FairEmail is a fully featured, open-source email client for Android that uses standard IMAP/SMTP protocols and supports OpenPGP and S/MIME encryption. It blocks remote image tracking, confirms link opens, and stores no data on third-party servers.
Reviewed by Marcus Holmberg
FairEmail
email.faircode.eu 2 ratings so far*
Rate FairEmail: No account needed
Threat level
Covered
A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
FairEmail is the most privacy-thorough Android email client available: it actively disables tracking pixels, strips unsafe HTML, and refuses Firebase Cloud Messaging in favor of pure IMAP IDLE push. The free tier covers everything essential; advanced features like filter rules, S/MIME signing, and scheduled send are unlocked via a one-time in-app purchase rather than a subscription. The trade-off is setup complexity, since the quick-setup wizard covers common providers but manual IMAP configuration is required for anything less mainstream. The right pick for Android users who want real email rather than a webmail wrapper.
GitHub at a glance
M66B/FairEmail
Stars
4,489
+ 66 this week
Last commit
17d ago
healthy
License
GPL-3.0
Latest release
1.2324
17d ago
Stars, last 38d
Website at a glance
email.faircode.eu
D score 30
Weak website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested 7d ago
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
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FairEmail license, in plain English
GPL-3.0 Strong copyleft
Free to use and modify, but anything you distribute that is built on it must also be open under the same license.
Permits
- Commercial use
- Modification
- Distribution
- Patent use
- Private use
Requires
- Disclose source
- Same license
- State changes
- License and copyright notice
Does not provide
- Liability cover
- Warranty
Why it matters: Strong copyleft keeps every distributed version open. A vendor cannot fold this into a closed product and ship it without releasing their changes.
Plain-language summary of the project's license, not legal advice. Read the full text for the exact terms.
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