What’s the difference between SMTP,IMAP and POP3?
SMTP, IMAP and POP3 are protocols that are very important when it comes to email services. However, each of them are different from each other and may serve different purpose in email.
SMTP
- Protocol used to send out emails
- Port commonly used : 465 (SSL), 587 (STARTTLS)
IMAP
- Protocol used to receive emails
- You read emails directly from the server without downloading them permanently.
- Common port : 993 (SSL)
POP3
- Protocol used to receive emails
- POP3 downloads emails from the mail server to your device. After downloading, it usually removes the emails from the server (unless configured to leave a copy).
- Common port : 995 (SSL)
Understanding the roles of SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 helps ensure your email is set up correctly and works the way you expect across devices.
Should you have any technical inquiries, feel free to contact us at support@ipserverone.com.