IMAP and POP3 are two different email protocols used to access and manage emails on remote servers. Here are the main differences between IMAP and POP3:

POP3 (Post Office Protocol Version 3)

• Downloads all new emails onto the endpoint device while erasing them from the email service.
• Once downloaded, the email can be accessed only from the specific endpoint.
• Only downloads emails that are in your inbox folder.
• Uses bandwidth more efficiently than IMAP does.
• There is no limitation on the size of your inbox with POP3.

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)

• Allows you to access your email wherever you are, from any device.
• When you read an email message using IMAP, you arent actually downloading or storing it on your computer; instead, youre reading it from the email service.
• Allows you to view all your emails that are on the email server from multiple devices.
• Emails are saved on the email server, and IMAP also caches copies of your email to all your devices.
• Stores emails on a server and then syncs them across multiple devices.
• Allows you to organize the server mailbox.
• Keeps several copies of an email to make retrieval easier.

In summary, POP3 is simpler and better suited for configurations where emails need to be accessed only from a single device, while IMAP is more advanced and recommended when you need to check your emails from several different devices.