mblaze vs Notmuch Emacs interface
mblaze: Set of small Unix utilities for reading, searching, threading and composing mail stored in Maildir folders.
Notmuch Emacs interface: Emacs front end for notmuch that reads, searches, tags and composes mail from a local Maildir.
Differences
- mblaze is a command-line program; Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs.
- Only Notmuch Emacs interface has built-in SMTP and notmuch.
- On Android, mblaze is not available and Notmuch Emacs interface runs through Termux.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has mouse support; mblaze does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has calendar support; mblaze does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has S/MIME; mblaze does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has OAuth2 sign-in; mblaze does not.
- mblaze is written in C; Notmuch Emacs interface in Emacs Lisp.
- Configuration: mblaze uses ~/.mblaze/profile (header-style key: value lines), and Notmuch Emacs interface uses Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file.
Side by side
| mblaze | Notmuch Emacs interface | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Command-line tools and prompts | Runs inside Emacs |
| Language | C | Emacs Lisp |
| License | CC0 1.0 and MIT | GPL 3.0 or later |
| Latest version | 1.4 | 0.40 |
| 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 | Through a separate tool |
| SMTP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | No | No |
| notmuch | No | Yes |
| OpenPGP | via contrib scripts | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | mpick and magrep filter messages by headers, flags and content | notmuch Xapian full-text search with tags |
| HTML mail | via a filter command in ~/.mblaze/filter used by mshow | built-in, rendered with the Emacs shr library |
| Mouse | No | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | via separate Maildirs and profile settings | Yes |
| Offline use | full; works only on local Maildir | full; reads a local Maildir synced by mbsync or OfflineIMAP |
| Calendar | No | shows text/calendar parts; no invitation replies |
| Contacts | No | address completion from the notmuch index |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | ~/.mblaze/profile (header-style key: value lines) | Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file |
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 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 mblaze and Notmuch Emacs interface?
mblaze is a command-line program; Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs. Only Notmuch Emacs interface has built-in SMTP and notmuch. On Android, mblaze is not available and Notmuch Emacs interface runs through Termux.
Which runs on Windows, mblaze or Notmuch Emacs interface?
On Windows, mblaze runs through WSL. On Windows, Notmuch Emacs interface runs through WSL.
See also: mblaze alternatives, Notmuch Emacs interface alternatives.