The basic idea with IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) remains the same as that of POP e-mail’s. Messages which are sent and received are first stored in your server until they are downloaded onto specific computers using e-mail client programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Netscape Messenger, and the like.

The main difference between IMAP and POP is that one can manipulate messages from different computers with IMAP. So for example, you have a desktop at work, a laptop you carry around, and a desktop at home. With IMAP, you can access your e-mail messages from any of these three computers without having to transfer them from one computer to the other. This is in fact a big improvement because with POP, once you download the messages to one computer, they are taken off the server. As such, you would have to physically transfer your e-mails from your desktop to your laptop for example.

Before we end, let’s briefly mention web-based e-mails. These are normally the free accounts although with both POP and IMAP, web hosts can provide access through the web. This is an attractive idea for those on the go. With this feature, you have more versatility.