Webmail vs email: what is the difference?
"Email" is the whole system of addresses and messages. "Webmail" is one way to use it: in a web browser. The other way is an email app installed on your computer or phone. Most people use both without noticing.
Email is the service: your address and your messages. Webmail means reading it in a browser, such as gmail.com or outlook.com, with nothing to install. An email app (or "client"), such as Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird, is a program on your device. With IMAP, both show the same inbox, so you can use whichever suits you.
The three words, simply
| Word | What it means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| The system and your account: address, messages, folders | [email protected], [email protected] | |
| Webmail | Using email in a web browser | gmail.com, outlook.com, mail.yahoo.com, icloud.com/mail |
| Email app (client) | A program installed on your computer or phone | Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, the Gmail app, Spark |
Webmail vs email app, side by side
| Feature | Webmail | Email app |
|---|---|---|
| Install anything? | No, just a browser | Yes |
| Use from any computer | Yes: sign in anywhere | Only where it is installed |
| Works offline | Mostly no | Yes: read and write offline, sends when back online |
| Several accounts in one place | Limited | Yes: Gmail, Yahoo and work mail together |
| Storage | On the provider's servers | On the server (IMAP) or downloaded to the device (POP) |
| Updates | Automatic | You (or the app store) update it |
| On a shared computer | Remember to sign out | Not recommended |
How webmail and apps stay in sync (IMAP)
When an app connects with IMAP, your mail stays on the provider's server and every device shows the same thing: read a message on your phone and it is marked read in webmail too. The older POP method downloads mail to one device, which can make it vanish from the others, so choose IMAP unless you have a reason not to.
Many apps now sign you in with your provider's own login screen. Older apps may need server settings and, for Gmail, an app password: see Gmail SMTP and IMAP settings.
Which should you use?
- Webmail if you use different computers, want nothing to install, or only check email now and then.
- An email app if you have several accounts, need to work offline, or spend much of the day in email.
- Both, as most people do: an app on your phone and computer, and webmail when you are on someone else's device.
Pick an app: best email apps for iPhone or best email clients for Linux.
Questions people ask
- Is Gmail webmail or an email client?
- Both. gmail.com in a browser is webmail; the Gmail app on your phone is an email app. Both show the same account.
- Is Outlook webmail?
- Outlook.com and Outlook on the web are webmail. The Outlook program for Windows and Mac, and the phone app, are email apps.
- Is webmail safe?
- Yes, from a trusted provider over https. Turn on 2-Step Verification and sign out on shared computers.
- What is the difference between email and Gmail?
- Email is the system everyone uses; Gmail is Google's email service, one of many providers.
Sending one email to a whole list? Check the addresses first with Veml, which removes bad and risky emails before you hit send. (Veml and EmailNa have the same owner.)