Choosing the right email client on Linux isn’t just about features — it’s about finding the one that fits how you work. If you love clean, focused interfaces that just work, Geary might feel like home. On the other hand, if your workflow includes calendars, contacts, and even Microsoft Exchange, Evolution steps in like a digital office assistant. Both are open-source and built with the GNOME desktop in mind, but they follow very different paths. Let’s explore how they stack up — and which one makes more sense for your day-to-day needs. 

What is Geary?

Geary is a lightweight and modern email client developed by the GNOME project. It’s designed for users who prefer a clean, minimal interface with conversation-style email threads — similar to what you see in Gmail. Geary supports IMAP and SMTP, making it a good fit for personal and cloud-based email services like Gmail, Yahoo, Fastmail, and Outlook.

Pros of Geary:

1. Clean, simple interface: Easy to use, even for beginners — perfect for distraction-free emailing.
2. Conversation view: Groups emails into threads for better context, especially with long email chains.
3. Fast performance: Launches quickly and runs smoothly, even on low-end systems.
4. GNOME integration: Fits naturally within GNOME desktops, using system notifications and themes.
5. Support for multiple accounts: Lets you manage multiple inboxes from one place.

Cons of Geary:

1. No calendar or contact manager: It’s just for email — you’ll need separate apps for tasks, events, and address books.
2. Limited advanced features: No email filtering rules, mail templates, or tag-based sorting.
3. No Exchange support: Doesn’t work with Microsoft Exchange or EWS — only IMAP/SMTP accounts.
4. Lacks encryption tools: No built-in support for PGP or S/MIME email signing or encryption.
5. Customization is minimal: You can’t change much about the layout or behavior.

What is Evolution?

Evolution is a full-featured email and personal information management (PIM) client developed by the GNOME project. It’s more than just email — it combines mail, calendar, contacts, tasks, memos, and Microsoft Exchange support into one powerful application. If you're looking for a desktop alternative to Microsoft Outlook on Linux, Evolution comes very close.

Pros of Evolution:

1. All-in-one productivity tool: Combines email, calendar, address book, tasks, and memos — great for office or organizational workflows.
2. Microsoft Exchange support: Works natively with Exchange servers via EWS and MAPI — perfect for corporate environments.
3. Email filters and rules: Lets you automate sorting, labeling, and actions on incoming mail.
4. Security features: Built-in support for PGP and S/MIME encryption for secure communication.
5. Integration with GNOME: Ties in with GNOME Online Accounts, Keyring, and desktop notifications.
6. Offline access: Full offline mode with local message caching and calendar access.

Cons of Evolution:

1. Heavier on resources: Uses more memory and CPU than minimalist clients like Geary — not great for older or low-spec machines.
2. Complex interface: Offers lots of features, which can feel overwhelming or cluttered for casual users.
3. UI feels dated to some users: While functional, the design hasn’t seen major aesthetic changes in years.
4. Occasional Exchange quirks: EWS integration works well but sometimes requires extra setup or troubleshooting.
5. Slower startup: Takes longer to load compared to lightweight clients.

#1 Key Similarities Between Geary and Evolution

✔ GNOME Integration:
Both are built with the GNOME desktop environment in mind, supporting system themes, notifications, and GNOME Online Accounts.

✔ IMAP and SMTP Support:
Each supports standard IMAP/SMTP protocols, allowing smooth setup with Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, Fastmail, and other common providers.

✔ Open Source and Actively Maintained:
Both are open-source projects, backed by active development communities and available in most Linux distributions.

✔ Multiple Email Account Support:
You can add and manage multiple email accounts in both clients — useful if you juggle personal and work inboxes.

✔ Threaded Conversation View:
Both offer conversation-style email grouping to keep message chains readable and organized (though Geary emphasizes this more heavily).

✔ Basic Search Functionality:
Each provides basic search tools to quickly locate emails within folders or threads.

✔ Desktop Notification Support:
They both use system-level notifications to alert you about new messages, especially when minimized to the tray.

