# Matcha vs nmh

- Matcha: Terminal email client written in Go with the Bubble Tea TUI library, with IMAP, JMAP and POP3 support.
- nmh: The MH message handling system: separate shell commands to read, file, search and send mail stored one file per message.

## Differences

- Matcha is a full-screen terminal client; nmh is a command-line program.
- Only Matcha has built-in IMAP and JMAP.
- Only nmh has built-in mbox.
- On Windows, Matcha runs natively and nmh runs through WSL.
- On BSD, Matcha builds from source and nmh runs natively.
- On Android, Matcha is not available and nmh runs through Termux.
- Matcha has mouse support; nmh does not.
- Matcha has OpenPGP; nmh does not.
- Matcha has S/MIME; nmh does not.
- Matcha has OAuth2 sign-in; nmh does not.
- Matcha has Vim-style keys; nmh does not.
- Matcha has threaded views; nmh does not.
- Matcha is written in Go; nmh in C.
- Configuration: Matcha uses ~/.config/matcha/config.json plus in-app settings, and nmh uses ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files.

## Side by side

| | Matcha | nmh |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Command-line tools and prompts |
| Language | Go | C |
| License | MIT | BSD 3-Clause |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Native | Through WSL |
| BSD | Build from source | Native |
| Android | Not supported | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| POP3 | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | Yes | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | No | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | No |
| S/MIME | Yes | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | Yes | No |
| Threads | Yes | No |
| Search | built-in search and filter | pick command matches header fields and message text |
| HTML mail | built-in rendering, with inline images in supported terminals | via mhshow with an external converter such as w3m |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | via per-command switches or separate profiles |
| Offline use | local cache of message lists and bodies | full; messages are stored as local files |
| Calendar | shows .ics invites and sends RSVP replies | replies to invitations with mhical |
| Contacts | address book built from sent and received mail | aliases via MailAliases and the ali command |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | ~/.config/matcha/config.json plus in-app settings | ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files |

Pages: [Matcha](https://terminalemail.com/clients/matcha/index.md), [nmh](https://terminalemail.com/clients/nmh/index.md)