What is FairEmail used for?

FairEmail is a privacy-oriented, open-source email client for Android that works with virtually any provider and supports unlimited accounts, PGP and S/MIME. It is a good fit for replacing a provider's own email app on Android, managing several mailboxes in a unified inbox and reading email with tracker protection.

Is FairEmail open source?

Yes. FairEmail is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at M66B/FairEmail and is written mainly in Java.

Yes. FairEmail is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host FairEmail?

Yes. FairEmail can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is FairEmail an alternative to?

FairEmail is an open-source alternative to Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Spark Mail and Canary Mail. Other open-source alternatives to Gmail include Thunderbird for Android, Mail0 and Tuta.

Is FairEmail actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to FairEmail was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 1.2338, published on 2 October 2026. The project has 4.7k stars on GitHub.

FairEmail: open-source alternative to Gmail

About FairEmail

FairEmail is an open-source email app for Android that is designed around privacy and a deliberately minimal interface. It is an email client only, so you bring your own address, and it works with virtually all providers, including Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, using standard protocols such as IMAP, POP3 and SMTP.

The app supports unlimited accounts and addresses, a unified inbox, conversation threading, two-way synchronization, push notifications and offline storage and operations. Privacy features include OpenPGP and S/MIME encryption, a safe message view that strips unsafe HTML and scripting, confirmation before showing images or opening links, detection of tracking images, and warnings when a message cannot be authenticated.

FairEmail is written in Java, licensed under GPL-3.0 and provided by FairCode B.V. It does not store data on third-party servers. Non-standard protocols such as Microsoft Exchange Web Services and ActiveSync are not supported, and the app runs a foreground service with a low-priority notification so new mail is not missed.

Key features

Unlimited accounts and email addresses
Unified inbox with conversation threading
OpenPGP and S/MIME encryption
Tracking image detection and link confirmation
Push notifications and offline operation
Material design with dark theme

Good fit for

→Replacing a provider's own email app on Android
→Managing several mailboxes in a unified inbox
→Reading email with tracker protection

Built with: Java
Tags: email; android; privacy; openpgp; smime; imap; email-client; java

FairEmail: questions and answers

What is FairEmail used for?: FairEmail is a privacy-oriented, open-source email client for Android that works with virtually any provider and supports unlimited accounts, PGP and S/MIME. It is a good fit for replacing a provider's own email app on Android, managing several mailboxes in a unified inbox and reading email with tracker protection.
Is FairEmail open source?: Yes. FairEmail is open source under the GPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at M66B/FairEmail and is written mainly in Java.
Is FairEmail free?: Yes. FairEmail is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host FairEmail?: Yes. FairEmail can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is FairEmail an alternative to?: FairEmail is an open-source alternative to Gmail, Microsoft Outlook, Spark Mail and Canary Mail. Other open-source alternatives to Gmail include Thunderbird for Android, Mail0 and Tuta.
Is FairEmail actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to FairEmail was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is 1.2338, published on 2 October 2026. The project has 4.7k stars on GitHub.