Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Squirrelmail VS Mu4e

Compare Squirrelmail VS Mu4e and see what are their differences

Squirrelmail logo Squirrelmail

SquirrelMail is a standards-based webmail package written in PHP.

Mu4e logo Mu4e

Starting with version 0.9.8, mu provides an emacs-based e-mail client which uses mu as its back-end: mu4e.
  • Squirrelmail Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-23
  • Mu4e Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-26

Squirrelmail features and specs

  • Lightweight
    SquirrelMail is extremely lightweight, making it suitable for small server environments and users with limited resources.
  • Compatibility
    The platform is compatible with any IMAP server and supports a range of popular email features, ensuring broad accessibility.
  • Security
    SquirrelMail focuses on security, providing a robust email environment with minimal vulnerabilities.
  • Simplistic Interface
    The straightforward, no-frills interface makes it easy for users to get accustomed to the platform without a steep learning curve.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, it allows users and developers to modify and customize the software as needed, promoting a collaborative development environment.

Possible disadvantages of Squirrelmail

  • Outdated Appearance
    The user interface of SquirrelMail appears dated compared to modern webmail clients, which may be unappealing to users accustomed to more contemporary designs.
  • Limited Features
    While it covers basic email functionalities, SquirrelMail lacks many advanced features offered by other webmail clients, such as integrated calendars and task management.
  • Maintenance
    SquirrelMail's development has slowed down over the years, and it may not receive frequent updates or new features, potentially impacting long-term usability.
  • Customization Complexity
    Although it is open source, customizing SquirrelMail requires substantial technical knowledge, making it challenging for users without programming expertise.
  • No Built-in Mobile Support
    The platform lacks a native mobile interface, requiring additional steps or third-party solutions for satisfactory mobile device compatibility.

Mu4e features and specs

  • Speed
    Mu4e is known for its fast search capabilities due to the underlying 'mu' engine, which is optimized to handle large volumes of emails efficiently.
  • Integration with Emacs
    Mu4e is built specifically for Emacs users, offering seamless integration and the ability to use Emacs' powerful editing features within the email client.
  • Lightweight
    Mu4e is lightweight and requires significantly fewer resources compared to many graphical email clients, making it an ideal choice for users who prefer minimalistic software.
  • Customization
    As part of the Emacs ecosystem, Mu4e can be highly customized to fit individual workflows, allowing users to tailor the interface and functionality extensively through Emacs Lisp.
  • Keyboard-centric
    Users can operate Mu4e effectively using keyboard shortcuts, which can enhance productivity for those who prefer keyboard navigation over mouse-driven interfaces.

Possible disadvantages of Mu4e

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For new users, especially those not familiar with Emacs, setting up and learning how to use Mu4e can be challenging and time-consuming.
  • Text-based Interface
    Mu4e lacks a modern graphical user interface, which may not appeal to users who prefer visually intuitive and styled interfaces found in traditional email clients.
  • Limited Features
    Compared to fully-featured email clients, Mu4e may lack certain advanced features out of the box, such as calendar integration or in-depth HTML email rendering.
  • Emacs Dependency
    Using Mu4e requires having Emacs installed and running, which may not be ideal for users who do not use or want to adopt Emacs for other tasks.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Properly configuring Mu4e can be complex and involves managing Emacs configuration files, which might be a barrier for users who prefer straightforward, GUI-based configuration methods.

Squirrelmail videos

How to Setup a Complete Mail Server Postfix using 'SquirrelMail' Webmail on Ubuntu/Debian

More videos:

  • Tutorial - SquirrelMail Tutorial Series - 6 of 12 - How to manage your address book

Mu4e videos

MAKEUP REVIEW for MU4E aqua eyes

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Squirrelmail and Mu4e)
Email
41 41%
59% 59
Enterprise Communication
100 100%
0% 0
Email Clients
29 29%
71% 71
Self-hosted Email
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Squirrelmail and Mu4e. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Squirrelmail and Mu4e

Squirrelmail Reviews

Top 15 Self-hosted open-source free web-based email clients
SquirrelMail supports IMAP and SMTP protocols, and does not require JavaScript to render HTML pages or HTML message. It also supports mail attachments, MIME, spam messages filter, messages highlighting, address books, and offers folders support.
Source: medevel.com
5 open source webmail clients for browser-based email
I used to use Squirrelmail, and then moved on to Roundcube. The problem I've had with these has mainly been that it uses the old folder paradigm (thus also requiring an external system for filtering rules). Sieve scripts are fine for neckbeards but definitely not the sort of experience that most users are going to want. I've not really seen anything yet that uses labels &...
Source: opensource.com

Mu4e Reviews

We have no reviews of Mu4e yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Squirrelmail seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 4 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Squirrelmail mentions (4)

  • Meet PostPilot
    Have a local mail server be part of your development environment, along with a frontend like SquirrelMail or RainLoop. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Selfhosted Email by Maddy on Oracle Cloud
    It was removed from Debian in 2016. But there seems to be some recent activity: , . - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Goodbye HTML Gmail
    > I wonder what is the best self-hosted alternative is. For a webmail client probably [SquirrelMail](https://squirrelmail.org/). It's over 2 decades old, still maintained, and kept to its original simplicity. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Is there a way to receive emails on old computers?
    That would not be too hard and only requires a few lines of code to create a TLS proxy. An alternative would be a webmail system if you have a web browser on your old computer. Squirrel mail is extremely basic and is likely going to work in old browsers as long as they support framesets. Source: about 4 years ago

Mu4e mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Mu4e yet. Tracking of Mu4e recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Squirrelmail and Mu4e, you can also consider the following products

Roundcube - Web-based IMAP email client

Mutt - Mutt is a small but very powerful text-based mail client for Unix operating systems.

Rainloop - RainLoop is a web based email client.

Alpine - Alpine is a fast, easy to use email client that is suitable for both the inexperienced email user...

Mailpile - Mailpile is a modern, fast web-mail client with user-friendly encryption and privacy features.

Mailspring - Mailspring is a mail client for Mac, Windows and Linux.