# nmh vs S-nail

- nmh: The MH message handling system: separate shell commands to read, file, search and send mail stored one file per message.
- S-nail: Command-line mail program that implements POSIX mailx, with MIME, IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Maildir and S/MIME support.

## Differences

- Only S-nail has built-in IMAP.
- On Android, nmh runs through Termux and S-nail is not available.
- nmh has calendar support; S-nail does not.
- S-nail has S/MIME; nmh does not.
- S-nail has OAuth2 sign-in; nmh does not.
- S-nail has threaded views; nmh does not.
- Configuration: nmh uses ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files, and S-nail uses ~/.mailrc command file.

## Side by side

| | nmh | S-nail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Command-line tools and prompts | Command-line tools and prompts |
| Language | C | C |
| License | BSD 3-Clause | ISC and BSD 2-Clause and BSD 3-Clause and BSD 4-Clause |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Native |
| Android | Through Termux | Not supported |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | Yes |
| POP3 | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP | Yes | Yes |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | Yes |
| notmuch | No | No |
| OpenPGP | No | No |
| S/MIME | No | Yes |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | via script |
| Threads | No | Yes |
| Search | pick command matches header fields and message text | built-in message specifications and the search command; IMAP SEARCH on IMAP folders |
| HTML mail | via mhshow with an external converter such as w3m | built-in tag-soup filter or external viewer via mailcap |
| Mouse | No | No |
| Multiple accounts | via per-command switches or separate profiles | Yes |
| Offline use | full; messages are stored as local files | IMAP cache with disconnected mode |
| Calendar | replies to invitations with mhical | No |
| Contacts | aliases via MailAliases and the ali command | aliases via the alias command |
| Vim-style keys | No | No |
| Configuration | ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files | ~/.mailrc command file |

Pages: [nmh](https://terminalemail.com/clients/nmh/index.md), [S-nail](https://terminalemail.com/clients/s-nail/index.md)