Sylpheed is a lightweight email client built using the GTK toolkit. It provides a traditional three-pane interface for reading, composing and organising email, with an emphasis on responsiveness, straightforward configuration and keyboard-based navigation.
The application stores messages in MH format, with each message kept in a separate file. This makes it easier to back up individual messages, move mail between compatible applications and avoid the mailbox compaction required by some other storage formats.
Sylpheed supports multiple accounts and includes facilities for filtering messages, searching correspondence and controlling unwanted mail. It also provides Usenet news reading and optional OpenPGP encryption through GnuPG. Its interface will appeal to users who prefer a conventional desktop email client without unnecessary complexity.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Support for multiple email accounts using POP3, IMAP and SMTP.
- Usenet news reading and posting through NNTP.
- SSL/TLS support for encrypted connections to mail and news servers.
- IPv6 and SOCKS4/5 proxy support.
- OAuth2 authentication for Gmail and Microsoft 365 accounts in development builds.
- Configurable message filters based on headers, content, dates, size and flags.
- Quick searches, advanced queries and saved search folders.
- Junk mail filtering using external tools such as Bogofilter and bsfilter.
- Threaded message display with colour labels, marks and flags.
- OpenPGP encryption and digital signatures through GnuPG and GPGME.
- Display and manage MIME attachments, including inline images.
- Import and export messages in mbox and EML formats.
- Address book with LDAP, vCard and JPilot integration.
- Import contacts from CSV and LDIF files, with address autocompletion.
- Spell checking through GtkSpell.
- Message templates, multiple signatures, drafts and automatic saving.
- Support for external editors and user-defined commands.
- Configurable keyboard shortcuts, toolbars and per-folder settings.
- Offline operation, automatic mail checking and desktop notifications.
- Remote control through command-line options.
- Extensible plugin architecture for additional functionality.
- Multilingual interface with extensive Japanese character encoding support.
Website: sylpheed.sraoss.jp
Support:
Developer: Hiroyuki Yamamoto and contributors
License: GNU General Public License v2.0
Sylpheed is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Graphical Email Clients | |
|---|---|
| Thunderbird | Popular free, cross-platform e-mail, RSS and newsgroup client |
| Kmail | Email component of Kontact |
| Sylpheed | Simple, lightweight client |
| Mailspring | New version of Nylas Mail |
| Claws Mail | Lightweight yet powerful and full-featured client |
| Evolution | Provides integrated mail, addressbook and calendaring functionality |
| Geary | Mail client for GNOME written in Vala |
| Astroid | Lightweight and fast Mail User Agent |
| Balsa | Email client for GNOME |
| Also known as Pantheon Mail | |
| Dodo | Based on the command line email swiss-army-knife notmuch |
| Aerion | Standalone lightweight e-mail client inspired by Geary |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
| Lightweight Email Clients | |
|---|---|
| Sylpheed | Client also based on the GTK+ GUI toolkit |
| Claws Mail | Powerful, user-friendly, fast and full-featured mail client based on GTK+ |
| Geary | Lightweight mail client for GNOME that is written in Vala |
| Astroid | Lightweight and fast Mail User Agent |
| Trojitá | Qt-based IMAP email client |
| Aerion | Lightweight e-mail client inspired by Geary |
Read our verdict in the software roundup.
 LinuxLinks helps you discover the best free and open source software for Linux. Explore our extensive collection of recommended applications, including alternatives to popular proprietary software.We also publish software reviews, Linux tutorials, hardware reviews, free programming books and articles covering the wider open source community. Browse our Linux resources to discover more. Know a useful free and open source Linux application we haven't covered? Suggest a program for inclusion. Has your software been featured on LinuxLinks? Display one of our Featured on LinuxLinks badges on your website or GitHub README. |
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
there is one unique thing abut sylpheed: it stores every email in a separate file, so there’s never that “compress folders” thing (with the associated risk of something crashing while compressing, and finding yourself with all your emails lost)
I’ve used many MUIs that manage messages in the MH format. Sylpheed is hardly unique in that respect. For example, Mutt supports reading and writing four different mailbox formats: mbox, MMDF, MH and Maildir.