#2 Key Differences between Geary vs Evolution 

2.1 Functionality – What Can Each One Do?

Geary sticks to doing one job really well: email. It doesn’t try to do calendars, contacts, or to-do lists — just fast, clean email handling with threaded conversations.
Evolution, on the other hand, is like a full digital office. You get email, calendar scheduling, contact management, task tracking, and even memos — all built into one app.

If you're looking for a focused email app, Geary keeps it simple. If you want everything in one window, Evolution is a more complete solution.

2.2 Email Storage Engine – How Do They Save Your Emails?

Geary keeps things compact by storing all your emails in a local SQLite database. It’s fast and lightweight, but not very friendly when it comes to backing up or moving emails between systems.
Evolution uses more traditional formats like Maildir or Mbox, which are widely supported and easier to back up, migrate, or even inspect manually if needed.

Geary is sleek behind the scenes, but Evolution gives you more flexibility when handling your data. 

2.3 Resource Usage – How Demanding Are They on Your System?

Geary is built to be light — it loads fast, runs smooth, and barely touches your system’s memory or CPU. Even on older machines, it feels quick and responsive.
Evolution, meanwhile, brings a lot more features to the table, and that comes at a cost. It uses more RAM and CPU, especially if you're syncing calendars, contacts, and managing multiple accounts at once.

If system performance matters to you, Geary runs lean; Evolution trades speed for a broader feature set.

2.4 User Interface – How Do They Feel to Use?

Geary gives you a clean, clutter-free space that feels lightweight and easy to navigate. It’s built for people who just want to read, reply, and move on — without getting lost in buttons and toolbars.
Evolution goes in the opposite direction — it offers a more traditional, Outlook-style layout with multiple panes, sidebars, and advanced menu options. Everything is within reach, but it can feel a bit busy if you’re used to minimalist apps.

Geary keeps things sleek and simple; Evolution brings more controls upfront for users who want power and depth.

 #3 List of all features offered by Evolution over Geary

1. POP3 support – Evolution supports both IMAP and POP3; Geary supports only IMAP.
2. Microsoft Exchange (EWS/MAPI) – Evolution supports Exchange accounts; Geary does not.
3. Email filters and rules – Evolution has powerful filtering and sorting; Geary offers none.
4. PGP and S/MIME encryption – Evolution allows email encryption and signing; Geary lacks this.
5. Read receipts and message priority – Evolution supports both; Geary has neither.
6. HTML composer and formatting – Evolution offers full rich text editing; Geary has basic HTML support.
7. Multiple folder view modes – Evolution provides threaded, flat, and grouped views; Geary only supports conversation view.
8. Custom signatures per account – Evolution allows separate signatures; Geary supports simple signatures.
9. Calendar and scheduling – Evolution includes a built-in calendar; Geary has no calendar.
10. Task management – Evolution lets you create and manage tasks; Geary has no task feature.
11. Contact/address book management – Evolution includes a full contact manager; Geary does not.
12. Memo/note feature – Evolution supports memos; Geary lacks any note-taking functionality.
13. GNOME Keyring integration – Evolution integrates fully for secure password storage; Geary offers limited integration.
14. Backup and restore options – Evolution supports data export/import; Geary requires manual file backup.
15. Plugin and extension support – Evolution supports plugins; Geary does not support any extensions.
16. Maildir and Mbox storage formats – Evolution uses standard mail storage; Geary uses SQLite.
17. Full offline email access – Evolution supports complete offline access; Geary offers partial offline support.

#4 Use Case Summary – Which One Should You Choose?

If you’re looking for a clean, fast, and easy-to-use email client for personal use — especially for Gmail or IMAP accounts — Geary is a great fit. It keeps things simple and distraction-free, perfect for casual or minimalist users.

But if your workflow involves calendars, contacts, Microsoft Exchange, task tracking, or encrypted emails — and you need a full office-style communication hub — then Evolution is the smarter choice. It's powerful, feature-rich, and built for professional or enterprise environments.

Choose Geary for simplicity and speed.
Choose Evolution for complete email and productivity features.