(apologies in advance if this isn’t the right community for this question)

I’ve been flirting with Linux on and off for about 15 years and I think I’m ready to make the switch mostly full-time. I use a laptop for work and have a Microsoft 365 plan with email and such. I need to replace that with something Linux-friendly and would much prefer something that works with a desktop email client. Easy syncing of email, contacts and calendar to Android is a must.

Proton seems like it might be a good option but the privacy features aren’t a huge selling point for me so I’m open to other options!

  • Depends on the protocols used.

    Mailbox uses CalDAV and CardDAV. If I want the Android calendar to sync my contacts, I need Davx5 to speak to the server. Same goes for Calendars. The stock calendar app works, but I just prefer Etar. Anyway…

    FairEmail gets the email. Easy to setup.

    Davx5 gets the rest. Just put in the username and password. Done.

    Icsx5 is the same as Davx5, but for iCal things. So, I subscribe to my partner’s public calendar, my work calendars, etc.

    I wouldn’t classify it as “not easy” but rather jumping a few extra hurdles. I think Proton has an app that takes care of this… Not sure.

    Switching email providers is not a frictionless process. It caused a lot of stress for me. And my laptop, well, I use Claws for email and 3 other command line applications to get my calendars and contacts synced. Bit of a pain, but it works.