aerc vs alot
aerc: Terminal email client written in Go with IMAP, JMAP, Maildir and notmuch backends and an embedded terminal for editing.
alot: Terminal mail reader written in Python that works on a local notmuch database, with tag-based search and threads.
Differences
- Only aerc has built-in IMAP, SMTP, JMAP and mbox.
- On Android, aerc runs through Termux and alot is not available.
- aerc has calendar support; alot does not.
- aerc has OAuth2 sign-in; alot does not.
- aerc is written in Go; alot in Python.
- Configuration: aerc uses INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf, and alot uses INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks.
Side by side
| aerc | alot | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Go | Python |
| License | MIT | GPL 3.0 or later |
| Latest version | 0.22.0 | 0.12 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Through Termux | No |
| IMAP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| POP3 | No | Through a separate tool |
| SMTP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| JMAP | Yes | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | No |
| notmuch | Yes | Yes |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | Yes | No |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in; server-side for IMAP and JMAP; notmuch queries | notmuch queries |
| HTML mail | via filters, w3m by default | via mailcap, e.g. w3m -dump |
| Mouse | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | with mbsync or OfflineIMAP through the Maildir backend; IMAP header cache | always; reads a local notmuch database |
| Calendar | Yes | No |
| Contacts | via address-book-cmd, e.g. khard or the bundled carddav-query | via an external lookup command such as abook, khard or notmuch address |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | Yes |
| Configuration | INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf | INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks |
Which to choose
Choose aerc for
- Embedded terminal runs the editor and other commands inside aerc
- Built-in commands for applying and reviewing git patch series
- Supports JMAP and notmuch as well as IMAP and Maildir
Watch out for
- No POP3 or S/MIME support
- mbox files open read-only
- No native Windows build
Choose alot for
- Tag-based searches through notmuch instead of folders
- Full PGP/MIME signing and encryption
- Python hooks for custom behavior and formatting
Watch out for
- Needs separate tools to fetch mail (mbsync) and send it (msmtp)
- No direct IMAP, POP3 or SMTP support
- No S/MIME support
Questions
What is the difference between aerc and alot?
Only aerc has built-in IMAP, SMTP, JMAP and mbox. On Android, aerc runs through Termux and alot is not available. aerc has calendar support; alot does not.
Which runs on Windows, aerc or alot?
On Windows, aerc runs through WSL. On Windows, alot runs through WSL.
See also: aerc alternatives, alot alternatives.