POP3 or IMAP (What's the Difference)

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From AAISP Support Site


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You can use POP3 or IMAP to access your email from the A&A servers. The 2 methods are quite different in how they work.


Differences

IMAP POP3
Email kept on our server, same view of email and folders for all your email programs Email downloaded to your email client and not kept on our server. Webmail and other email programs won't see the same view
Message (and attachments) only downloaded when you display the email Message (and attachments) are downloaded whenever you check for new email
You can create extra folders that are also created on the server, and therefore seen across all your email programs Only a single inbox on the server, folders you create are only local to that specific email program.
Sent email can also be stored on the server, and therefore seen across all email programs Sent email only stored on the local computer
1 Gigabyte of storage included as standard, further storage will have a small charge per Gigabyte (an advisory email will be sent when 1 Gigabyte is reached.) Email only stored on the local machine (unless the email program have a 'leave on server' option)

If you access your email from multiple devices, e.g. a email program on your computer, your mobile phone, tablet as well as wanting to use webmail then we'd suggest IMAP. You'll have the same view of your email from each device - all your folders will be seen, and read/unread statuses will be the same across all devices.

Also see: POP3 Tips for information on the spam folder with POP3 Clients