What is the difference between IMAP and POP3?

IMAP is a short form for Internet Message Access protocol while POP3 is a short form for Post Office Protocol. They are used to access mail from third party email. IMAP is better for accessing emails from multiple devices such as smartphones and work computers while POP3 works better if you are using one device.

IMAP stores emails on the server, sent messages are stored on the server while POP3 stores email on a single device, and sent messages are sent on a single device. POP3 allows you to download messages from your inbox to your local computer while IMAP allows the user to see all the folders on the mail server.

Users on POP3 cannot create, delete, or rename email while IMAP can rename, delete, and create on the mail server. IMAP server listens on port 143, and the IMAP with SSL secure (IMAPDS) server listens on port 993 while The POP server listens on port 110, and the POP with SSL secure (POP3DS) server listens on port 995.

IMAP or Internet Message Access Protocol is an internet protocol used to retrieve emails from a mail server. IMAP is mostly used by email clients such as Yahoo, Outlook, Gmail, etc. IMAP works via a remote server so that email messages can be easily sent and received.

POP3 or Post Office Protocol 3, on the other hand, uses an Internet Protocol (IP) network to help email clients like the ones listed above to retrieve mails from a server. POP3 is just like a third generation technology of the first POP version created in 1984. POP3 was actually released in 1988 as a more advanced version of the first POP.

IMAP is a technology designed by Mark Crispin and was released in 1986. It also came to improve on some of the shortcomings of the first POP version to be created. As IMAP allows you to access your emails using multiple devices, any changes you make on one device will also reflect on other devices, whereas this is not the case with POP3.

IMAP and POP3 are related to computers. They are both types of protocols. IMAP is an abbreviation that stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. It came about as an alternative to POP, which stands for Post Office Protocol.

IMAP gives users the freedom to use multiple email clients. All the messages that are done are stored on the local machine. Users are also able to go through their emails without downloading them.

POP3 is the third version of the original POP. It differs from IMAP because it allows an email to be held for as long as needed. It also does not make copies of the mail.

IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol, and it is an alternative to the original POP or Post Office Protocol. Its ambition is to allow users to be free to affiliate themselves with more than one email client, as it is the standard email protocol that permits the user to access email accounts on multiple devices. It maintains the messages stored on the user’s local machine all at once. It also allows users to sort through their email messages without having to go to the trouble of downloading first.

POP3 translates to Post Office Protocol version 3. Unlike IMAP, this program is quite simple, and it accepts and holds an email for as long as the person with the email client picks it up. Unlike IMAP, it does not produce copies of the mail it receives and keeps them on the server. It also accesses and downloads as many times as the user wants within the given time frame.