Matcha vs Mutt
Matcha: Terminal email client written in Go with the Bubble Tea TUI library, with IMAP, JMAP and POP3 support.
Mutt: Long-running text-mode email client with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP support, configured through a muttrc file.
Differences
- Only Matcha has built-in JMAP.
- Only Mutt has built-in mbox.
- On Windows, Matcha runs natively and Mutt runs through WSL.
- On BSD, Matcha builds from source and Mutt runs natively.
- On Android, Matcha is not available and Mutt runs through Termux.
- Matcha has mouse support; Mutt does not.
- Matcha has calendar support; Mutt does not.
- Matcha is written in Go; Mutt in C.
- Configuration: Matcha uses ~/.config/matcha/config.json plus in-app settings, and Mutt uses muttrc text file.
Side by side
| Matcha | Mutt | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Go | C |
| License | MIT | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | v1.0.1 | 2.4.2 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Native | Through WSL |
| BSD | Build from source | Native |
| Android | No | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | Yes | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | No | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | Yes | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | Yes | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in search and filter | built-in patterns; server-side IMAP search |
| HTML mail | built-in rendering, with inline images in supported terminals | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | local cache of message lists and bodies | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache |
| Calendar | shows .ics invites and sends RSVP replies | No |
| Contacts | address book built from sent and received mail | via query_command with abook or khard |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | Yes |
| Configuration | ~/.config/matcha/config.json plus in-app settings | muttrc text file |
Which to choose
Choose Matcha for
- Supports IMAP, JMAP, POP3 and Maildir in one client
- PGP (including YubiKey) and S/MIME signing and encryption
- Prebuilt packages for Linux (Snap, Flatpak), macOS (Homebrew tap) and Windows (winget)
Watch out for
- Young project; v1.0 shipped only after a long series of 0.x releases
- JSON config is less readable to hand-edit than muttrc-style files
- Binary name clashes with an unrelated tool also called matcha
Choose Mutt for
- Packaged by major Linux distributions, Homebrew, FreeBSD, OpenBSD and Termux
- Conservative releases that rarely break existing muttrc files
- Built-in PGP/MIME, S/MIME and Autocrypt
Watch out for
- No notmuch, NNTP or scripting support (NeoMutt has these)
- Configuration is a text file with hundreds of options and no setup wizard
- HTML mail needs an external viewer set up in mailcap
Questions
What is the difference between Matcha and Mutt?
Only Matcha has built-in JMAP. Only Mutt has built-in mbox. On Windows, Matcha runs natively and Mutt runs through WSL.
Which runs on Windows, Matcha or Mutt?
On Windows, Matcha runs natively. On Windows, Mutt runs through WSL.
See also: Matcha alternatives, Mutt alternatives.