mutt
Open-source, text-based email client for the terminal on Unix-like systems.
Liked as a long-lived primary email client for terminal users123 that gets through mail quickly and avoids read tracking and embedded JavaScript.45 The most common caveat is mobile, where commenters use a phone app or iOS Mail instead.67
Why people recommend it
Longevity · 3
Some commenters have used it as their main email client for decades, often after elm or pine.
“Third oldest for me would be mutt, which is still my primary email client.”
“I used elm, then pine, then mutt”
Show 1 more
Terminal workflow · 3
It fits a terminal-centered setup alongside tools like vim, neovim, tin and irssi.
“I switched to mutt, started getting through my email in half the time in took me using a GUI, and never looked back.”
“programs like mutt or vim, or my latest discovery, talon.”
Show 1 more
“mutt, tin, irssi”
Speed · 2
One user handles email in half the time a GUI took, and another expects to lose speed if they leave it.
“I switched to mutt, started getting through my email in half the time in took me using a GUI, and never looked back.”
“I expect migrating my MUTT setup against isync/mbsync with some Golang written MUA”
Privacy · 2
Commenters say it avoids read-tracking and embedded JavaScript, with HTML rendered through w3m.
“I switched to mutt, started getting through my email in half the time in took me using a GUI, and never looked back.”
Filtering · 1
Simple expressions make it easy to filter and mass-delete email.
“I switched to mutt, started getting through my email in half the time in took me using a GUI, and never looked back.”
Stable interface · 1
It is cited as software with a stable interface that does not force users to relearn it.
“programs like mutt or vim, or my latest discovery, talon.”
Caveats and dissent
Mobile use · 2
Commenters turn to a phone app or iOS Mail for email on the go.
“I switched to mutt, started getting through my email in half the time in took me using a GUI, and never looked back.”
Setup effort · 1
A former long-time user now prefers iOS Mail over tinkering with their phone setup.
Security migration · 1
One user expects to move from a mutt setup to a Go-based client for security reasons.
“I expect migrating my MUTT setup against isync/mbsync with some Golang written MUA”
Often compared with
Who recommends it in their own words
Threads where it came up
- Rust Style Guide 1 mention
- Thunderbird for iOS 1 mention
- Software for One 1 mention
- Emacs 31 Is Around the Corner: The Changes I'm Daily Driving 1 mention
- Windows 11 users are tired of MS account requirements creeping into everything 1 mention
- What old technology do you still use regularly? 1 mention
Also written as Mutt. Data: mutt.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 12
“I expect migrating my MUTT setup against isync/mbsync with some Golang written MUA”
“I used mutt for most of those years”
“mutt forever.”
“Third oldest for me would be mutt, which is still my primary email client.”
“I still use mutt for mail, not Office.”
“does vim and mutt count?”
“I use a combination of mutt hto directly connect via imap) and fdm/mu4e”
“Not in my email client, mutt.”
“I used elm, then pine, then mutt”
“programs like mutt or vim, or my latest discovery, talon.”
“I switched to mutt, started getting through my email in half the time in took me using a GUI, and never looked back.”
“mutt, tin, irssi”