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POP and IMAP are most frequently used protocols for receiving e-mail, designed to support most mail servers and client programs like Outlook Express or Mozilla Thunderbird. We can also refer to them with their version numbers POP3 and IMAP4.
There are several differences, but we can say IMAP is newer and allows for more functionality.
The fundamental difference is that when we connect through POP, all messages are downloaded to the client computer and with IMAP only the client requested messages are downloaded. In addition, when accessing a POP mail messages are usually deleted from the server as they download, while on IMAP when viewing a message is not deleted from the server, unless explicitly removed.
Another difference is that only one user can connect to POP to download e-mail meanwhile IMAP allows connections from more than one user to the same account.
Which one is the best? Depends on your use of your email and the connection mode.
With POP protocol you can download all the messages on your computer in a small space of time and then you can see them even when not connected to the Internet. With POP you can write all the answers offline and then reconnect to the Internet to send them.
With IMAP you have to be online all the time while you read your mail and answer the messages. If you lose your Internet connection you can't access your mail, as it is stored on the mail server and not on your computer.
The advantage of IMAP is that several people can be connected to one account at the same time. Also, if you change your computer at any time, you can also access your messages, because on IMAP all messages are available from any computer connected to the Internet. Therefore, with POP if you download the messages, they are saved on your computer and you will need your computer to read your old mail. If you use IMAP, will be stored in the server until you delete them.
So, IMAP may be a good idea if you change your computer normally or you are using mobile devices.
You can find more information about these protocols here:
