alot vs Sup
alot: Terminal mail reader written in Python that works on a local notmuch database, with tag-based search and threads.
Sup: Curses email client in Ruby built around threads, labels and fast full-text search over local mail.
Differences
- Only alot has built-in notmuch.
- Only Sup has built-in mbox.
- On BSD, alot runs natively and Sup builds from source.
- alot has mouse support; Sup does not.
- alot is written in Python; Sup in Ruby.
- Configuration: alot uses INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks, and Sup uses ~/.sup/config.yaml and ~/.sup/sources.yaml, plus Ruby hooks.
Side by side
| alot | Sup | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | 0.12 | 1.4 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Build from source |
| Android | No | No |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | No |
| POP3 | Through a separate tool | No |
| SMTP | Through a separate tool | Through a separate tool |
| 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 | Xapian full-text index with a query language |
| HTML mail | via mailcap, e.g. w3m -dump | via the mime-decode hook and an external viewer such as w3m |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | always; reads a local notmuch database | reads local Maildir or mbox; sync with isync or OfflineIMAP |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | via an external lookup command such as abook, khard or notmuch address | tracks recent contacts automatically |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | Yes |
| Configuration | INI-style config file plus optional Python hooks | ~/.sup/config.yaml and ~/.sup/sources.yaml, plus Ruby hooks |
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 Sup for
- Fast full-text search over large archives
- Gmail-style labels, archiving and muting of threads
- Ruby hooks for custom behavior
Watch out for
- No built-in IMAP or SMTP; needs isync (or similar) and msmtp
- Changes sync back to Maildir only with the optional sync-back setting
- Packaged by Debian and Ubuntu (and the AUR); elsewhere installed as a Ruby gem with native Xapian bindings
Questions
What is the difference between alot and Sup?
Only alot has built-in notmuch. Only Sup has built-in mbox. On BSD, alot runs natively and Sup builds from source.
Which runs on Windows, alot or Sup?
On Windows, alot runs through WSL. On Windows, Sup runs through WSL.
See also: alot alternatives, Sup alternatives.