IMAP vs POP3

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) vs POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) – which is the better email protocol? Well, it really depends. I like IMAP because it allows me to check my email from multiple locations and leaves a copy of the email on the server. On the other hand with POP3 your email client will download the messages from the server and store them locally.

There are of course benefits to both, IMAP will provide better accessibility no matter where you are, while POP3 will allow you to read messages offline (provided it’s downloaded them previously) and you do not need to worry about filling up an email quota. That being said, email is generally just text so it would require millions of emails perhaps fill up several Gigabytes of space.

I also recommend (no matter which protocol you use) you use a form of encryption (such as TLS) to help keep your messages safe in transit.  If your current host does not provide IMAP and you would like to check it out – sign up for Google Apps (a free service) which will provide you with a number of tools including email management for your domain.  You can check out my review on Google Apps here.