The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and Post Office Protocol (POP) are two popular methods to access your emails. They work as Message Accessing Agents (MAA) to retrieve messages from the mail provider’s server. You may come across POP and IMAP server options when setting up your mailbox in your preferredemail app. Which one is better? Read along to learn the differences between POP and IMAP accounts
Introduced in 1984, POP is an older protocol.. It has received several updates throughout its lifespan, with POP4 being the latest iteration in use. In comparison, IMAP is an advanced and recommended method to access your emails from different devices like a PC, Mac, tablet, andtop budget Android phone.
IMAP vs. POP: A quick overview
IMAP is designed to let you check your emails from any device. The main advantage of IMAP is that it doesn’t download the email message on your device. It’s a go-to option for popular email apps like Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, and more. These apps usually try to set your email account with IMAP access. It doesn’t require any input from you.
IMAP only downloads an email when you open it. The protocol doesn’t auto-download attachments either. It’s quicker and takes less internet bandwidth, storage, and processing power on your desktop or phone. The entire email experience is smooth and seamless compared to POP.
POP contacts your email service and downloads new messages from it. After the protocol downloads messages on your device, they are erased from the email service. If you try to access the same on another device, the messages saved on another device aren’t accessible to you.
When you send several emails over POP, the email service doesn’t retain a copy as the system stores them locally on your device only. POP was created to be used on a single computer. Even though POP has received several enhancements since its introduction, it has stuck to its simplicity to make it the preferred protocol for specific applications.
On the flip side, IMAP was developed to become an advanced version of POP. As personal computers became popular among consumers, IMAP started replacing POP for its synchronization capabilities.
IMAP vs. POP: Functionality
IMAP creates a single central server to sync emails across all your devices. For example, if you use a desktop, tablet, or smartphone, the IMAP protocol syncs your messages, read status, and other details as soon as you connect your device to the internet.
When you open and read an email on your phone, IMAP marks it as read on other devices. Similarly, when you delete an email from your computer, the system deletes it from your tablet or phone. The synchronization isn’t limited to your emails only. It also syncs your email folders like Inbox, Sent, Junk, Spam, and more. When you create a custom folder on your PC, it appears on your other devices.
When it comes to a POP server, it asks for a username from the email client to check your record. After the system fetches your username successfully, the server sends a request for a password.
When the account connects, glance over your emails stored on the POP server. You can check email size and download them to your device. When you retrieve emails, they are deleted from the server side and aren’t available on other devices. It is the biggest difference between IMAP and POP. However, several POP3 clients offer an option to keep a copy of the email on the server, bringing it close to IMAP in functionality.
IMAP vs. POP: Email organization
Email organization becomes a key factor when you receive hundreds of messages every day. With IMAP, you’re able to organize your emails in different categories effectively. It’s handy when you work on different projects and want to categorize emails in Sales, Finance, Invoice, Marketing, and other folders. A server using POP protocol doesn’t offer an option to organize your emails.
IMAP vs. POP: Storage and offline usage
Since POP stores emails offline, it doesn’t require an active internet connection to access them. POP3 also requires less space on the server side (unless you activate an option to store a copy on the server). However, it takes significant storage on the client side (your device).
IMAP stores email content on the server. It doesn’t take up significant space on your device. You can read, edit, or delete your downloaded emails, and your changes are synced to the server and other devices.
Limitations
An IMAP configuration requires an active internet connection to access your emails. You need a significant space in your mailbox if you are a power user. You may need to pay more on your hosting plan to unlock more storage for your mailbox.
Since you are storing your email locally in a POP configuration, you may lose access to your emails in case of device failure. You can keep a copy of your emails on the server, but the situation results in email duplication on the server and client.
We have a clear winner
Both IMAP and POP protocols offer virus and spam filters. However, they are considered unsecured by cybersecurity experts. You should set up two-factor authentication to make it more secure. Check our dedicated post to learn thetop 2FA apps on Android.
