What is the difference between POP3 and IMAP
What is POP3 mail?
POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol, version 3. A POP server stores mail in
your inbox until a POP client downloads it to the user's local PC. The messages
are then stored on the user's PC only, they are no longer available on the server.
POP3 is the most common mail protocol for bsolid users.
What is IMAP mail?
IMAP stands for Internet Messaging Access Protocol. Unlike POP3, an IMAP server
stores mail messages on the server. The IMAP client may view messages directly
from the server, or download copies of the messages so that the user can read
them and compose replies while offline.
The main advantage of IMAP is that messages are stored on the server, so you
can read your email from several different computers. The disadvantage is that
because the messages stay on the server until you delete them, you will fill
up your quota quickly.
What is the difference?
If you're using POP3, your e-mail program will download all your new messages
onto your computer, then remove them from our servers.
If you're using IMAP, your e-mail program will simply display the messages that
are on our servers, and it will leave them on the server. It will not download
the messages onto your computer.
You might want to use POP3 if you check your email from only one computer. You
might prefer IMAP if you're always on the go and like to be able to check your
email from different computers and locations.
The advantage of POP3 is that it is faster and you can read, sort and organize
your old mail while offline. The disadvantage is that POP3 removes the messages
from the servers, so you won't be able to read your old messages from another
computer.
The advantage of IMAP is that, since it always leaves the messages on our servers,
you can consult your email from any computer or any location. The problem is
that you will fill up your quota more quickly, since the emails are not automatically
removed from our servers. Moreover, you won't be able to read your old email
if you don't have any Internet connectivity.
The Best of Both Worlds?
The best of both worlds is POP3 with the option to leave the messages on the
server for a certain period of time or forever.
With POP3 set to leave a copy of the messages on the servers, you can do all
the following:
- download your messages onto your computer, so you can read, sort and organize
your email even when offline
- check your email from different locations, for example from work as well as
from home
- always have access to your old messages, no matter where you are, as long
as you have Internet connectivity
- have the peace of mind that, if your computer crashes, you will still have
a copy of your messages on our servers
The procedure to setup POP3 with this option widely varies depending on the
email program you're using, so if you feel you need to turn this feature on,
give us a call at and we'll guide you through the configuration of your email
program.