alot vs Mutt
alot: Terminal mail reader written in Python that works on a local notmuch database, with tag-based search and threads.
Mutt: Long-running text-mode email client with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP support, configured through a muttrc file.
Differences
- Only alot has built-in notmuch.
- Only Mutt has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox.
- On Android, alot is not available and Mutt runs through Termux.
- alot has mouse support; Mutt does not.
- Mutt has S/MIME; alot does not.
- Mutt has OAuth2 sign-in; alot does not.
- alot is written in Python; Mutt in C.
- Configuration: alot uses INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks, and Mutt uses muttrc text file.
Side by side
| alot | Mutt | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Python | C |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | 0.12 | 2.4.2 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| 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 | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | Yes | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | notmuch queries | built-in patterns; server-side IMAP search |
| HTML mail | via mailcap, e.g. w3m -dump | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | always; reads a local notmuch database | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | via an external lookup command such as abook, khard or notmuch address | via query_command with abook or khard |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | Yes |
| Configuration | INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks | muttrc text file |
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 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 alot and Mutt?
Only alot has built-in notmuch. Only Mutt has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox. On Android, alot is not available and Mutt runs through Termux.
Which runs on Windows, alot or Mutt?
On Windows, alot runs through WSL. On Windows, Mutt runs through WSL.
See also: alot alternatives, Mutt alternatives.