# nmh vs Sup

- nmh: The MH message handling system: separate shell commands to read, file, search and send mail stored one file per message.
- Sup: Curses email client in Ruby built around threads, labels and fast full-text search over local mail.

## Differences

- nmh is a command-line program; Sup is a full-screen terminal client.
- Only nmh has built-in POP3 and SMTP.
- On BSD, nmh runs natively and Sup builds from source.
- On Android, nmh runs through Termux and Sup is not available.
- nmh has calendar support; Sup does not.
- Sup has OpenPGP; nmh does not.
- Sup has Vim-style keys; nmh does not.
- Sup has threaded views; nmh does not.
- nmh is written in C; Sup in Ruby.
- Configuration: nmh uses ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files, and Sup uses ~/.sup/config.yaml and ~/.sup/sources.yaml, plus Ruby hooks.

## Side by side

| | nmh | Sup |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interface | Command-line tools and prompts | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | C | Ruby |
| License | BSD 3-Clause | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Build from source |
| Android | Through Termux | Not supported |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | No |
| POP3 | Yes | No |
| SMTP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | Yes | Yes |
| notmuch | No | No |
| OpenPGP | No | Yes |
| S/MIME | No | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | No | No |
| Threads | No | Yes |
| Search | pick command matches header fields and message text | Xapian full-text index with a query language |
| HTML mail | via mhshow with an external converter such as w3m | via the mime-decode hook and an external viewer such as w3m |
| Mouse | No | No |
| Multiple accounts | via per-command switches or separate profiles | Yes |
| Offline use | full; messages are stored as local files | reads local Maildir or mbox; sync with isync or OfflineIMAP |
| Calendar | replies to invitations with mhical | No |
| Contacts | aliases via MailAliases and the ali command | tracks recent contacts automatically |
| Vim-style keys | No | Yes |
| Configuration | ~/.mh_profile and mts.conf text files | ~/.sup/config.yaml and ~/.sup/sources.yaml, plus Ruby hooks |

Pages: [nmh](https://terminalemail.com/clients/nmh/index.md), [Sup](https://terminalemail.com/clients/sup/index.md)