widescreen layout, a Correspondence layout showing related messages, a Statistics layout that counts header values, and Thread Arcs.

## Good for

- Mac users who prefer writing email in plain text or Markdown
- People who want to run their inbox from the keyboard
- Building detailed smart mailboxes and saved searches

## Worth knowing

- It runs on macOS only and connects to email through IMAP accounts.
- The composer is plain text only: formatting comes from Markdown rather than from toolbar buttons.
- The recommended download is a 2.0 beta that needs macOS 10.12 or later; the last public release is more than 4 years old.
- Businesses are required to stay in Paid Mode, and the subscription does not guarantee a reply to support emails.

## Works with

BusyContacts, HoudahSpot

**Tags:** Email client, Markdown, Keyboard-first

## Alternatives

- [Apple Mail](https://toolgpa.com/tools/apple-mail): Free built-in email app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/apple-mail-vs-mailmate)
- [Mimestream](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mimestream): Native Mac email client built on the Gmail API. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mailmate-vs-mimestream)
- [Airmail](https://toolgpa.com/tools/airmail): Customizable email client for iPhone, iPad and Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/airmail-vs-mailmate)
- [Thunderbird](https://toolgpa.com/tools/thunderbird): Free, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mailmate-vs-thunderbird)
- [Mailspring](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailspring): Open-source desktop email client for Mac, Windows and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mailmate-vs-mailspring)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://freron.com/
- https://freron.com/pricing/
- https://freron.com/download/
- https://manual.mailmate-app.com/
- https://manual.mailmate-app.com/preferences.html
- https://blog.freron.com/2024/new-license-key-system/
- https://blog.freron.com/2025/why-did-mailmate-switch-to-free-mode-today/
- https://blog.freron.com/2025/busycontacts/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailmate
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).