Cone vs Notmuch Emacs interface
Cone: Full-screen console mail client and newsreader from the Courier mail server project.
Notmuch Emacs interface: Emacs front end for notmuch that reads, searches, tags and composes mail from a local Maildir.
Differences
- Cone is a full-screen terminal client; Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs.
- Only Cone has built-in IMAP, POP3 and mbox.
- Only Notmuch Emacs interface has built-in notmuch.
- On Linux, Cone builds from source and Notmuch Emacs interface runs natively.
- On macOS, Cone is not available and Notmuch Emacs interface runs natively.
- On Android, Cone is not available and Notmuch Emacs interface runs through Termux.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has mouse support; Cone does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has calendar support; Cone does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has S/MIME; Cone does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has OAuth2 sign-in; Cone does not.
- Cone is written in C++; Notmuch Emacs interface in Emacs Lisp.
- Configuration: Cone uses interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone, and Notmuch Emacs interface uses Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file.
Side by side
| Cone | Notmuch Emacs interface | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Runs inside Emacs |
| Language | C++ | Emacs Lisp |
| License | GPL 3.0 | GPL 3.0 or later |
| Latest version | 2.5 | 0.40 |
| Linux | Build from source | Native |
| macOS | No | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | No | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| POP3 | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | No |
| notmuch | No | Yes |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in folder search; server-side on IMAP | notmuch Xapian full-text search with tags |
| HTML mail | built-in HTML renderer | built-in, rendered with the Emacs shr library |
| Mouse | No | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | No | full; reads a local Maildir synced by mbsync or OfflineIMAP |
| Calendar | No | shows text/calendar parts; no invitation replies |
| Contacts | built-in address books, stored locally, in an IMAP folder, or on LDAP | address completion from the notmuch index |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | interactive setup screens; settings saved under ~/.cone | Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file |
Which to choose
Choose Cone for
- Handles IMAP, POP3, local mbox and Maildir folders, and newsgroups in one folder tree.
- Built-in OpenPGP signing and encryption with per-account keys.
- Optional master password encrypts saved server passwords.
Watch out for
- Not packaged by Debian, Fedora, Arch or Homebrew; usually built from source.
- No offline mode for IMAP accounts and no OAuth2.
- No S/MIME support.
Choose Notmuch Emacs interface for
- Tag-based organization with fast full-text search over all local mail.
- Shows a whole thread in a single buffer.
- Handles PGP/MIME and S/MIME signatures and decryption through notmuch.
Watch out for
- No built-in IMAP; needs mbsync or a similar sync tool.
- Custom tags stay in the local index; only standard flags such as unread and replied reach the IMAP server.
- Requires Emacs and some Emacs Lisp to configure.
Questions
What is the difference between Cone and Notmuch Emacs interface?
Cone is a full-screen terminal client; Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs. Only Cone has built-in IMAP, POP3 and mbox. Only Notmuch Emacs interface has built-in notmuch.
Which runs on Windows, Cone or Notmuch Emacs interface?
On Windows, Cone runs through WSL. On Windows, Notmuch Emacs interface runs through WSL.
See also: Cone alternatives, Notmuch Emacs interface alternatives.