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Mailspring vs Smails: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)

Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Mailspring and Smails side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.

On the data: On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.

Data comparison compiled by Toolradar, not hand-reviewed Methodology
Data comparison 22 user reviews compared Pricing checked Oct 25, 2026

Short on time? Here's the quick answer

Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:

Mailspring

Unified inbox for all your email accounts. Free and private

Best for you if:

  • • You want open source

Smails

Keep multiple Gmail and Outlook accounts in one desktop window

Best for you if:

  • • People running three or more Gmail or Outlook accounts on one machine who want the real web UI, not a rebuilt client
At a glance: Mailspring vs Smails
At a Glance
Mailspring Mailspring
Smails Smails
Starts at
Free plan, paid from $8/mo, billed monthly Pro plan
Free plan
Category
Productivity Email Clients
Email Clients
Rating
3.7/5 G2 3.8 · Capterra 5.0 · SourceForge 1.0 22 reviews n/a
Free plan
Yes Yes

Choose Mailspring or Smails?

Mailspring

Choose Mailspring if

  • You want open source
  • You want beautiful design
  • You work in productivity, not email clients
Smails

Choose Smails if

  • People running three or more Gmail or Outlook accounts on one machine who want the real web UI, not a rebuilt client
  • You want keep multiple Gmail and Outlook accounts in one desktop window
  • You work in email clients, not productivity

In-Depth Analysis

Mailspring Mailspring

Unified inbox for all your email accounts. Free and private

Good value

Mailspring's pricing is quite fair, offering a robust Free tier for basic email management.

Strengths

  • Pro: Open source
  • Pro: Beautiful design
  • Pro: Multi-account

Weaknesses

  • Con: Slower than native
  • Con: Limited mobile

Key features

Email client Multiple accounts Read receipts Link tracking Themes support Open source

Smails Smails

Keep multiple Gmail and Outlook accounts in one desktop window

Great value

The pricing is exceptionally generous.

Key features

Unlimited Gmail and Outlook accounts, each in an isolated session that never cross-logs-in Sidebar account switching with Cmd-1 to Cmd-9, unread badges and native notifications Can be set as the system default mail handler, opening compose pre-filled from any mailto link

Plans and prices: Mailspring vs Smails

Plans and prices of Mailspring and Smails, as read on each vendor's pricing page. Each plan keeps its own billing unit.
Tool Plans and prices Source
Mailspring
  • Free: Free
  • Pro: $8/mo, billed monthly
getmailspring.com read Sep 29, 2026
Smails
  • Free: Free
  • Unlimited: Usage-based, one-time or minimum-commitment pricing
matta.io/smails read Oct 25, 2026

Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Mailspring pricing and Smails pricing.

Key Takeaways

Mailspring

  • Choose if you want unified inbox for all your email accounts. Free and private

Smails

  • Choose if you want keep multiple Gmail and Outlook accounts in one desktop window

What the data shows

On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair.

  • Only Mailspring has a published user rating (3.7/5 from 22 reviews); Smails has none we can show.
  • Mailspring starts at $8/mo, billed monthly; Smails has no public paid plan price on file.
  • Both have a free plan.

Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate

Frequently Asked Questions

How do Mailspring and Smails compare in 2026?

On the data below the two are close or not directly comparable, so we do not name a winner for this pair. Only Mailspring has a published user rating (3.7/5 from 22 reviews); Smails has none we can show. Mailspring starts at $8/mo, billed monthly; Smails has no public paid plan price on file. Both have a free plan.

What are Mailspring and Smails used for?

Mailspring: Unified inbox for all your email accounts. Free and private. Smails: Keep multiple Gmail and Outlook accounts in one desktop window.

What does Mailspring cost vs Smails?

Mailspring's cheapest paid plan is Pro at $8/mo, billed monthly; it also has a free plan. Smails has no public paid-plan price on file. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 25, 2026.

What's the main difference between Mailspring and Smails?

Mailspring's main strength: open source. Smails focuses on keep multiple Gmail and Outlook accounts in one desktop window.

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