# meli vs Notmuch Emacs interface

- meli: Terminal email client written in Rust with IMAP, JMAP, notmuch, Maildir, mbox and NNTP backends and TOML configuration.
- Notmuch Emacs interface: Emacs front end for notmuch that reads, searches, tags and composes mail from a local Maildir.

## Differences

- meli is a full-screen terminal client; Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs.
- Only meli has built-in IMAP, JMAP and mbox.
- On Windows, meli is not available and Notmuch Emacs interface runs through WSL.
- On Android, meli is not available and Notmuch Emacs interface runs through Termux.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has calendar support; meli does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has S/MIME; meli does not.
- meli has Vim-style keys; Notmuch Emacs interface does not.
- meli is written in Rust; Notmuch Emacs interface in Emacs Lisp.
- Configuration: meli uses TOML file (config.toml), and Notmuch Emacs interface uses Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file.

## Side by side

| | meli | Notmuch Emacs interface |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Runs inside Emacs |
| Language | Rust | Emacs Lisp |
| License | EUPL 1.2 or GPL 3.0 or later | GPL 3.0 or later |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Not supported | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Not supported | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| POP3 | No | Through a separate tool |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | Yes | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | No |
| notmuch | Yes | Yes |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | via script | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in; sqlite3 index by default; notmuch queries | notmuch Xapian full-text search with tags |
| HTML mail | via filter command, w3m by default | built-in, rendered with the Emacs shr library |
| Mouse | Yes | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | IMAP header cache in sqlite3; full offline use with Maildir and mbsync | full; reads a local Maildir synced by mbsync or OfflineIMAP |
| Calendar | No | shows text/calendar parts; no invitation replies |
| Contacts | built-in contact list; reads vCard and mutt alias files | address completion from the notmuch index |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | TOML file (config.toml) | Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file |

Pages: [meli](https://terminalemail.com/clients/meli/index.md), [Notmuch Emacs interface](https://terminalemail.com/clients/notmuch-emacs/index.md)