Notmuch Emacs interface vs Sup
Notmuch Emacs interface: Emacs front end for notmuch that reads, searches, tags and composes mail from a local Maildir.
Sup: Curses email client in Ruby built around threads, labels and fast full-text search over local mail.
Differences
- Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs; Sup is a full-screen terminal client.
- Only Notmuch Emacs interface has built-in SMTP and notmuch.
- Only Sup has built-in mbox.
- On BSD, Notmuch Emacs interface runs natively and Sup builds from source.
- On Android, Notmuch Emacs interface runs through Termux and Sup is not available.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has mouse support; Sup does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has calendar support; Sup does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has S/MIME; Sup does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface has OAuth2 sign-in; Sup does not.
- Sup has Vim-style keys; Notmuch Emacs interface does not.
- Notmuch Emacs interface is written in Emacs Lisp; Sup in Ruby.
- Configuration: Notmuch Emacs interface uses Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file, and Sup uses ~/.sup/config.yaml and ~/.sup/sources.yaml, plus Ruby hooks.
Side by side
| Notmuch Emacs interface | Sup | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Runs inside Emacs | Full-screen terminal interface |
| Language | Emacs Lisp | Ruby |
| License | GPL 3.0 or later | GPL 2.0 or later |
| Latest version | 0.40 | 1.4 |
| Linux | Native | Native |
| macOS | Native | Native |
| Windows | Through WSL | Through WSL |
| BSD | Native | Build from source |
| Android | Through Termux | No |
| IMAP | Through a separate tool | No |
| POP3 | Through a separate tool | No |
| SMTP | Yes | Through a separate tool |
| JMAP | No | No |
| Maildir | Yes | Yes |
| mbox | No | Yes |
| notmuch | Yes | No |
| OpenPGP | Yes | Yes |
| S/MIME | Yes | No |
| OAuth2 sign-in | via script | No |
| Threads | Yes | Yes |
| Search | notmuch Xapian full-text search with tags | Xapian full-text index with a query language |
| HTML mail | built-in, rendered with the Emacs shr library | via the mime-decode hook and an external viewer such as w3m |
| Mouse | Yes | No |
| Multiple accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Offline use | full; reads a local Maildir synced by mbsync or OfflineIMAP | reads local Maildir or mbox; sync with isync or OfflineIMAP |
| Calendar | shows text/calendar parts; no invitation replies | No |
| Contacts | address completion from the notmuch index | tracks recent contacts automatically |
| Vim-style keys | No | Yes |
| Configuration | Emacs Lisp in init.el plus the notmuch config file | ~/.sup/config.yaml and ~/.sup/sources.yaml, plus Ruby hooks |
Which to choose
Choose Notmuch Emacs interface for
- Tag-based organization with fast full-text search over all local mail.
- Shows a whole thread in a single buffer.
- Handles PGP/MIME and S/MIME signatures and decryption through notmuch.
Watch out for
- No built-in IMAP; needs mbsync or a similar sync tool.
- Custom tags stay in the local index; only standard flags such as unread and replied reach the IMAP server.
- Requires Emacs and some Emacs Lisp to configure.
Choose Sup for
- Fast full-text search over large archives
- Gmail-style labels, archiving and muting of threads
- Ruby hooks for custom behavior
Watch out for
- No built-in IMAP or SMTP; needs isync (or similar) and msmtp
- Changes sync back to Maildir only with the optional sync-back setting
- Packaged by Debian and Ubuntu (and the AUR); elsewhere installed as a Ruby gem with native Xapian bindings
Questions
What is the difference between Notmuch Emacs interface and Sup?
Notmuch Emacs interface is a mail client that runs inside Emacs; Sup is a full-screen terminal client. Only Notmuch Emacs interface has built-in SMTP and notmuch. Only Sup has built-in mbox.
Which runs on Windows, Notmuch Emacs interface or Sup?
On Windows, Notmuch Emacs interface runs through WSL. On Windows, Sup runs through WSL.
See also: Notmuch Emacs interface alternatives, Sup alternatives.