Outlook may be the most widely used e-mail program, but unfortunately it is not free. Users looking for a free alternative often turn to Thunderbird. Less well-known is Sylpheed: also in Dutch, clear and with some useful functions on board.
Sylpheed
LanguageDutch
OS
Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10; macOS, Linux
Website
sylpheed.sraoss.jp 6 Score 60
- Pros
- User friendly
- Can handle templates
- OpenPGP and tls/ssl support
- Negatives
- Minimalist text editor (no html)
Sylpheed, of Japanese origin, is available for Linux, macOS and Windows. In this article we look at the Windows version. You have installed the program quickly and it appears to be economical with system resources. If we are to believe the makers, it is also very stable, even when your mailboxes are crammed with thousands of messages.
Familiar interface
Everything starts with creating an email account and you can count on a wizard for that. Sylpheed is a typical pop3 and imap4 client, with explicit support for Gmail as well. The interface has a classic layout, much like you find in Outlook: on the left an overview of the accounts with the respective mailboxes, at the top right the list of messages from the opened mailbox, and at the bottom right a preview of the selected message.
Initially, you will see all messages in chronological order. If you find a different view more convenient, it only takes a mouse click to sort it by subject, sender, date or size. There are also some filters available, so you can quickly zoom in on, for example, unread mails, messages with a color label, with an attachment, or mails within a certain period of time.
Useful Features
Unfortunately, Sylpheed itself does not support HTML for composing messages, but you can start an external editor if you want. Inserting files or sending them as attachments is of course possible, as is adding (simple) signatures. It is also useful that you can create templates to quickly apply them to a new message. A filter management module allows you to automatically place emails in certain folders based on (combined) criteria. Messages that you do not want to send immediately can simply be sent to a separate mailbox (Queue): you will then send them yourself at the right time. Sylpheed also provides a basic address book, as well as a self-learning spam filter.
Conclusion
Sylpheed is a nimble pop3 and imap4 email client that is fine for those who can do without a lot of bells and whistles ... and for those who can't send HTML mail is not a breaking point.
