[UPDATED] Difference Between POP and IMAP Email Client Protocol Accounts

You have more than one email address and want to use both on same mobile, so if you ever want to setup your email ID you need to configure email client app on your device. Before setting up, you need to know what is POP and IMAP. Learn how to choose best protocol for accessing the email messages on your device.

Difference Between POP and IMAP Email Accounts

Last time we have seen How to create free EMAIL ID with your own domain, and today we are going to see the meanings of POP & IMAP email accounts details. In other words, both are email protocols that they allow you to read emails locally using a third party application. Examples of such applications are FastMail, Outlook, YahooMail Clients or Thunderbird..

POP - Post Office Protocol 

POP is only mean to download the messages from your mail server to your home computer. Once it’s downloaded it is removed from your mail server, so there after you can read the message only from your home computer.

IMAP - Internet Message Access Protocol 

Also in IMAP you can view & download the messages from your mail server, but the difference is you can delay the downloading as required when the larger emails with attachments & even after downloading to your home computer they are also saved on your mail server, so whenever you want to see the same folders you have to just access your email by any means & from anywhere not necessarily from your home computer.

Difference Between POP and IMAP Email Protocol Accounts

	IMAP	POP
Workflow	Connect to server >> download user demanded content and store it locally >> Process user edits like rating, deleting or marking email as read etc. >> Disconnect.	Connect to mail server >> fetch download all mail >> Store locally as new mail >> Remove mail from server >> Disconnect.
Flexibility	You can read the message header and then decide which message to save. You can delete or move message without saving it. You are able to download the matter of message.	You should have to download all the messages and you can do it for one time only. It’s necessary to save all the messages. Download the whole messages including the attached document.
Synchronization	You can access messages from anywhere. Messages show in all folders. Whatever changes we made through web or any email software remain in sync.	Message can access only by single device. You can see the messages which are in inbox only. Changes in the downloaded message can be done by the email software only.
Safety	On your mail server every message kept with multiple copies.	Downloaded message for single time does exist only on personal computer.
Pros	Mail stored on remote server, i.e. accessible from multiple different locations Internet connection needed to access mail Faster overview as only headers are downloaded until content is explicitly requested Mail is automatically backed up if server is managed properly Saves local storage space Option to store mail locally	Mail stored locally, i.e. always accessible, even without internet connection Internet connection needed only for sending and receiving mail Saves server storage space Option to leave copy of mail on server Consolidate multiple email accounts and servers into one inbox
Cons	Sent Items available locally ONLY (no copy exists at all times on the mail server).	The main disadvantage of POP3 accounts is the difficulty to save and view your messages on multiple computers. Speed of mail download dependent on bandwidth (large attachments may take some time).

Suggestion IMAP vs POP

Obviously its depends on user requirements and his activity, but in my point of view, IMAP is better than POP. Because IMAP is more advance and allows you to see all your folders on your mail server. You can quickly view subjects and message bodies of emails. It can delay downloading larger email, such as those with attachments. IMP also allows you to synchronize mail folders between your home machine and mail server on the web. So that you see the same folders and messages wherever and however you access your email. For safety in POP you once downloaded the message only exists on your local computer. If crashes, the messages is lost, comparatively in IMAP all messages kept with multiple redundant copies on your mail servers.