Mutt vs nmail
Mutt: Long-running text-mode email client with IMAP, POP3 and SMTP support, configured through a muttrc file.
nmail: Terminal email client for Linux and macOS with an Alpine-like interface and built-in IMAP and SMTP.
Differences
- Only Mutt has built-in POP3, Maildir and mbox.
- On Windows, Mutt runs through WSL and nmail is not available.
- On BSD, Mutt runs natively and nmail is not available.
- On Android, Mutt runs through Termux and nmail is not available.
- Mutt has OpenPGP; nmail does not.
- Mutt has S/MIME; nmail does not.
- Mutt has Vim-style keys; nmail does not.
- Mutt has multiple accounts; nmail does not.
- Mutt has threaded views; nmail does not.
- Mutt is written in C; nmail in C++.
- Configuration: Mutt uses muttrc text file, and nmail uses ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value file.
Side by side
| Mutt | nmail | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | C | C++ |
| License | GPL 2.0 or later | MIT |
| Latest version | 2.4.2 | v5.16.4 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | No |
| BSD | Native | No |
| Android | Through Termux | No |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | Yes | No |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | No |
| mbox | Yes | No |
| notmuch | No | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | No |
| S/MIME | Yes | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | via script | Yes |
| Threads | Yes | No |
| Search | built-in patterns; server-side IMAP search | local cache index and server search |
| HTML mail | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx | converted to text, or opened in an external browser |
| Mouse | No | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | No |
| Offline use | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache | local SQLite cache; offline mode and send queue |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | via query_command with abook or khard | address book built from messages |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | muttrc text file | ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value 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 nmail for
- Built-in IMAP and SMTP with setup wizards for Gmail, iCloud and Outlook
- Local cache, address book and outgoing queue can be encrypted
- Compose HTML mail using Markdown
Watch out for
- One account per running instance
- No threaded view and no PGP or S/MIME
- Linux and macOS only; no Debian or Fedora package
Questions
What is the difference between Mutt and nmail?
Only Mutt has built-in POP3, Maildir and mbox. On Windows, Mutt runs through WSL and nmail is not available. On BSD, Mutt runs natively and nmail is not available.
Which runs on Windows, Mutt or nmail?
On Windows, Mutt runs through WSL. On Windows, nmail is not available.
See also: Mutt alternatives, nmail alternatives.