Webmail vs. Email Clients – Guest post by Terry Southerland
In the world of email there are options.
If you are new to computers you may not understand certain differences in how things are done. That can be said about email as well. In the cyber world there are two types of email; webmail and email clients. Just as there are differences between apples and oranges there are differences between webmail and email clients. Here you will learn the differences to better choose the email type that fits your needs.
The first thing to understand is the difference between webmail and email clients. An email client is software installed on your computer that is used to access the email server your service uses. Webmail however is a server that you log into over the internet.
The email client downloads your emails onto your computer the same way you download any other file from the internet. With webmail, the emails are left on your providers’ servers and that is where they stay unless you delete them.
Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail are the biggest names in webmail services. By logging into their site you can access your email and send new messages. This is convenient for people who are constantly on the move because your email can be accessed from any internet connection. In a world where mobile computing is replacing desktop computers, this is an advantage.
Outlook, Incredimail, and Thunderbird are email clients that are installed on the computer and used to access email. When you check your email on these clients your emails are downloaded to your computer and stored there until you delete them. These email clients are used more in business than personal computing. This is due to the security and archiving of the emails.
Now when you are deciding which is best for you, you must look at how you utilize email. If you use it socially, from many different coffee shops or hotspots, and want to access it from different computers, then webmail is the answer. This will allow you to see emails no matter how or where you login from. Since your emails are stored on your services servers, they will be there no matter where you are.
If you only access emails from home, want to have archival options, and want to know that your emails are not sitting on someone elses servers, then perhaps an email client is right for you. There are however down sides to using an email client.
For instance if you experience computer problems, a crash, or are trying to access a previously viewed email from another computer, you won’t be able to access it. Also all the emails you download take up space on your computer’s hard drive. This will eventually lead to a lack of disk space and you will have to weed through and clear out some emails.
The majority of email users are switching from the conventional email clients to webmail for convenience. If you are undecided on which method suits your needs, take a look at what you use your email for and which method would closely match what you need.
Author Terry Southerland is a career counselor who writes for thebestdegrees.org, a site providing lists of online degree programs as well as rankings and reviews for many fields, such as online business administration degrees.
