eM Client review

eM Client is the most complete paid alternative to Outlook on Windows. It puts email, calendar, tasks, contacts, notes and chat in one app, and a sidebar shows the agenda, a daily calendar view and the full message history with whoever you have selected, which helps before a meeting. It can import data from Outlook, Windows Mail and Thunderbird, connects to online meeting tools, and supports PGP and S/MIME encryption. The free license covers calendar, contacts and tasks for home use on 1 device with 2 email accounts, which is enough for many households. Paid Personal and Business licenses add unlimited accounts, snooze, quick actions and VIP support, and you can choose a yearly subscription or a one-time payment for the current major version. Every paid license has a 30-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The pricing page showed euros from our location, so the USD price is pending. eM Client runs on Windows and macOS only, so Linux users should look elsewhere.

Who it is for

Windows users who want an Outlook-style mail and calendar suite outside Microsoft's ecosystem.

Price

Free for home use on 1 device; paid licenses: see vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Email, calendar, contacts, tasks, notes and chat in one app
• Sidebar with agenda, daily calendar and communication history
• Online meeting integration and Teams, Slack and Rocket.Chat links
• PGP and S/MIME encryption
• Import from Outlook, Windows Mail and Thunderbird

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Free license includes calendar, contacts and tasks
• Strength: 30-day free trial and 30-day money-back guarantee on paid licenses
• Strength: Choice of yearly subscription or one-time payment
• Weakness: No Linux version
• Weakness: Free license is limited to home use, 1 device and 2 email accounts
• Weakness: Paid prices on the pricing page were shown in euros when we checked

Key facts

• Free plan: Yes, home use on 1 device, 2 email accounts
• Desktop platforms: Windows, macOS
• Free trial: 30 days
• Users: Over 4,000,000 users and 100,000 businesses, per eM Client

Where it ranks

eM Client is No. 5 in our Best Desktop Calendar Apps verdict.