What s the difference between IMAP and POP3

Question

While using Get IMAP Mail Messages activity in UiPath, I came across another similar ctivity Get POP3 Mail Messages. So I just want to know what is the difference between IMAP and POP3?

Answer 1

Hi Sofia, the UiPath.Mail.Activities packages contains both IMAP and POP3 activities. Now they are quite different and can be used for different usages. The main difference is that the IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) always syncs with mail server so that any changes you make in your mail client will instantly appear on your webmail inbox. Like if you mark an email as "Read", it gets marked as Read in your web based Inbox too. 

While, it's not the case with POP3 (Post Office Protocol). In POP3, your mail client and server aren't synced. So even if you make any changes to your email account, the changes won't reflect in your webmail inbox.

Get IMAP Mail Messages (Internet Message Access Protocol) activity is not just used for accessing emails, but it is also used for receiving emails, marking them as read and moving them between folders. On the other hand, Get POP3 Mail Messages are used mainly for downloading mail messages or attachments.

Ports used in UiPath for IMAP activity is 993 and for POP3 its 995.