IMAP vs POP3: which one should you use?

When you add an account to a mail app, it asks for IMAP or POP3. The choice determines where your mail lives and what happens when you use a second device — and for almost everyone today, the answer is IMAP.

What IMAP does

IMAP keeps messages on the server and synchronises a view of them to each device. Read a message on your phone and it is marked read on your laptop. Move it to a folder and the folder structure matches everywhere. Delete it and it is gone from all devices, because there is one authoritative copy: the server's.

That model fits how people actually work — phone, laptop, webmail — and it means a lost device costs you nothing but the device.

What POP3 does

POP3 downloads messages to one device and, by default, removes them from the server. The mail then lives in that computer's local store. There is no synchronisation: a message read on the desktop is still unread anywhere else, and folders created locally exist only there.

POP3 predates always-on connectivity, and it shows. It survives for three narrow reasons: a very small server quota, an archive kept deliberately offline, or a legacy client that supports nothing else.

Choosing between them

Use IMAP if you read mail on more than one device, want webmail to reflect what you see in your client, or want the server to hold the canonical copy.

Use POP3 only if you specifically want mail pulled off the server onto one machine — and if you do, make sure that machine is backed up, because the server no longer has a copy.

SMTP is the other half

Neither protocol sends mail. Sending is SMTP, configured alongside IMAP or POP3. A typical modern setup uses IMAP on port 993 (TLS) for receiving and SMTP on port 465 (TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS) for sending. Providers publish the exact values; if a setup wizard offers automatic configuration, take it.

Switching from POP3 to IMAP

If you are on POP3 and want to move, do not simply delete the account — that would delete your local mail:

1. Add the same account a second time, as IMAP.
2. In your client, copy the local POP3 folders into the new IMAP folders. The client uploads them to the server.
3. Confirm the messages appear in webmail.
4. Only then remove the old POP3 account.

Frequently asked questions

Does IMAP use more storage? It uses server storage, which is what your quota is for. Local caching is configurable in most clients.

Can I use IMAP on several devices at once? Yes — that is the point. Phone, laptop and webmail can all be connected simultaneously.

Is one more secure than the other? Security comes from the encrypted connection (TLS), not the protocol. Both are safe over TLS; neither should be used unencrypted.

Does IMAP work offline? Clients cache messages for offline reading and sync changes when the connection returns.

IMAP and SMTP at imail.com.tr

imail.com.tr supports IMAP and SMTP over TLS, so your mail works in the built-in apps on iOS and Android, in Outlook and in Thunderbird alongside the webmail. Setup values are in the features page; step-by-step instructions are in our Outlook guide and phone setup guide.