aerc vs NeoMutt
aerc: Terminal email client written in Go with IMAP, JMAP, Maildir and notmuch backends and an embedded terminal for editing.
NeoMutt: Full-screen terminal mail reader forked from Mutt, with notmuch, NNTP, Lua scripting and a sidebar built in.
Differences
- Only aerc has built-in JMAP.
- Only NeoMutt has built-in POP3.
- aerc has mouse support; NeoMutt does not.
- aerc has calendar support; NeoMutt does not.
- NeoMutt has S/MIME; aerc does not.
- aerc is written in Go; NeoMutt in C.
- Configuration: aerc uses INI-style files: accounts.conf, aerc.conf, binds.conf, and NeoMutt uses neomuttrc text file.
Side by side
| aerc | NeoMutt | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Go | C |
| License | MIT | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | 0.22.0 | 20260616 |
| 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 | Yes |
| 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; notmuch for full-text |
| 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 | neomuttrc 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 NeoMutt for
- Built-in notmuch support for tag-based virtual mailboxes and full-text search
- Reads Usenet over NNTP and supports Lua scripting
- Reads most existing muttrc files with few or no changes
Watch out for
- Configuration is a text file with hundreds of options and no setup wizard
- HTML mail needs an external viewer set up in mailcap
- OAuth2 needs an external token script such as mutt_oauth2.py
Questions
What is the difference between aerc and NeoMutt?
Only aerc has built-in JMAP. Only NeoMutt has built-in POP3. aerc has mouse support; NeoMutt does not.
Which runs on Windows, aerc or NeoMutt?
On Windows, aerc runs through WSL. On Windows, NeoMutt runs through WSL.
See also: aerc alternatives, NeoMutt alternatives.