SeattleServer.com mail servers support both IMAP and POP3. IMAP is recommended, whereas POP3 is provided for reverse compatibility. IMAP is a newer protocol that has many advantages over POP3:

• You will see the exact same folders and messages between multiple IMAP clients and/or webmail (which uses IMAP itself).
• Your mail will be stored on the server, and included in our backups, so you will not risk losing any mail.
• You will have access to the spam folders, which you can use to verify that no legitimate mail was erroneously filtered, or to further train the spam filtering system.

E-mail stored on an IMAP server can be manipulated from a desktop computer at home, a workstation at the office, and a notebook computer while traveling, without the need to transfer messages or files back and forth between these computers. All in all, IMAP is a much better and more complete method of accessing your mail, and we recommend using it instead of POP3 whenever possible.

A more technical analysis is available, for those who are interested in further detail.