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Balsa

API—OSS—FREE—DOCS3/5
BA5.1#120 of 143
—Web—Windows—MacoutLinux—Android—iOS

Ranked in Email clients ·No free plan on record

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About

Balsa is ranked #120 of 143 in email clients on Inferse. It runs on Linux.

Compared on email clients

App coverage
desktopgithub.com

Facts

Product
Balsa is a graphical email client and part of the GNOME desktop environment.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Mail protocols
Balsa supports IMAP, POP3, local mail folders, and sending through sendmail or direct SMTP.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Encryption
Balsa supports end-to-end message signing and encryption with OpenPGP or S/MIME, using GpgME and suitable cryptographic backends.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Mail features
The project lists multithreaded message retrieval and sending, automatic mail checking, printing, and inline attachment viewing among its features.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Address books
Balsa 2.6.5 added limited CardDAV address book support; its build options also include read-only LDAP address book support.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Security
Balsa prefers TLS connections over STARTTLS and offers optional DKIM and DMARC checks.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Credential storage
When built with libsecret, Balsa stores credentials through the desktop Secret Service; otherwise it stores them obfuscated in a config file, a method the project says is not recommended.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Recent release
The project lists version 2.6.5, released 2025-04-12, with fixes and improvements including IMAP connection handling and attachment saving.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Support
The project directs bug reports to its GitLab issue tracker and welcomes patches.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Known limitation
If mailbox dot locking is unavailable because of file permissions, Balsa opens the mailbox read-only.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
License
The application metadata lists its project license as GPL-2.0-or-later.github.com · 5 Oct 2026
Mail integration
Balsa can be used as the system mailto protocol handler, and its desktop file declares that capability by default.github.com · 5 Oct 2026

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Where it ranks on Inferse

Sources