Email: IMAP vs POP

IMAP
IMAP is a great choice for users who wish to check their mail from different computers. If you have ever used WebMail before, then you've already used IMAP. When you log into the IMAP server, you are seeing your messages and folders as they exist on the server, regardless of which computer you are using. One thing to remember is that disk space is limited on the server. You may have an email quota, so eventually storage might become an issue. It is good practice to periodically clean up any unwanted messages. However, if you are using a program like Outlook, you have the option to save messages to local folders (on your machine).

POP
POP is suitable if you are going to use e-mail only from one location, such as your home or office, because all your e-mail activities are performed on your local workstation. Mail is “popped” (downloaded) from the inbox of the email server to your local machine, either manually or according to a preset time interval. The email is stored on your local computer where you can create folders that may or may not match the folders you might have on the email server. Since the e-mail is normally deleted from the server when it is downloaded, you are responsible for making backup copies. Also, your downloaded e-mail will not be on the server if you attempt to access it from a different computer. Although you can choose a POP setting to “leave mail on the server”, you cannot use folders, filters, or any other client capabilities on the server, and leaving e-mail on the server can result in your exceeding your allowable disk space.

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