Gmail vs Email (IMAP/SMTP)
Gmail is an MCP server published by Sallytion. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). Email (IMAP/SMTP) is an MCP server published by boutquin. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Official MCP Registry). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-13. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  Gmail |  Email (IMAP/SMTP) |
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:9d806c6ba375 Forks (GitHub): 9 Stars (GitHub): 12 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.1 Forks (GitHub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 2 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | Gmail | Email (IMAP/SMTP) |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 12 (better) | 2 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 9 (better) | 2 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (yashtekwani/gmail-mcp) | On your machine (ghcr.io/boutquin/mcp-server-email:latest) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 3 | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 6, secrets among them: 1 | 2, secrets among them: 1 |
| Licence | Not stated | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/sallytion/gmail-mcp | github.com/boutquin/mcp-server-email |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
Gmail
A Model Context Protocol server for Gmail operations using IMAP/SMTP with app password authentication. Supports listing messages, searching emails, and sending messages. To create your app password, visit your Google Account settings under Security > App Passwords. Or visit the link https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.
Email (IMAP/SMTP)
Multi-account IMAP/SMTP email server with 22 tools for reading, sending, searching, and organizing.
How to run each
Gmail As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "EMAIL_PASSWORD=<YOUR_EMAIL_PASSWORD>" --transport stdio gmail-mcp -- docker run -i --rm -e EMAIL_PASSWORD yashtekwani/gmail-mcpRequires: EMAIL_PASSWORD (secret)
Email (IMAP/SMTP) As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "EMAIL_ACCOUNTS=<YOUR_EMAIL_ACCOUNTS>" --transport stdio email -- docker run -i --rm -e EMAIL_ACCOUNTS ghcr.io/boutquin/mcp-server-email:latestRequires: EMAIL_ACCOUNTS (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of Email (IMAP/SMTP) publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Only Gmail asks for
EMAIL_ADDRESSEMAIL_PASSWORD (secret)IMAP_HOSTIMAP_PORTSMTP_HOSTSMTP_PORT
Only Email (IMAP/SMTP) asks for
EMAIL_ACCOUNTS (secret)EMAIL_CONFIG_FILE
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: Gmail · What it can do: Email (IMAP/SMTP) · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.