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Pimkin vs Spark
Spark, by Readdle, has a polished inbox and smart triage across desktop and mobile. It is a pleasure to read mail in, and its team features are well done. It is also mail-first, works through Readdle’s cloud, and asks you to sign in with a Spark account.
Side by side
Pimkin and Spark, at a glance.
Values reflect each product as generally available in 2026; the notes below the table add the nuance a checkmark can't.
| Capability | Pimkin | Spark |
|---|---|---|
| Mail, calendar, contacts & tasks in one app | Mail-first | |
| Provider-neutral — Gmail, Microsoft 365, IMAP, CalDAV, CardDAV, LDAP | Mail only | |
| Web app | — | |
| Native desktop on macOS, Windows & Linux | Mac & Windows | |
| Free to use | Freemium |
Pimkin is provider-neutral and brings calendar, contacts, and tasks over open protocols — CalDAV, CardDAV, and LDAP — into the same window as your mail. It adds a native Linux desktop and a full web app, and federates directly to the accounts you already have.
Where Pimkin differs
- Provider-neutral: Gmail, Microsoft 365, IMAP, CalDAV, CardDAV, and LDAP as equals
- Calendar, contacts, and tasks in the same window — not mail alone
- A native Linux desktop and a full web app
Good questions
Spark, answered.
Is Pimkin a good Spark alternative?
Yes, especially if you want more than mail. Pimkin is provider-neutral and brings calendar, contacts, and tasks over open protocols into the same window as your inbox, with a native Linux desktop and a full web app. Spark remains strong for mobile-first mail and team features.
Does Pimkin route my mail through its own cloud like Spark?
Pimkin is a hosted service, so it relays to your providers on your behalf. Your credentials are encrypted at rest with a key held only by the service, and nothing is resold, profiled, or mined.
Does Pimkin have a Linux app?
Yes — a native desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux, alongside the web app.
Is Pimkin free?
Pimkin is free to use while it is in active development. You bring your own accounts.
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