NeoMutt review (2026): is it any good?
Command-line mail reader forked from Mutt with extra features
NeoMutt report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for reading mail in a terminal, with extra features
NeoMutt is a free terminal mail reader forked from Mutt, with a sidebar, header caches and Notmuch support. It's all text and all config files, and there is no Windows build.
Who NeoMutt is for
- Fits if you live in a terminal and want your mail there too
- Works for people who like to edit a config file and keep it forever
Who NeoMutt is not for
- Skip it if you don't want to write config files
- Not for you if you need a window with buttons, as it's text only
- Skip it if you use Windows, where only a Cygwin listing exists
- Watch out: support is GitHub, IRC and mailing lists, not a help desk
Why NeoMutt gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree to download and build, or to install from a package. Nobody needs a server to run it.
- AFree plan and trialThe whole program is free, with no paid plan or limits. Donations are optional.
- BFeaturesMail reading, a sidebar, header caches, NNTP, Notmuch and more, in a long documented feature list. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in reading mail, though you set it all up yourself.
- DEase of useIt needs config files and a command line. You write the setup before you read a single message.
- CPlatforms and integrationsA program for computers only: Linux, BSD and macOS through package managers. No phone app, no web version.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from The NeoMutt Project's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make NeoMutt? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/neomutt#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/neomutt.svg" alt="NeoMutt: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where NeoMutt stands among email apps
NeoMutt's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 88 of the 122 other email apps we grade, and level with 11.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 97 of 122) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0).
NeoMutt has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 123 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. NeoMutt’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 88 of 122, level with 34
- AFree plan and trialAbove 97 of 122, level with 25
- BFeaturesAbove 79 of 122, level with 43
- DEase of useAbove 0 of 122, level with 19
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 10 of 122, level with 46
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 107 email apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep NeoMutt, or make your own?
Keep it
NeoMutt is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 88 of the 122 other email apps we grade.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- A real app for macOS and Linux. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It plugs into other products, Notmuch, NNTP and Lua among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. NeoMutt’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is NeoMutt?
NeoMutt is a command-line mail reader, or MUA, that began as a fork of Mutt with added features. The project says many old Mutt patches were brought up to date, tidied and documented, and that its Sidebar patch was adopted by upstream Mutt. Features such as Notmuch, NNTP and a trash folder are documented on its site.
Worth knowing
- Text-only interface with no graphical window; configuration is by editing files.
- Packaging pages list Linux, BSD and macOS package managers; no Windows build beyond a Cygwin listing.
- Support is through GitHub, an IRC channel and mailing lists rather than a help desk.
Key features
- Fork of Mutt
- Adds features to Mutt in the form of patches that were updated, tidied and documented, according to the project's home page.
- Documented feature list
- The features page lists items including Notmuch, NNTP, Sidebar, Lua, Fuzzy Search, Global Hooks and Multiple FCC.
- Sidebar
- The Sidebar patch was adopted by upstream Mutt, and NeoMutt documents sidebar intro and search options.
- Header cache options
- Header cache compression and LMDB and Kyoto Cabinet backends are in the feature list for large mailboxes.
- Packaged for many systems
- The distro page gives install steps for Arch, Debian, Gentoo, Homebrew, MacPorts, NetBSD, NixOS and others.
NeoMutt pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, NeoMutt is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Free to download and build from source, or to install from distribution packages.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Free software; the site has a sponsor page for donations. |
Read from neomutt.org on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with NeoMutt before you buy.
Works with
- Notmuch
- NNTP
- Lua
- LMDB
- Kyoto Cabinet
NeoMutt alternatives
- NeoMutt vs Mutt
Free
- NeoMutt vs aerc
Free
- NeoMutt vs Mailspring
Free plan · from $8/mo
Common questions
Does NeoMutt have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. NeoMutt is listed for Linux and macOS.
Does NeoMutt have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. NeoMutt is listed for Linux and macOS.
Is NeoMutt open source?
Yes. NeoMutt is open source, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.