POP3 email is superior to IMAP for two reasons

Everything is synchronized from a centralized server using IMAP, and you can access your email folders from any device in the same way. If you use IMAP, you may access the same information in your inbox, sent folder, and any custom folders from your phone, tablet, or PC.

Using the Control Protocol version 3 (POP3), you can download email from your email provider's server to your computer or another device. IMAP is the only way to keep everything in sync. When you download an email to your local device using a POP configuration, it usually deletes it from the server.

However, you may usually arrange for your email client to keep your messages on the server if you like. According to most users, POP3 should be phased out in favor of IMAP. The fact is that this isn't true. If you're still using POP3, I'll give you two good reasons to switch to IMAP.

Understanding IMAP vs. POP3 Protocols

Because your email folders are all synced from a single server, you may access them from any device using IMAP. As long as you're using an IMAP server to access your email, your inbox and personalized folders will all look and function the same.

You should use POP3 if you want to download emails from your email provider's server to your PC. IMAP keeps you in sync with the server, whereas you only download data using POP3. Most (but not all) POP systems remove your email from the server when you download it to your local device. Email clients can also be configured to keep your messages on the server, although this is not always the case.

Because many email apps automatically create IMAP accounts, IMAP may be easier to set up. When it comes to POP3, on the other hand, the configuration must often be done by hand. Even worse, some IMAP-friendly email services don't support POP3 at all or don't give clear instructions on how to use it.

Only the server is affected by this. For example, Microsoft's default mail client on the contemporary UI side of Windows 8.1 does not support POP3.

Everything is about storage and privacy

.If your primary email account is not linked to a major webmail service like Gmail or Outlook, you should use POP3. The amount of email that can be stored on the systems of Internet Service Providers and website hosting companies is frequently limited.

With POP3, you can download all of your mail and then delete it if you're concerned about exceeding your storage limit. One of the benefits of POP3 is that it offers privacy. Many people have been wary about putting private information, such as emails, on third-party servers since the leaks of Edward Snowden. If they have the right warrants, law enforcement can access your email.

To ensure that only you have access to your email, store it locally on your devices rather than on a server hosted by a third party.

Intelligence services may intercept your email as it goes over the Internet, so that argument has some holes. Mail providers that employ POP3 may store redundant backup copies of your email that aren't promptly deleted, defeating the point of using POP3 for privacy considerations. Because email can be encrypted, it's a wonderful thing!

Indeed, most of us will never be the subject of a criminal investigation by law enforcement. But for most people, the notion of privacy is a matter of life or death.

There are disadvantages to this

POP3 requires careful consideration of how to access your email on a mobile device. You'll need a thorough backup plan to ensure that you don't lose your emails to a hard drive failure.

Even if you use POP3 on your PC, you should continue with IMAP on your smartphone and tablet. In the end, you'll have two separate email archives: one on your phone and one on your PC if you utilize POP3 to download messages to both devices. It's so bad that there are no words to express it

The Google Gmail app for Android or iOS is the best alternative if you're using a popular webmail service like Gmail. Outlook.com and Yahoo! are in the same boat.

Using IMAP on a smartphone or POP3 on a desktop computer each has its pros and cons. POP3 only downloads messages from the server; thus, if you reply to an email on your phone, your PC won't receive any new messages in your sent folder. It's best to use a mobile device to view or delete email, but not necessarily to send communications that may require a paper trail for later use...

All of your phone's messages may be lost even if you leave your PC running and download new email batches while you're away unless you explicitly set up your email to keep messages on the server for a defined time after you download them. As far as storage and privacy are concerned, POP3 is a superior alternative to IMAP, even if you need mobile access.