Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

FairEmail VS K-9 Mail

Compare FairEmail VS K-9 Mail and see what are their differences

FairEmail logo FairEmail

Open source, privacy friendly email app

K-9 Mail logo K-9 Mail

K-9 is an opensource email client making it easy to chew through large volumes of email.
  • FairEmail Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-14
  • K-9 Mail Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23

FairEmail features and specs

  • Privacy-first
    FairEmail emphasizes user privacy by not collecting or storing user data on external servers. Emails are processed directly on the user's device.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, FairEmail's code is publicly available for review, enhancing transparency and trust.
  • Feature-rich
    Despite its focus on privacy, FairEmail offers a comprehensive set of features comparable to other popular email clients, including PGP support, dark mode, and conversation threading.
  • Customizable
    Users can tailor the application to suit their preferences with a wide array of settings and customization options.
  • No ads
    The app is free from advertisements, providing a clean and uninterrupted user experience.
  • Support for Multiple Accounts
    It supports IMAP and POP3 accounts, allowing users to manage multiple email accounts from different providers in one place.

Possible disadvantages of FairEmail

  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive customization options and features, new users might find FairEmail a bit overwhelming at first.
  • Occasional Bugs
    As with many open-source projects, users may encounter occasional bugs or less polished features compared to commercially developed email clients.
  • Non-intuitive Interface
    Some users might find the user interface less intuitive and user-friendly compared to more mainstream email clients.
  • Limited Support
    Given that it is developed by a small team or community, FairEmail might not provide the same level of support and timely updates as larger, commercial email clients.
  • No Push Notifications
    FairEmail does not support push notifications by default, which means users may experience delays in receiving new email notifications unless they adjust settings for frequent background synchronization.

K-9 Mail features and specs

  • Open Source
    K-9 Mail is an open-source email client, which means the source code is freely available for anyone to inspect, modify, and distribute. This ensures greater transparency and security.
  • Customizability
    Being open-source, K-9 Mail allows for significant customization. Users can tweak settings and even modify the code to better suit their personal preferences or needs.
  • Privacy-Focused
    K-9 Mail emphasizes user privacy and does not track its users, unlike many proprietary email clients.
  • Supports Multiple Email Protocols
    K-9 Mail supports IMAP, POP3, and Exchange 2003/2007 (with WebDAV), making it versatile and compatible with a wide range of email services.
  • Active Community
    The app has a dedicated community of users and developers who contribute to its improvement, offering support and frequent updates.

Possible disadvantages of K-9 Mail

  • User Interface
    The user interface of K-9 Mail is often considered less polished and modern compared to some proprietary email clients. This could affect user experience, especially for those accustomed to sleeker designs.
  • Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with open-source software, there might be a learning curve to fully utilize all the features and customization options available.
  • Limited Native Features
    While customizable, K-9 Mail may lack some features that are native and readily available in other proprietary email clients, such as integrated calendar functionalities or advanced AI-driven categorization.
  • Reliance on Community Support
    Since it relies on community contributions, the pace of development and response to issues may not be as fast or consistent as with commercial software with dedicated support teams.
  • Notifications
    Some users have reported issues with email notifications not working reliably, which can be a significant drawback for those who rely on timely updates.

FairEmail videos

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K-9 Mail videos

K-9 Mail Review

More videos:

  • Review - K-9 Mail App Review
  • Review - K-9 Mail - Eine freie Mail-App für Android

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to FairEmail and K-9 Mail)
Email
46 46%
54% 54
Email Clients
40 40%
60% 60
Enterprise Communication
46 46%
54% 54
Calendar
27 27%
73% 73

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FairEmail seems to be a lot more popular than K-9 Mail. While we know about 52 links to FairEmail, we've tracked only 4 mentions of K-9 Mail. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

FairEmail mentions (52)

  • OpenPGP Forked into "LibrePGP" by GnuPG's Maintainer Werner Koch
    I'm using FairEmail [0] as a client on Android which supports PGP and I am quite happy with it. [0] https://email.faircode.eu/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Gmail ads are getting more annoying
    No, but there are some very good free and open source email clients for Android that are compatible with Gmail. 2 of my favorites are: - FairEmail: https://email.faircode.eu - K-9 Mail: https://k9mail.app. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • ⟳ 1 apps added, 74 updated at f-droid.org
    FairEmail (version 1.2056): Fully featured email client. Neat, intuitive user interface. Privacy friendly. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • YSK that when you open marketing emails, they immediately know that you have opened it.
    Fairemail exists and works quite well https://email.faircode.eu/. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Clean Email Client for ALL Platforms
    There isn't technically a mobile Thunderbird, but K-9 Mail will eventually become Thunderbird on Android (I still plan to stick with FairEmail). Source: about 2 years ago
View more

K-9 Mail mentions (4)

  • For the past 3 months in my spare time I was developing this list with Awesome Android Alternatives! Please check this out, you might find something useful, or maybe you can help me make it even better. Have an awesome day!
    Yes, of course you can. I am aware of this app but I have not yet fully tested it. I know about K-9 Mail too. Also not tested. Source: over 2 years ago
  • For the past 3 months in my spare time I was developing this list with Awesome Android Alternatives! Please check this out, you might find something useful, or maybe you can help me make it even better. Have an awesome day!
    I agree because I need to test it. I am aware of K-9 Mail and FairMail though. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Email send error javax.crypto.BadPaddingException: pad block corrupted
    I've rebooted quite a few times. Updated the app too. I don't use a VPN. I installed k9-mail to test and that works without problems. https://github.com/k9mail/k-9. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Gmail App Alternative focused on privacy?
    On Android the usual recommendations are FairEmail or K-9 Mail. Both are fully open source and privacy focused, it basically comes down to your personal preference. For them to work with your Google Account you will probably have to create an app password. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing FairEmail and K-9 Mail, you can also consider the following products

Microsoft Outlook - Organize your world. Outlook’s email and calendar tools help you communicate, stay on top of what matters, and get things done.

Thunderbird - Thunderbird is a free email application that's easy to set up and customize - and it's loaded with great features!

Spark Mail - Spark helps you take your inbox under control. Instantly see what’s important and quickly clean up the rest. Spark for Teams allows you to create, discuss, and share email with your colleagues

ProtonMail - Secure email with absolutely no compromises. Get your free encrypted email account today.

Aqua Mail - Android Mail Client.

Mailbird - Mailbird is the best email client for Windows 7, 8 and 10