Mutt vs NeoMutt
Mutt: Long-running text-mode email client with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP support, configured through a muttrc file.
NeoMutt: Full-screen terminal mail reader forked from Mutt, with notmuch, NNTP, Lua scripting and a sidebar built in.
Differences
- NeoMutt: Fork of Mutt.
- Only NeoMutt has built-in notmuch.
- Configuration: Mutt uses muttrc text file, and NeoMutt uses neomuttrc text file.
Side by side
| Mutt | NeoMutt | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | C | C |
| License | GPL 2.0 or later | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | 2.4.2 | 20260616 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Through Termux | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | Yes |
| notmuch | No | Yes |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | Yes | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | via script | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in patterns; server-side IMAP search | built-in patterns; notmuch for full-text |
| HTML mail | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx |
| Mouse | No | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | via query_command with abook or khard | via query_command with abook or khard |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | Yes |
| Configuration | muttrc text file | neomuttrc text file |
Which to choose
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
Choose NeoMutt for
- Built-in notmuch support for tag-based virtual mailboxes and full-text search
- Reads Usenet over NNTP and supports Lua scripting
- Reads most existing muttrc files with few or no changes
Watch out for
- Configuration is a text file with hundreds of options and no setup wizard
- HTML mail needs an external viewer set up in mailcap
- OAuth2 needs an external token script such as mutt_oauth2.py
Questions
What is the difference between Mutt and NeoMutt?
NeoMutt: Fork of Mutt. Only NeoMutt has built-in notmuch. Configuration: Mutt uses muttrc text file, and NeoMutt uses neomuttrc text file.
Which runs on Windows, Mutt or NeoMutt?
On Windows, Mutt runs through WSL. On Windows, NeoMutt runs through WSL.
See also: Mutt alternatives, NeoMutt alternatives.