K-9 Mail
★ 4.5What it actually doesK-9 Mail is a free email client with IMAP/SMTP support, OpenPGP encryption, and multiple account management. It operates stably without ads, but has issues with notification synchronization, attachment import, and adding some email providers.
Actually does
- ✓Email client95% of reviews
- ✓Multi-account30% of reviews
- ✓End-to-end encryption10% of reviews
- ✓Ad-free(bonus)25% of reviews
- ✓Open source
Claimed, but not confirmed by reviews
- ⚠Sync across devices
- ⚠Local and server-side search
- ⚠No telemetry
- ⚠Push Notifications
Common complaints
- ✗Push notifications and sync don't work reliably - users report emails arriving only after phone reboot or app restart20% of mentions
«Push notification for emails only arrives after rebooting the phone and after updating»
- ✗Requires manual IMAP/POP3 settings even for major providers; many users unable to set up Gmail, Outlook, Yandex accounts15% of mentions
«Unable to add any account. Neither Gmail, nor Yandex... Just won't authorize»
- ✗Attachments sent via file manager arrive empty (0 KB) on recipient side despite appearing attached10% of mentions
«File is attached... but arrives to the recipient empty (0 kb)»
- ✗Emails visible on desktop/web but not syncing to phone, or only partial sync of messages15% of mentions
«Not all emails arrive! That is, they're visible on PC, but on the phone they're missing»
- ✗Mail sync becomes extremely slow or hangs for hours without stopping, requiring force-close10% of mentions
«It's become very slow to check mail and it doesn't stop... I've been trying to check my email for 3 hours»
What people praise
- ★Completely free with no advertising or tracking
«Free and no ads»
- ★One of few email clients with native OpenPGP encryption support via OpenKeychain integration
«Excellent app, the only one supporting PGP»
- ★Simple, no-bloat interface focused on core email functionality; works fast even with large volumes
«K-9 Mail is a working tool without unnecessary frills. It works fast and doesn't slow down with large volumes»
- ★Intuitive gesture controls for quick actions (swipe to delete, etc.)
«It's so convenient to use gestures, just swipe and delete»
- ★Flexible settings for notifications (custom ringtones per account, LED notifications), date/time formatting
«You can choose a custom ringtone for each mailbox and enable LED notifications»