nmail vs Wanderlust
nmail: Terminal email client for Linux and macOS with an Alpine-like interface and built-in IMAP and SMTP.
Wanderlust: Mail and news reader for Emacs, written in Emacs Lisp, with built-in IMAP, POP3, NNTP and SMTP support.
Differences
- nmail is a full-screen terminal client; Wanderlust is a mail client that runs inside Emacs.
- Only Wanderlust has built-in POP3 and Maildir.
- On Windows, nmail is not available and Wanderlust runs through WSL.
- On BSD, nmail is not available and Wanderlust runs natively.
- On Android, nmail is not available and Wanderlust runs through Termux.
- Wanderlust has mouse support; nmail does not.
- Wanderlust has OpenPGP; nmail does not.
- Wanderlust has multiple accounts; nmail does not.
- Wanderlust has threaded views; nmail does not.
- nmail is written in C++; Wanderlust in Emacs Lisp.
- Configuration: nmail uses ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value file, and Wanderlust uses Emacs Lisp in ~/.wl, folder list in ~/.folders.
Side by side
| nmail | Wanderlust | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Full-screen terminal interface | Runs inside Emacs |
| Language | C++ | Emacs Lisp |
| License | MIT | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | v5.16.4 | 2.15.9 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | No | Through WSL |
| BSD | No | Native |
| Android | No | Through Termux |
| IMAP | Yes | Yes |
| POP3 | No | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | No | Yes |
| mbox | No | No |
| notmuch | No | Through a separate tool |
| OpenPGP | No | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | Yes | via oauth2.el |
| Threads | No | Yes |
| Search | local cache index and server search | IMAP server-side search; local search via mu, notmuch, grep or namazu |
| HTML mail | converted to text, or opened in an external browser | via mime-w3m (emacs-w3m) |
| Mouse | No | Yes |
| Multiple accounts | No | Yes |
| Offline use | local SQLite cache; offline mode and send queue | message cache and disconnected operation |
| Calendar | No | No |
| Contacts | address book built from messages | built-in address book |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | ~/.config/nmail/main.conf key=value file | Emacs Lisp in ~/.wl, folder list in ~/.folders |
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 Wanderlust for
- Built-in IMAP, POP3 and SMTP; no external sync or send tool needed
- Offline cache with disconnected operation
- Packaged in Debian, Ubuntu, Arch, FreeBSD and MELPA
Watch out for
- No formal release in many years; only 2.15.9 snapshots
- Folder syntax and the APEL/FLIM/SEMI dependency stack take time to learn
- Debian and Ubuntu ship an older snapshot than MELPA and Arch
Questions
What is the difference between nmail and Wanderlust?
nmail is a full-screen terminal client; Wanderlust is a mail client that runs inside Emacs. Only Wanderlust has built-in POP3 and Maildir. On Windows, nmail is not available and Wanderlust runs through WSL.
Which runs on Windows, nmail or Wanderlust?
On Windows, nmail is not available. On Windows, Wanderlust runs through WSL.
See also: nmail alternatives, Wanderlust alternatives.