alot vs meli
alot: Terminal mail reader written in Python that works on a local notmuch database, with tag-based search and threads.
meli: Terminal email client written in Rust with IMAP, JMAP, notmuch, Maildir, mbox and NNTP backends and TOML configuration.
Differences
- Only meli has built-in IMAP, SMTP, JMAP and mbox.
- On Windows, alot runs through WSL and meli is not available.
- meli has OAuth2 sign-in; alot does not.
- alot is written in Python; meli in Rust.
- Configuration: alot uses INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks, and meli uses TOML file (config.toml).
Side by side
| alot | meli | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Python | Rust |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | EUPL 1.2 or GPL 3.0 or later |
| Latest version | 0.12 | 0.8.13 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | No |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | No | No |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| POP3 | Through a separate tool | No |
| SMTP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| JMAP | No | Yes |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | Yes | Yes |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | notmuch queries | built-in; sqlite3 index by default; notmuch queries |
| HTML mail | via mailcap, e.g. w3m -dump | via filter command, w3m by default |
| Mouse | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | always; reads a local notmuch database | IMAP header cache in sqlite3; full offline use with Maildir and mbsync |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | via an external lookup command such as abook, khard or notmuch address | built-in contact list; reads vCard and mutt alias files |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | Yes |
| Configuration | INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks | TOML file (config.toml) |
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 meli for
- Supports JMAP, notmuch, IMAP, Maildir and NNTP in one client
- Single TOML file with per-account and per-mailbox overrides
- Embedded terminal runs the editor inside the compose view
Watch out for
- No POP3 or S/MIME support
- mbox support is read-only
- No Windows or Termux packages
Questions
What is the difference between alot and meli?
Only meli has built-in IMAP, SMTP, JMAP and mbox. On Windows, alot runs through WSL and meli is not available. meli has OAuth2 sign-in; alot does not.
Which runs on Windows, alot or meli?
On Windows, alot runs through WSL. On Windows, meli is not available.
See also: alot alternatives, meli alternatives.