FairEmail
Hacker ApprovedRanked 8 of 16 email clients by recommenders
Recommended as a powerful Android email app that users prefer over Gmail and Thunderbird, especially power users. The most common caveat is a cluttered, convoluted interface.
Recommended as a powerful Android email app that users prefer over Gmail and Thunderbird, especially power users. The most common caveat is a cluttered, convoluted interface.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 92%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 11 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Preferred over Thunderbird and Gmail
“Better than Thunderbird and any other mail client around”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left” “I find it superior to the gmail app”
Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “Migrating to the EU” Enjoyed by longtime users
“I have really been enjoying the minimal UI of fairmail.”
Comment from 8 Jan 2026 in “Gmail is entering the Gemini Era” “I also use (and really like) Fairemail”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “Gmail thinks I'm stupid, so I left”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Cluttered, convoluted user interface
“It's quite cluttered UI for sure but it actually works”
Comment from 14 Oct 2026 in “Thunderbird for iOS” “fairemail has easily the most convoluted UI I have ever had the misfortune to gaze upon”
Comment from 14 Oct 2026 in “Thunderbird for iOS” Blocked content takes getting used to
“blocks a ton of images and other code - which is good, but had to get used to seeing everything blocked visually.”
Comment from 2 Sep 2026 in “I don't have a smartphone or at least I wish I didn't”
Other email clients people recommend
The four most recommended other email clients, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mozilla Thunderbird | 210 | 155 | 58% | 13 | 20 yrs12 owners | — |
| Microsoft Outlook | 117 | 403 | 23% | 12 | 20 yrs8 owners | — |
| Apple Mail | 57 | 88 | 39% | 12 | 10 yrs9 owners | — |
| Penguin Mail | 14 | 13 | 52% | 1 | — | — |
| FairEmailThis page | 11 | 1 | 92% | 6 | — | Approved |
What people said
12 of the 15 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“You can even get working notifications with Gmail on degoogled android via an app like fair email.”
“I use FairEmail and paid the 7€ for the Pro features.”
“It's quite cluttered UI for sure but it actually works”
“fairemail has easily the most convoluted UI I have ever had the misfortune to gaze upon”
“Fairemail was much better for a power user.”
“blocks a ton of images and other code - which is good, but had to get used to seeing everything blocked visually.”
“Better than Thunderbird and any other mail client around”
“I also use (and really like) Fairemail”
“Now I barely get any spam from any of my accounts so life is a lot easier now.”
“I find it superior to the gmail app”
“I use Thunderbird on desktop and FairEmail on Android”
“I have really been enjoying the minimal UI of fairmail.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.