Now that Gmail provides both POP and IMAP access, it's about time to
decide: which one's better for you? Let's break them down...

POP:
- offers one-way downloading of your messages from the Gmail servers
to your computer
- always downloads the entire message, making it easy to back-up your
mail
- only downloads your messages -- not your labels
- good for people who don't want to leave mail on Gmail's servers, or
don't want two-way synchronization

IMAP:
- offers two-way syncing between Gmail and mail client actions. If you
read a message in your email client, it will be marked read on the
web!
- save space by downloading only the message headers, or download
whole messages to work offline
- your labels appear as folders, and vice versa -- so it's easy to
stay organized
- provides access to Gmail's Drafts, Sent Mail and Spam folders
- great if you check your mail from multiple computers or mobile
devices -- you'll see the same messages and folders, no matter what
email client you're using
- a flexible, more reliable, more complete access choice

Still not sure? We think IMAP is best for most. If it's not quite
right for you, you can always switch.