# NeoMutt vs Notmuch Emacs interface

- NeoMutt: Full-screen terminal mail reader forked from Mutt, with notmuch, NNTP, Lua scripting and a sidebar built in.
- Notmuch Emacs interface: Emacs front end for notmuch that reads, searches, tags and composes mail from a local Maildir.

## Differences

- NeoMutt is a full-screen terminal client; Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs.
- Only NeoMutt has built-in IMAP, POP3 and mbox.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has mouse support; NeoMutt does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has calendar support; NeoMutt does not.
- NeoMutt has Vim-style keys; Notmuch Emacs interface does not.
- NeoMutt is written in C; Notmuch Emacs interface in Emacs Lisp.
- Configuration: NeoMutt uses neomuttrc text file, and Notmuch Emacs interface uses Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file.

## Side by side

| | NeoMutt | Notmuch Emacs interface |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Runs inside Emacs |
| Language | C | Emacs Lisp |
| License | GPL 2.0 or later | GPL 3.0 or later |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Through Termux | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| POP3 | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | No |
| notmuch | Yes | Yes |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | Yes | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | via script | via script |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | built-in patterns; notmuch for full-text | notmuch Xapian full-text search with tags |
| HTML mail | via mailcap and an external viewer such as w3m or lynx | built-in, rendered with the Emacs shr library |
| Mouse | No | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | with isync or OfflineIMAP; IMAP header and body cache | full; reads a local Maildir synced by mbsync or OfflineIMAP |
| Calendar | No | shows text/calendar parts; no invitation replies |
| Contacts | via query_command with abook or khard | address completion from the notmuch index |
| Vim-style keys | Yes | No |
| Configuration | neomuttrc text file | Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file |

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