{"id":1104,"date":"2021-03-17T14:28:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T12:28:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/?p=1104"},"modified":"2025-11-27T14:36:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T12:36:30","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-pop-and-imap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/what-is-the-difference-between-pop-and-imap\/","title":{"rendered":"POP vs IMAP Email: Full Comparison"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Setting up an email client might seem complex at first. But with the right information, <\/span><b>you\u2019ll have it running in no time.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Modern email clients access incoming emails from the servers that receive and store your messages through POP or IMAP. So, <\/span><b>be prepared to tell support<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which option you chose during setup if you ever need to fix an email problem.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both methods come with pros and cons which can also help users decide which is the best fit for them. In this article, we\u2019ll explore both <\/span><b>terms and how they affect your email account<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What are POP and IMAP Email Protocols?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1105 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2021-03-17_14h26_44.png\" alt=\"POP vs IMAP Email: Full Comparison, What are POP and IMAP Email Protocols?\" width=\"467\" height=\"233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2021-03-17_14h26_44.png 467w, https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/2021-03-17_14h26_44-300x150.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 361px) 660px, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 910px, 1140px\" \/><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image credit: Pinterest<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POP and IMAP are <\/span><b>internet mail protocols<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> used to retrieve your emails from a mail server. These email protocols allow you to access your email <\/span><b>via third-party applications like:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thunderbird<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Outlook<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gmail<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mail<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eudora, and so on<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their major difference lies in <\/span><b>the way they let you access and store messages<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hang on. We\u2019ll explore these protocols a little further.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>POP<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>POP<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> stands for Post Office Protocol.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might see a variation of it as POP3. The \u201c3\u201d suffix signifies the current version in use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With POP, <\/span><b>you can access and download your messages from your mail client<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hosted on a remote server. Once you check an email via POP, you can only have access to it again if you\u2019re using the same computer or mobile device.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regardless of whether you\u2019ve got an internet connection or not, you won\u2019t be able to access the same messages on a different device. In other words, on a POP, <\/span><b>you can only access your messages locally<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on your PC, Mac, or mobile device, not from the cloud.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internet Service Providers (ISPs) use POP email protocol often to provide email delivery services. POP servers <\/span><b>function by setting up directories for each email account<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, then sorts incoming mail according to these folders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you try to access these messages via an email client such as Thunderbird, <\/span><b>it connects to the POP server<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and downloads all the mail in the corresponding directory. After that, it deletes the downloaded messages from the server.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>IMAP<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>IMAP<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is short for Internet Message Access Protocol.\u00a0 This email protocol allows you <\/span><b>to access emails directly from the cloud<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> without downloading them locally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It also lets you read or check your messages directly from the email service. The only thing an IMAP protocol downloads (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when you click on it<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) are attachments. That way, you&#8217;re able <\/span><b>to check messages more quickly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> than you would on POP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>How Do They Compare?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To compare and contrast these two email protocols, we\u2019ll discuss their work processes at a basic level.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>POP Work Process<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">POP goes through four basic processes when you access your email.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It connects to the POP server<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Fetches all emails from the email client.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Downloads and stores email locally on your device<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Deletes previously downloaded email from the server.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Deduction<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: POP\u2019s workflow is <\/span><b>simple and basic<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You can access your emails offline after it downloads them. Though it deletes mail from the server, most POP clients offer you the option of leaving a copy of downloaded mail on the server.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>IMAP Work Process<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IMAP goes through the following <\/span><b>work process<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> when you access your emails.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It connects to the IMAP server<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Retrieves messages and other content that the user requests and cache them locally, albeit temporarily.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This content can include showing the header and body of a message, showing a list of incoming mail, or letting the user access bookmarked messages.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Allows and processes user edits such as deleting emails, marking emails as spam, marking emails as favorite, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Disconnects.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><b>Deduction: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apparently, the IMAP workflow is complex. Compared to POP, which is a one-way protocol, IMAP allows so much more on its server.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IMAP creates directories that enable it <\/span><b>to organize email copies in the cloud<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and temporarily cache them offline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, IMAP does not store these copies by default. You may opt to access a few emails offline, but that\u2019s it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You won\u2019t be able to access any attachments or images associated with that mail.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Setting Up POP vs. IMAP: Which Should You Use, and When?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, this <\/span><b>depends on your needs and ideal situation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, POP and IMAP both have different workflows that make them stand out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, what do you do when you\u2019re torn between setting up POP or IMAP for your email clients?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These points below should help you reach a decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Set up POP when you:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Only access your email via one device.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to have access to your emails offline.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a large number of emails but limited server storage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have poor internet connection<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Set up IMAP when you:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Access your emails via various devices<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to have access to your emails online.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want a breakdown or overview of your email account.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a large number of emails but limited local storage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a reliable internet<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a nutshell, these email protocols both have unique attributes that you can take advantage of when <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/blog\/how-to-set-up-a-business-email-in-vps\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">setting up your business email<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While <\/span><b>IMAP allows you more flexibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>POP gives you access to important emails<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> even without an internet connection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This lets you save server storage, especially when you\u2019re on a limited email hosting plan.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Next?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Scala Hosting has the ideal <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/business-email-hosting.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email hosting plan<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for whatever option you choose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>With more than 100GB of email storage, and multiple email protocols<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as IMAP, POP3, and SMTP, you can now launch your business email without worries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Setting up an email client might seem complex at first. But with the right information, you\u2019ll have it running in no time. Modern email clients access incoming emails from the servers that receive and store your messages through POP or IMAP. So, be prepared to tell support which option you chose during setup if you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"POP vs IMAP Email: Full Comparison | ScalaHosting KB","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-email-hosting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1104"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5896,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1104\/revisions\/5896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scalahosting.com\/kb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}