alot vs S-nail
alot: Terminal mail reader written in Python that works on a local notmuch database, with tag-based search and threads.
S-nail: Command-line mail program that implements POSIX mailx, with MIME, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Maildir and S/MIME support.
Differences
- alot is a full-screen terminal client; S-nail is a command-line program.
- Only alot has built-in notmuch.
- Only S-nail has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox.
- alot has mouse support; S-nail does not.
- alot has OpenPGP; S-nail does not.
- S-nail has S/MIME; alot does not.
- S-nail has OAuth2 sign-in; alot does not.
- alot has Vim-style keys; S-nail does not.
- alot is written in Python; S-nail in C.
- Configuration: alot uses INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks, and S-nail uses ~/.mailrc command file.
Side by side
| alot | S-nail | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Command-line tools and prompts |
| Language | Python | C |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | ISC and BSD 2-Clause and BSD 3-Clause and BSD 4-Clause |
| Latest version | 0.12 | 14.9.25 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| 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 | No |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | notmuch queries | built-in message specifications and the search command; IMAP SEARCH on IMAP folders |
| HTML mail | via mailcap, e.g. w3m -dump | built-in tag-soup filter or external viewer via mailcap |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | always; reads a local notmuch database | IMAP cache with disconnected mode |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | via an external lookup command such as abook, khard or notmuch address | aliases via the alias command |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks | ~/.mailrc command 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 S-nail for
- Drop-in POSIX mailx, so it works in existing shell scripts and cron jobs.
- Built-in SMTP, POP3 and IMAP with TLS; no separate sync or send tool needed.
- S/MIME signing and encryption are built in.
Watch out for
- Line-oriented prompt instead of a full-screen interface.
- No built-in OpenPGP; upstream documents a gpg pipe workaround only.
- IMAP support is kept at an older code level and upstream advises care.
Questions
What is the difference between alot and S-nail?
alot is a full-screen terminal client; S-nail is a command-line program. Only alot has built-in notmuch. Only S-nail has built-in IMAP, POP3, SMTP and mbox.
Which runs on Windows, alot or S-nail?
On Windows, alot runs through WSL. On Windows, S-nail runs through WSL.
See also: alot alternatives, S-nail alternatives.