# Gnus vs Mutt

- Gnus: Mail and news reader built into GNU Emacs, with back ends for IMAP, POP3, local mail folders and NNTP.
- Mutt: Long-running text-mode email client with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP support, configured through a muttrc file.

## Differences

- Gnus is a mail client that runs inside Emacs; Mutt is a full-screen terminal client.
- On Windows, Gnus runs natively and Mutt runs through WSL.
- Gnus has mouse support; Mutt does not.
- Gnus has calendar support; Mutt does not.
- Mutt has Vim-style keys; Gnus does not.
- Gnus is written in Emacs Lisp; Mutt in C.
- Configuration: Gnus uses Emacs Lisp in init.el or ~/.gnus.el, and Mutt uses muttrc text file.

## Side by side

| | Gnus | Mutt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Runs inside Emacs | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Emacs Lisp | C |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Native | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Through Termux | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | Yes |
| notmuch | Through a separate tool | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | Yes | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | via plugin | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | gnus-search: IMAP SEARCH, or notmuch, mu, mairix and other local indexers | built-in patterns; server-side IMAP search |
| HTML mail | built-in, rendered with the Emacs shr library | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | via the Gnus agent or local Maildir back ends | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache |
| Calendar | replies to invitations with gnus-icalendar | No |
| Contacts | via BBDB or EUDC | via query_command with abook or khard |
| Vim-style keys | No | Yes |
| Configuration | Emacs Lisp in init.el or ~/.gnus.el | muttrc text file |

Pages: [Gnus](https://terminalemail.com/clients/gnus/index.md), [Mutt](https://terminalemail.com/clients/mutt/index.md)