Users of Android should count themselves lucky to have open-source alternatives to commonly used apps, be it a keyboard app, or even an SMS app. On the other hand, users of a certain walled-garden smartphone ecosystem don't have such freedom of choice.
In any case, using an email app is a necessity if you want quick and easy access to your email account; this also includes the self-hosted services out there. Sadly, many popular email apps are closed-source, which won't fit in well if you are someone who prefers open-source apps.
In this article, we will be taking a look at an open-source app that supports a wide variety of email services such as Gmail, Outlook/Hotmail/Live, AOL, Yandex, and a few others.
FairEmail: A Loaded Email App
Developed by the same company behind NetGuard, FairEmail is a free, open-source email app for Android offered under the GPL-3.0 License. It is backed by a decent community of contributors who constantly work on improving and maintaining the app.
To further sweeten the deal, FairEmail ships with strong encryption/decryption support and has a straightforward interface without any distractions.
As for its features, FairEmail has many; here are some notable ones:
- No limits on adding email addresses to the app.
- Features a quick setup wizard for easy account setup.
- Uses open standards like IMAP, SMTP, OpenPGP, S/MIME, etc.
I tried it on my Android smartphone, and the experience was good. The quick setup wizard made it easy to add a Gmail account, I just had to log in using my credentials on Google, and grant FairEmail some permissions so that it could work properly.
Though, eventually, I felt a bit overwhelmed with all the things FairEmail had to offer, but that's just my perspective; you might like it as is.
Do note that some features are only available on the “Pro” plan, which has things like advanced notification handling, better expanded management tools, biometric/PIN authentication, and more.
In the end, the decision lies with you. I recommend you give FairEmail a try before deciding on it. If what it offers appeals to you, then you can also opt for the “Pro” plan to support development or contribute to the code by visiting its GitHub repo.
Install FairEmail
You can get the latest FairEmail release from F-Droid and the Play Store. If you prefer installing an APK, you should head to the GitHub releases page of FairEmail.
💬 Have you used such email apps in the past? How was your experience?
Suggested Read 📖
Ankush Das
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