mblaze vs nmh
mblaze: Set of small Unix utilities for reading, searching, threading and composing mail stored in Maildir folders.
nmh: The MH message handling system: separate shell commands to read, file, search and send mail stored one file per message.
Differences
- Only nmh has built-in POP3, SMTP and mbox.
- On Android, mblaze is not available and nmh runs through Termux.
- nmh has calendar support; mblaze does not.
- mblaze has OpenPGP; nmh does not.
- mblaze has threaded views; nmh does not.
- Configuration: mblaze uses ~/.mblaze/profile (header-style key: value lines), and nmh uses ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files.
Side by side
| mblaze | nmh | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Command-line tools and prompts | Command-line tools and prompts |
| Language | C | C |
| License | CC0 1.0 and MIT | BSD 3-Clause |
| Latest version | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | No | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | Through a separate tool |
| POP3 | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| SMTP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | No | No |
| OpenPGP | via contrib scripts | No |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | No |
| Threads | Yes | No |
| Search | mpick and magrep filter messages by headers, flags and content | pick command matches header fields and message text |
| HTML mail | via a filter command in ~/.mblaze/filter used by mshow | via mhshow with an external converter such as w3m |
| Mouse | No | No |
| Multiple accounts | via separate Maildirs and profile settings | via per-command switches or separate profiles |
| Offline use | full; works only on local Maildir | full; messages are stored as local files |
| Calendar | No | replies to invitations with mhical |
| Contacts | No | aliases via MailAliases and the ali command |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | ~/.mblaze/profile (header-style key: value lines) | ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files |
Which to choose
Choose mblaze for
- Each command does one job, so mail handling is easy to combine in pipes and scripts.
- Works directly on Maildir with no index or database to maintain.
- Small C programs with no external library dependencies.
Watch out for
- No built-in IMAP, POP3 or SMTP; needs mbsync and msmtp or similar tools.
- Command-line only, with no full-screen interface.
- OpenPGP and S/MIME handling relies on unsupported contrib scripts.
Choose nmh for
- Every action is a shell command, so mail handling is easy to script.
- One file per message lets grep, find and other Unix tools work on mail.
- Built-in POP3 and SMTP with TLS and SASL; reads mbox and Maildir drops.
Watch out for
- No IMAP; IMAP mail must be synced to a Maildir first and then incorporated.
- No built-in OpenPGP or S/MIME, and no thread view.
- SMTP authentication needs nmh built with Cyrus SASL and its PLAIN or LOGIN plugin.
Questions
What is the difference between mblaze and nmh?
Only nmh has built-in POP3, SMTP and mbox. On Android, mblaze is not available and nmh runs through Termux. nmh has calendar support; mblaze does not.
Which runs on Windows, mblaze or nmh?
On Windows, mblaze runs through WSL. On Windows, nmh runs through WSL.
See also: mblaze alternatives, nmh alternatives.