There’s a very important topic which we haven’t looked at yet: email clients in Linux.
Discover the Multitude of Email Clients in Linux
Let’s look at four of the best-known email clients in Linux. They’re all different, and have their own pros and cons.
Thunderbird: The Star!
Thunderbird is the best-known email client in Linux. It has many useful features such as tabs, modules, and network gateways linking to Google services. It is independent of the desktop environment.
Evolution: The Oldest
Evolution was originally designed to work in a GNOME desktop environment. This email client (and calendar) dates back to the first versions of Linux desktops to compete with the Microsoft suite.
Geary: Simple but Effective
Geary is a GNOME application that works perfectly with other desktop environments, thanks to its minimalist philosophy. It’s just an email client, but it’s a good one and has all the essential features for this type of software. We like this one!
KMail
KMail is a KDE application. It’s a very well-maintained email client, which works impeccably and has just been added to the KDE collaborative suite (Kontact, Kalendar, KOrganizer, KAddressBook, etc.).
ProtonMail
ProtonMail is a pretty nice application! It has a simple goal: providing a highly secure, fully encrypted email environment that respects your privacy. It’s a serious contender to other services such as Google and those of your internet supplier. It’s a Swiss application and falls under their confidentiality protocol. ProtonMail has an email server and several email client versions (iOS, Android, WebMail, and a bridge application that connects most email clients, such as those listed above).
Install and Use Thunderbird
Now it’s time to configure your email client.
In the following video, we’re going to set up Thunderbird with a Gmail address. You’ll see how easy it is – just a few clicks and you’ll be up and running, managing your Gmail with Thunderbird.
Over to You!
Thunderbird is great, but what if you’re tempted by another application?
Geary, perhaps?
To get some extra practice with application installation, go ahead and install Geary now, then configure it via the terminal.
If you get stuck, don't worry! You can use the following demonstration to help you out.
Let's Recap
You can set up Linux email clients with standard web services such as Gmail.
There are serious contenders to the internet giants' email services, including several in Linux.
Next, let’s get down to business by looking at office productivity applications.
