alot vs Cone
alot: Terminal mail reader written in Python that works on a local notmuch database, with tag-based search and threads.
Cone: Full-screen console mail client and newsreader from the Courier mail server project.
Differences
- Only alot has built-in notmuch.
- Only Cone has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox.
- On Linux, alot runs natively and Cone builds from source.
- On macOS, alot runs natively and Cone is not available.
- alot has mouse support; Cone does not.
- alot has Vim-style keys; Cone does not.
- alot is written in Python; Cone in C++.
- Configuration: alot uses INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks, and Cone uses interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone.
Side by side
| alot | Cone | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | GPL 3.0 |
| Latest version | 0.12 | 2.5 |
| Linux | Native | Build from source |
| macOS | Native | No |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | No | No |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| POP3 | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| SMTP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | Yes | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | No |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | notmuch queries | built-in folder search; server-side on IMAP |
| HTML mail | via mailcap, e.g. w3m -dump | built-in HTML renderer |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | always; reads a local notmuch database | No |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | via an external lookup command such as abook, khard or notmuch address | built-in address books, stored locally, in an IMAP folder, or on LDAP |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks | interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone |
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 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 alot and Cone?
Only alot has built-in notmuch. Only Cone has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox. On Linux, alot runs natively and Cone builds from source.
Which runs on Windows, alot or Cone?
On Windows, alot runs through WSL. On Windows, Cone runs through WSL.
See also: alot alternatives, Cone alternatives.