aerc vs Cone
aerc: Terminal email client written in Go with IMAP, JMAP, Maildir and notmuch backends and an embedded terminal for editing.
Cone: Full-screen console mail client and newsreader from the Courier mail server project.
Differences
- Only aerc has built-in JMAP and notmuch.
- Only Cone has built-in POP3.
- On Linux, aerc runs natively and Cone builds from source.
- On macOS, aerc runs natively and Cone is not available.
- On Android, aerc runs through Termux and Cone is not available.
- aerc has mouse support; Cone does not.
- aerc has calendar support; Cone does not.
- aerc has OAuth2 sign-in; Cone does not.
- aerc has Vim-style keys; Cone does not.
- aerc is written in Go; Cone in C++.
- Configuration: aerc uses INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf, and Cone uses interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone.
Side by side
| aerc | Cone | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| License | MIT | GPL 3.0 |
| Latest version | 0.22.0 | 2.5 |
| Linux | Native | Build from source |
| macOS | Native | No |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Through Termux | No |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | No | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | Yes | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | Yes |
| notmuch | Yes | No |
| 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 | built-in folder search; server-side on IMAP |
| HTML mail | via filters, w3m by default | built-in HTML renderer |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | with mbsync or OfflineIMAP through the Maildir backend; IMAP header cache | No |
| Calendar | Yes | No |
| Contacts | via address-book-cmd, e.g. khard or the bundled carddav-query | built-in address books, stored locally, in an IMAP folder, or on LDAP |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf | interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone |
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 Cone for
- Handles IMAP, POP3, local mbox and Maildir folders, and newsgroups in one folder tree.
- Built-in OpenPGP signing and encryption with per-account keys.
- Optional master password encrypts saved server passwords.
Watch out for
- Not packaged by Debian, Fedora, Arch or Homebrew; usually built from source.
- No offline mode for IMAP accounts and no OAuth2.
- No S/MIME support.
Questions
What is the difference between aerc and Cone?
Only aerc has built-in JMAP and notmuch. Only Cone has built-in POP3. On Linux, aerc runs natively and Cone builds from source.
Which runs on Windows, aerc or Cone?
On Windows, aerc runs through WSL. On Windows, Cone runs through WSL.
See also: aerc alternatives, Cone alternatives.