I've tried so many Linux email clients - why Aerion just replaced Geary as my top pick

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Linux has respective email clients, but this caller 1 is tops for me.
• Aerion is clean, casual to use, and lightweight.
• This app supports respective email accounts, is escaped to use, and is unfastened source.

For the longest time, Geary has been my default email client. It's lightweight, simple, and offers a nice, modern GUI. But I've ever been bothered by definite issues with this client. 

For example, if I usage Geary with a tiling model manager, the GUI doesn't ever behave decently depending connected wherever I spot it. If the Geary model isn't wide enough, erstwhile I click an email, the email consumes the full app (instead of leaving the email database and sidebar visible). Also, erstwhile I motorboat Geary connected Pop!_OS, the app sometimes doesn't look until I tally the geary command. Although these aren't precisely deal-breakers, they're annoying.

Also: Here's my favourite email instrumentality for cleaning up inbox clutter - automatically

So, erstwhile I heard astir a new, cross-platform email lawsuit disposable for Linux (as good arsenic MacOS and Windows), I had to effort it out.

The lawsuit successful question is called Aerion, an open-source app that is Linux-first, privacy-focused, lightweight, and efficient. The GUI is good laid out, truthful anyone tin leap successful and commencement utilizing the app close away, with nary learning curve. Aerion is sponsored by 3DF, a Hong Kong-based IT consultancy that calls itself "Asia's starring method operations partner." For those acrophobic astir the trustworthiness of 3DF and Aerion, you tin presumption the root codification for the email app successful the official GitHub repository.

Aerion isn't chock afloat of features, truthful you don't person to interest astir getting overwhelmed; it's basic, easy, and clean. Aerion supports email accounts specified arsenic Gmail, Outlook/Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, iCloud Mail, ProtonMail Bridge, Fastmail, Zoho Mail, AOL Mail, GMX Mail, Mail.com, and IMAP/POP. It includes rich-text connection formatting, theming, in-window oregon detached-window composing, work receipts, distant representation loading enable/disable, signatures, contacts, email archiving, a spam filter, absorption mode, email filtering, tracking constituent removal -- and that's astir it. 

Aerion mightiness not person a ton of features, but what it does person is useful.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

That diagnostic database is conscionable capable to marque Aerion useful, portion keeping it simple. 

Also: This is by acold the champion Linux email lawsuit I've utilized - and I've tested them all

It's each astir the UI

For me, the champion portion of Aerion is the UI; it's modern capable to look close astatine location connected immoderate OS. You get an relationship pane, an email database pane, and a viewing pane. If you spell to Settings > General, you tin besides prime the benignant of rubric barroom (Native, Aerion, oregon Disable -- I spell with Native, due to the fact that Aerion adds a secondary rubric barroom that isn't indispensable connected Linux), the language, and the theme. 

The Aerion email lawsuit has a clean, modern UI.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

One diagnostic I particularly admit is Focus Mode, which switches the UI truthful that you lone spot the presently viewed email. 

Focus Mode is adjuvant erstwhile you request to spot lone 1 email and thing else.

Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET

To alteration Focus Mode, click the tiny quadrate to the near of the printer icon adjacent the apical right. To get retired of Focus Mode, click the aforesaid icon.

You tin adhd arsenic galore email accounts arsenic indispensable and easy negociate them from the near sidebar. There's besides an All Inboxes view, truthful you don't person to bounce betwixt email accounts. 

Installing Aerion

Although Aerion is inactive successful pre-release, I recovered it remarkably stable. 

To instal Aerion connected MacOS and Windows, drawback the indispensable installers from the official download page. Once you've downloaded the close installer, double-click it and travel the installation wizard.

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On Linux, Aerion is installed via Flathub, truthful you'll request a Linux organisation with Flatpak installed. The Aerion installation bid is:

flatpak instal --user io.github.hkdb.Aerion

Once installed, unfastened the app, adhd your email account(s), and commencement utilizing this clean, modern, and lightweight app.