POP or IMAP: Which Mail Protocol Is Best for ME?

Atlantech Online allows you to use your favorite email software with either POP or IMAP services. This give you the flexibility of using any of the popular email programs such as Outlook, Entourage, Netscape, Eudora and many others. IMAP is a newer, more advanced protocol and has some major advantages over POP, for many types of users. You can choose which is right for you.

With IMAP...

• Messages and Folders Stay Synched
  
  
• Access all of your messages and folders no matter where you are or what computer or browser you are using. No more having to manually sync up your laptop before you go on the road.
  
  
• Messages Stay Safe
  
  
• Computer crashed? Since IMAP keeps track of your messages on our servers, the next time you log in all your messages will be re-synched automatically.
  
  
• Lightning Fast Over Slow Connections
  
  
• Don't wait for messages to show up one by one. IMAP is optimized to display a list of your messages right away.
  
  
• Space Saver
  
  
• Retrieve a message only when want to read it. IMAP is great for cell phones, PDAs and other devices where storage is a premium.
  
  
• Work With Your Messages Off-Line
  
  
• Like POP, IMAP lets you work with your downloaded messages off-line and will send any new messages as soon as you reconnect. Unlike POP, IMAP will also re-sync any of the changes you made to a message while off-line, including creating and moving messages.

When to choose IMAP...

• You check your email with different computers or devices IMAP lets you keep all of your messages, file attachments and folders in sync, and remembers the condition that you last left them in (read, replied, forwarded, and so on).
  
  
• You use Webmail in addition to an email program such as Outlook IMAP lets you keep all of your messages, file attachments and folders synchronized between Webmail and your email program.
  
  
• You want the peace of mind of having your email backed up IMAP messages, file attachments and folders archived online are automatically backed up.
  
  
• You use a slow connection to the Internet IMAP lets you selectively download messages and file attachments.
  
  
• You use a computer or device with limited storage space IMAP lets you store messages and file attachments online and lets you selectively download only the ones that you need.
  
  
• You use POP and leave messages on the server IMAP is designed for this scenario; thus, you avoid the pitfalls of leaving messages on the server with POP.
  

When to choose POP...

• You check your email exclusively with one computer
  
  
• You perform your own email backups
  
  
• You must use an email program that does not work with IMAP
  
  
• You used POP before and are satisfied with its limitations