What is the key difference between Mail MCP and Email MCP?

Mail MCP belongs to the Communication category with local stdio execution, while Email MCP belongs to the Communication category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Mail MCP or Email MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Mail MCP and Email MCP free or paid?

Mail MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Email MCP operates under a Free / Open Source model (other).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Mail MCP lists 14 tools with 0 views and 1 GitHub stars. Email MCP lists 47 tools with 3 views and 109 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Mail MCP and Email MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Mail MCP vs Email MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Mail MCP and Email MCP 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Mail MCP

Communication · Local stdio

Quality: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Email MCP

Communication · Local stdio

Quality: 68/100 (Great) | Auth: other

Verdict Summary: Choose Mail MCP if you need specialized Communication tools running via a local process. Choose Email MCP if your workspace requires Communication integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Mail MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: search_emails, read_email, list_accounts_and_mailboxes.

Explore Mail MCP Details

Choose Email MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Communication domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: other (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS, MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD, MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST, MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST, EMAIL_ACCOUNTS.
Primary tools included: list_accounts, list_mailboxes, list_emails.

Explore Email MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	M Mail MCP Communication	Email MCP codefuturist Communication
Summary	Search, read, send, and manage email via macOS Mail.app across all configured accounts.	IMAP/SMTP email MCP server with 42 tools for reading, searching, sending, scheduling, and managing emails across multiple accounts. Supports IMAP IDLE push, AI triage, desktop notifications, and auto-detects providers like Gmail, Outlook, and iCloud.
Category & Scope	Communication

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Mail MCP Tools (14)

search_emails

Search messages via the Envelope Index database with rich filters

read_email

Read the full body of a message by its RFC message-id

list_accounts_and_mailboxes

List all configured accounts and mailboxes with unread counts

list_recent

List recent messages in a specific mailbox

list_senders

Grouped summary of senders with message and unread counts

send_email

Send a new email from one of the configured accounts

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).

Mail MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mail-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@p-l-ta/mail-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Email MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "codefuturist-email-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@codefuturist/email-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS": "YOUR_MCP_EMAIL_ADDRESS_HERE",
        "MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD": "YOUR_MCP_EMAIL_PASSWORD_HERE",
        "MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST": "YOUR_MCP_EMAIL_IMAP_HOST_HERE",
        "MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST": "YOUR_MCP_EMAIL_SMTP_HOST_HERE",
        "EMAIL_ACCOUNTS": "YOUR_EMAIL_ACCOUNTS_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Mail MCP is categorized under Communication and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Email MCP belongs to Communication using local stdio subprocess. Select Mail MCP when you need capabilities focused on communication and Email MCP when you require tools for communication.

More alternatives to Mail MCP More alternatives to Email MCP Communication category hub Canonical compare URL