Betterbird vs Spike: privacy compared
Betterbird and Spike are both rated in email clients against the same 8 public criteria. Betterbird does better on open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, OpenPGP support, connects directly and blocks remote content. Spike does better on independent audit. Betterbird is based in Germany (Fourteen Eyes); Spike is based in Israel.
| Criterion | Betterbird Our pick | Spike |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Grade B B (89/100) | Grade F F (17/100) |
| Jurisdiction | Germany Fourteen Eyes | Israel Outside Eyes |
| Open source Is all the source code needed to run the product public? | Yes source | No |
| No trackers or telemetry Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default? | Yes source | No source |
| No ads or data sales Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data? | Yes source | Partial source |
| Independent audit Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years? | No | Partial source |
| OpenPGP support Can the app encrypt and sign mail with OpenPGP, built in or through an official add-on? | Yes source | No |
| Connects directly Does the app connect directly to your mail server, without passing mail or passwords through the vendor's servers? | Yes source | No source |
| Blocks remote content Are remote images and tracking pixels blocked by default? | Yes source | No |
| Works with any provider Does the app work with any standard IMAP and SMTP provider? | Yes source | Yes source |
Summaries
Betterbird. Betterbird scores 89 out of 100 (grade B) on the email clients criteria. It meets 7 of 8 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, OpenPGP support, connects directly, blocks remote content and works with any provider. It does not meet independent audit. It is based in Germany: Fourteen Eyes member; EU member (GDPR).
Spike. Spike scores 17 out of 100 (grade F) on the email clients criteria. It meets 1 of 8 criteria: works with any provider. It partly meets no ads or data sales and independent audit. It does not meet open source, no trackers or telemetry, OpenPGP support, connects directly and blocks remote content. It is based in Israel: Not in the Five, Nine or Fourteen Eyes.