An open-source email client built around your privacy, cross-platform with zero telemetry, fully yours.
Pelton is a modern, Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS) email client written in Go and built using the Wails framework. It is designed from the ground up to respect your data. We believe your inbox belongs to you, which is why Pelton operates with absolute zero telemetry and full privacy.
Full Privacy: Your data stays on your machine. Zero tracking, zero telemetry, and complete control over your inbox.
Fast Search: Find what you need instantly. The search engine is optimized for speed and handles large local mailboxes with ease.
Highly Customizable: Tailor the client to fit your exact workflow and aesthetic preferences. See https://themes.pelton.app
Portable Configuration: Export your entire setup, including accounts, preferences, and custom layouts, into a single easily transferable file.
FOSS & Cross-Platform: Truly open source and built to run beautifully across different operating systems.
Colored flags with eight colors, kept local by default and optionally synced to the server as IMAP keywords so other clients see them.
In-app previewer for PDFs, images, and text/code/markdown, so attachments open without leaving Pelton.
Snooze a message from the right-click menu with a friendly date-time picker; it resurfaces marked unread, and can optionally hide from the inbox until then.
Address book autocomplete in the composer, learned from mail you send and receive, manageable in settings.
Vim mode in the compose editor for modal editing, plus customizable keyboard shortcuts throughout.
Which email providers does Pelton support?
Pelton supports standard IMAP and SMTP, which means it works with the vast majority of email providers out of the box. We also have built-in OAuth2 support for Gmail. Because Pelton is FOSS, the community can easily contribute to add custom support for even more providers.
Does Pelton work offline?
Yes. You can configure Pelton to cache your newest emails locally (you choose the timeframe), and you can explicitly mark specific emails to be kept offline permanently.
Does Pelton support PGP/GPG encryption?
Yes, of course!
Where is my data actually stored?
Your data stays entirely in your control. It is stored in a SQLite database on your local machine, and on your original email provider's server. We do not host or route your data through any third-party servers.
Why use Wails and Go instead of Electron?
Speed and memory efficiency. By leveraging Go and Wails, Pelton uses significantly less RAM compared to heavy Electron wrappers, while still giving you a snappy, cross-platform UI.
How does Pelton handle custom HTML tracking pixels or remote images?
This is entirely configurable. By default, remote images and tracking pixels are blocked (similarly to Thunderbird). A small banner will appear letting you know images were blocked, and you can choose to allow them for that email if you wish.
Can I self-host or use my own custom database path for sync?
Using a custom database path (like pointing SQLite to a network share) is not yet recommended or fully tested, but this functionality will be coming soon.
Is there any telemetry or automated crash reporting?
No. Pelton has absolutely zero telemetry. If you experience a crash or bug, please help us out by manually opening an issue on GitHub.
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| Light mode with saved views · the message context menu | |
Composing in plain text, markdown or rich text, with send later
 macOS |
 Windows |
 Linux |
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- Download
Pelton-<version>-macos-applesilicon.dmg(Apple Silicon / M-series Macs). - Open the
.dmgand dragPelton.appintoApplications. - Since the build is unsigned, macOS Gatekeeper blocks the first launch with an "unidentified developer" warning. Right-click (or Control-click)
Pelton.appin Applications and choose Open, then confirm in the dialog that appears. You only need to do this once; after that it opens normally, including from Spotlight or the Dock.
A .zip of the raw .app (Pelton-<version>-macos-<arch>-app.zip) is also attached to each release if you'd rather not use the .dmg.
- Download the latest installer from https://github.com/TRC-Loop/Pelton/releases/latest.
- Run it. Since the build is unsigned, Windows SmartScreen may show an "unrecognized app" warning the first time. Click More info then Run anyway. This warning fades on its own as the file builds up download reputation.
- The installer walks you through:
- the GPL-3.0 license
- the warranty and liability terms
- install for all users (needs admin, installs to Program Files) or just me (installs to AppData) (no admin needed)
- an optional desktop shortcut (Start Menu shortcut is always created)
- a "Launch Pelton" checkbox on the last page
Windows on ARM is not supported yet.
Currently supported: fedora (copr/dnf), Arch (AUR) – Thanks to leeteral (AUR Maintainer) (Github)
Two ways to install, pick one:
Via dnf (recommended - gets updates automatically once you upgrade):
sudo dnf copr enable arnek/Pelton
sudo dnf install pelton(Fedora's Copr is a community repo host; enabling it adds Pelton's repo to dnf so future releases show up as normal updates.)
Note
Fedora <=42 is not supported, even if you pin the chroot.
You will get an error like package not available.
Update your System folks! (You have to do it anyway so ig)
On other distributions, build from source (needs Go, Node/pnpm, and the Wails CLI. See make run / make build-linux in the Makefile):
git clone https://github.com/TRC-Loop/Pelton.git
cd Pelton
make build-linuxThis produces a binary plus a .desktop launcher in build/bin/; copy the binary somewhere on your PATH, install the .desktop file to ~/.local/share/applications/, and give it an icon named pelton (see build/icons/).
Up to and including 1.0.9, Pelton used semantic versioning. From the next release onward it uses Calendar Versioning in the form:
YYYY.Q.INCR
- YYYY — the full calendar year (e.g.
2026). - Q — the calendar quarter,
1–4(Q1 = Jan–Mar, Q2 = Apr–Jun, Q3 = Jul–Sep, Q4 = Oct–Dec). - INCR — the release counter within that quarter. It starts at
0and resets to0at the start of each quarter.
The first release of a quarter (INCR 0) drops the trailing .0, so it reads as just YYYY.Q. Examples:
| Release | Version |
|---|---|
| First release of Q4 2026 (flagship) | 2026.4 |
| Next release that quarter | 2026.4.1 |
| The one after | 2026.4.2 |
| First release of Q1 2027 | 2027.1 |
- Discord: Join the discussion at discord.gg/UzPNGZYy6V
- Email: Reach out directly via pelton@arne.sh
Contributions are welcome. Whether you are fixing bugs, refining the UI layout, polishing backend Go code, or enhancing documentation, feel free to open an issue or submit a Pull Request. See AUTHORS.md if you'd like to be credited by name.
Pelton is distributed under the GPL-3.0 License. See LICENSE for details.
Warranty and liability are set out in DISCLAIMER.md, an additional term under GPLv3 section 7(a), published as well at pelton.app/terms. Pelton comes without warranty and you use it at your own risk: it connects to your real mailboxes, deletions can be permanent, and it is not a backup tool. Keep your own backup of anything you cannot afford to lose.
Security issues belong in SECURITY.md, not in a public issue.
Arne/TRC-Loop's timezone is CET/CEST or UTC+2 or Europe/Berlin
