alot vs Alpine
alot: Terminal mail reader written in Python that works on a local notmuch database, with tag-based search and threads.
Alpine: Menu-driven terminal email client descended from Pine, with built-in help, setup screens and native Windows builds.
Differences
- Only alot has built-in Maildir and notmuch.
- Only Alpine has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox.
- On Windows, alot runs through WSL and Alpine runs natively.
- On Android, alot is not available and Alpine runs through Termux.
- Alpine has calendar support; alot does not.
- Alpine has S/MIME; alot does not.
- Alpine has OAuth2 sign-in; alot does not.
- alot has Vim-style keys; Alpine does not.
- alot is written in Python; Alpine in C.
- Configuration: alot uses INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks, and Alpine uses built-in setup screens, stored in .pinerc.
Side by side
| alot | Alpine | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Python | C |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | Apache 2.0 |
| Latest version | 0.12 | 2.26 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Native |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | No | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| POP3 | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| SMTP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | No |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | Yes | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | via plugin |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | Yes |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | notmuch queries | built-in search and message selection; server-side for IMAP |
| HTML mail | via mailcap, e.g. w3m -dump | built-in HTML-to-text rendering |
| Mouse | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | always; reads a local notmuch database | No |
| Calendar | No | Yes |
| Contacts | via an external lookup command such as abook, khard or notmuch address | built-in address book; LDAP lookup |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks | built-in setup screens, stored in .pinerc |
Which to choose
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
Choose Alpine for
- Command list on every screen and built-in help for each option
- Official native Windows builds alongside Unix packages
- Built-in XOAUTH2 for Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, and built-in S/MIME
Watch out for
- PGP needs external display and sending filters
- No Maildir, notmuch or JMAP support
- Last stable release is 2.26; newer work is in alpha builds
Questions
What is the difference between alot and Alpine?
Only alot has built-in Maildir and notmuch. Only Alpine has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox. On Windows, alot runs through WSL and Alpine runs natively.
Which runs on Windows, alot or Alpine?
On Windows, alot runs through WSL. On Windows, Alpine runs natively.
See also: alot alternatives, Alpine alternatives.