# Cone vs Forward Email

- Cone: Full-screen console mail client and newsreader from the Courier mail server project.
- Forward Email: Forward Email's webmail in the terminal: mail, calendar, contacts and settings, with mouse support and a key hint bar.

## Differences

- Forward Email connects to Forward Email accounts through its API; Cone works with any provider over IMAP, including Forward Email.
- On Linux, Cone builds from source and Forward Email runs natively.
- On macOS, Cone is not available and Forward Email runs natively.
- On Windows, Cone runs through WSL and Forward Email runs natively.
- On Android, Cone is not available and Forward Email runs through Termux.
- Forward Email has mouse support; Cone does not.
- Forward Email has calendar support; Cone does not.
- Cone is written in C++; Forward Email in TypeScript.
- Configuration: Cone uses interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone, and Forward Email uses settings screens, keyboard shortcut editor and an optional user.css.
- Forward Email is source-available (Business Source License 1.1); Cone is open source (GPL 3.0).

## Side by side

| | Cone | Forward Email |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | C++ | TypeScript |
| License | GPL 3.0 | Business Source License 1.1 |
| Linux | Build from source | Native |
| macOS | Not supported | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Native |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Not supported | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Forward Email API |
| POP3 | Yes | Forward Email API |
| SMTP | Yes | Forward Email API |
| JMAP | No | Forward Email API |
| Maildir | Yes | Forward Email API |
| mbox | Yes | Forward Email API |
| notmuch | No | Forward Email API |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | No |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in folder search; server-side on IMAP | built-in, across messages, contacts and events |
| HTML mail | built-in HTML renderer | shown as formatted text with links; plain text by default |
| Mouse | No | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | No | drafts and changes made offline are sent when the connection returns |
| Calendar | No | Yes |
| Contacts | built-in address books, stored locally, in an IMAP folder, or on LDAP | Yes |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone | settings screens, keyboard shortcut editor and an optional user.css |

Pages: [Cone](https://terminalemail.com/clients/cone/index.md), [Forward Email](https://terminalemail.com/clients/forward-email/index.md)