nmail vs S-nail
nmail: Terminal email client for Linux and macOS with an Alpine-like interface and built-in IMAP and SMTP.
S-nail: Command-line mail program that implements POSIX mailx, with MIME, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Maildir and S/MIME support.
Differences
- nmail is a full-screen terminal client; S-nail is a command-line program.
- Only S-nail has built-in POP3, Maildir and mbox.
- On Windows, nmail is not available and S-nail runs through WSL.
- On BSD, nmail is not available and S-nail runs natively.
- S-nail has S/MIME; nmail does not.
- S-nail has multiple accounts; nmail does not.
- S-nail has threaded views; nmail does not.
- nmail is written in C++; S-nail in C.
- Configuration: nmail uses ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value file, and S-nail uses ~/.mailrc command file.
Side by side
| nmail | S-nail | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Command-line tools and prompts |
| Language | C++ | C |
| License | MIT | ISC and BSD 2-Clause and BSD 3-Clause and BSD 4-Clause |
| Latest version | v5.16.4 | 14.9.25 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | No | Through WSL |
| BSD | No | Native |
| Android | No | No |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | No | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | No | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | No | No |
| OpenPGP | No | No |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | Yes | via script |
| Threads | No | Yes |
| Search | local cache index and server search | built-in message specifications and the search command; IMAP SEARCH on IMAP folders |
| HTML mail | converted to text, or opened in an external browser | built-in tag-soup filter or external viewer via mailcap |
| Mouse | No | No |
| Multiple accounts | No | Yes |
| Offline use | local SQLite cache; offline mode and send queue | IMAP cache with disconnected mode |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | address book built from messages | aliases via the alias command |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value file | ~/.mailrc command file |
Which to choose
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
Choose S-nail for
- Drop-in POSIX mailx, so it works in existing shell scripts and cron jobs.
- Built-in SMTP, POP3 and IMAP with TLS; no separate sync or send tool needed.
- S/MIME signing and encryption are built in.
Watch out for
- Line-oriented prompt instead of a full-screen interface.
- No built-in OpenPGP; upstream documents a gpg pipe workaround only.
- IMAP support is kept at an older code level and upstream advises care.
Questions
What is the difference between nmail and S-nail?
nmail is a full-screen terminal client; S-nail is a command-line program. Only S-nail has built-in POP3, Maildir and mbox. On Windows, nmail is not available and S-nail runs through WSL.
Which runs on Windows, nmail or S-nail?
On Windows, nmail is not available. On Windows, S-nail runs through WSL.
See also: nmail alternatives, S-nail alternatives.