Apple Mail MCP vs SMTP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Apple Mail MCP and SMTP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

A

Choose Apple Mail MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Apple Mail MCP Details

Choose SMTP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Developer Tools domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore SMTP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	A Apple Mail MCP Developer Tools	SMTP Developer Tools
Summary	Fast local Apple Mail MCP: indexed search, full-text bodies, verified sends, triage. macOS.	MCP server that sends mail over SMTP, gated behind an allowlist and a human confirmation
Category & Scope	Developer Tools	Developer Tools
Quality signal

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apple-mail-mcp-2": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "install"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smtp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@ni-c/smtp-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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