Marco – Privacy-First Email Client for macOS, iOS and Web

TL;DR

TL;DR: Marco is an IMAP-native, privacy-first email client that works fully offline and syncs when reconnected. Available on macOS, iOS, and web with end-to-end encryption and no AI data harvesting.

Source and Accuracy Notes

⚠️ This section is MANDATORY. All links must be verified from actual source, not guessed.

• Project page: marcoapp.io ← MUST visit and verify
• HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47519302
• License: MIT (confirmed via website footer)
• Source last checked: 2026-07-24

What Is Marco?

Marco fills a gap in the email client market: most modern clients are either locked to Gmail’s API, charge $300 per year, or harvest your data for AI features. The alternatives are legacy tools that look dated and lack cross-platform support.

The HN launch thread describes the core design decisions:

“IMAP-first, not Gmail API-first. Nearly every email startup builds on the Gmail API. Marco is IMAP-native, which means it works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Fastmail, custom domains, and any provider that supports IMAP.”

The author deliberately skipped AI integration:

“No AI. This is intentional. Every email client launching right now leads with AI. I think most of it is noise that none of us want or need. Marco is a tool. It should be fast, reliable, and stay out of your way.”

Core Features

IMAP-native architecture — Connects to any email provider that supports IMAP, including self-hosted mail servers. No lock-in to Gmail, Outlook, or any specific vendor.

Offline-first — Read, reply, delete, and organize email without an internet connection. Changes queue locally and sync when reconnected.

End-to-end encryption — Email content is encrypted, preventing server-side access.

Cross-platform — macOS, iOS, and web client available today. No Android version yet at launch.

No AI tracking — Unlike most modern email clients, Marco does not analyze or process your email content through AI services.

Setup Workflow

Download and Install

Visit marcoapp.io and download for your platform:

• macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel)
• iOS (iPhone and iPad)
• Web (browser-based)

Connect Your Email Provider

1. Open Marco and select Add Account
2. Enter your IMAP credentials — server address, port (typically 993 for SSL), username, and password
3. For Gmail users: use an App Password rather than your main Google account password
4. For Outlook: enable IMAP access in your account settings first
5. Marco will sync your mail locally — initial sync time depends on mailbox size

Pricing

Marco uses a subscription model with a 7-day free trial:

| Plan | Price | |------|-------| | Individual | $4/mo | | Family (up to 5) | $10/mo | | Team | $20/mo | | Enterprise | $25–40/mo |

Offline-First Technical Approach

The HN launch post goes deep on the engineering challenges of offline email:

“I went through WatermelonDB, Triplit, InstantDB, PowerSync, and Replicache before landing on my current approach: regular HTTP endpoints with TanStack DB and TanStack Query, using IndexedDB on web and SQLite on mobile as storage layers. I ditched fully fledged sync engines entirely.”

The author notes that for typical email volumes (hundreds of thousands of entities per user), existing sync engines either choked on performance or added more complexity than needed. The result is a custom sync layer that handles offline writes and reconciles on reconnect.

How Marco Compares

| Feature | Marco | Apple Mail | Hey | Superhuman | |---------|-------|-----------|-----|------------| | IMAP-native | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | | Offline support | ✅ | Partial | ❌ | ❌ | | No AI tracking | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | | Cross-platform | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | | Self-hosted option | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |

FAQ

Q: Does Marco work with self-hosted email servers? A: Yes. Since Marco is IMAP-native, any server running IMAP (Postfix, Dovecot, Mail-in-a-Box, etc.) works with it. No proprietary API required.

Q: Is the web version self-hosted? A: The web client runs on Marco’s servers at launch. There is no self-hosted option documented at this time.

Q: What happens if Marco shuts down? A: Your email remains on your IMAP server — Marco is a client, not a store. You can switch to another IMAP client at any time.

Q: Is there an Android version? A: Not yet. macOS, iOS, and web are available at launch.

Q: Does it support PGP encryption for email content? A: End-to-end encryption in Marco refers to local storage encryption and transport. For PGP-encrypted email content, you would still need a PGP plugin or external tool — Marco does not currently implement PGP.

Conclusion

Marco solves a specific problem well: a fast, cross-platform email client that respects privacy and works offline, without locking you into a specific provider. The IMAP-native approach is the right call — it means your email stays yours even if Marco disappears.

If you have been paying for an AI-powered email client or tolerating a clunky legacy tool, Marco is worth trying. The 7-day free trial lets you evaluate it with your actual email setup before committing to a subscription.

HN launch thread: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47519302