What is the difference between POP3 and IMAP?
Learn about the differences between POP and IMAP, and which one you should use to access your mail from your mobile device or third-party email client.
POP3 and IMAP are two different protocols (methods) used to access email.
Of the two, IMAP is the better option – and the recommended option – when you need to check your emails from multiple devices, such as a work laptop, a home computer, or a tablet, smartphone, or other mobile device. Tap into your synced (updated) account from any device with IMAP.
POP3 downloads email from a server to a single computer, then deletes it from the server. Because your messages get downloaded to a single computer or device and then deleted from the server, it can appear that mail is missing or disappearing from your Inbox if you try to check your mail from a different computer.
To learn how to access your mail through a third-party email client (like Outlook, Mac Mail, etc.) please visit our help page, click here
Here are the differences between POP3 and IMAP.
POP3 – Post Office Protocol | IMAP – Internet Messaging Access Protocol |
You can use only one computer to check your email (no other devices) | You can use multiple computers and devices to check your email |
Your mails are stored on the computer that you use | Your mails are stored on the server |
Sent mail is stored locally on your PC, not on a mail server | Sent mail stays on the server so you can see it from any device. |