aerc vs Mutt
aerc: Terminal email client written in Go with IMAP, JMAP, Maildir and notmuch backends and an embedded terminal for editing.
Mutt: Long-running text-mode email client with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP support, configured through a muttrc file.
Differences
- Only aerc has built-in JMAP and notmuch.
- Only Mutt has built-in POP3.
- aerc has mouse support; Mutt does not.
- aerc has calendar support; Mutt does not.
- Mutt has S/MIME; aerc does not.
- aerc is written in Go; Mutt in C.
- Configuration: aerc uses INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf, and Mutt uses muttrc text file.
Side by side
| aerc | Mutt | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Go | C |
| License | MIT | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | 0.22.0 | 2.4.2 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Through Termux | Through Termux |
| 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 | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | Yes | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in; server-side for IMAP and JMAP; notmuch queries | built-in patterns; server-side IMAP search |
| HTML mail | via filters, w3m by default | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | with mbsync or OfflineIMAP through the Maildir backend; IMAP header cache | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache |
| Calendar | Yes | No |
| Contacts | via address-book-cmd, e.g. khard or the bundled carddav-query | via query_command with abook or khard |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | Yes |
| Configuration | INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf | muttrc text file |
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 Mutt for
- Packaged by major Linux distributions, Homebrew, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and Termux
- Conservative releases that rarely break existing muttrc files
- Built-in PGP/MIME, S/MIME and Autocrypt
Watch out for
- No notmuch, NNTP or scripting support (NeoMutt has these)
- Configuration is a text file with hundreds of options and no setup wizard
- HTML mail needs an external viewer set up in mailcap
Questions
What is the difference between aerc and Mutt?
Only aerc has built-in JMAP and notmuch. Only Mutt has built-in POP3. aerc has mouse support; Mutt does not.
Which runs on Windows, aerc or Mutt?
On Windows, aerc runs through WSL. On Windows, Mutt runs through WSL.
See also: aerc alternatives, Mutt alternatives.