IMAP or POP: which should I use for Business Email?

When you set up a mail app you're sometimes offered a choice between IMAP and POP. For Business Email, we recommend IMAP in almost every case.

IMAP keeps your mail on the server and syncs a copy to each device. Read, delete or file a message on your phone and the change appears on your laptop and in webmail too, because they're all looking at the same mailbox. With unlimited storage there's no reason to move mail off the server, so IMAP is the natural fit — and it means a lost or broken device never means lost mail.

POP downloads mail to one device and (typically) removes it from the server. That made sense years ago when storage was scarce, but it leaves your mail stranded on a single machine and out of sync with everything else. On a modern multi-device setup it usually causes more problems than it solves.

Short version: choose IMAP unless you have a specific, unusual reason not to. Ask us if you're unsure and we'll advise on your situation.