IMAP Email Downloader: Folders, IDLE, and Labels
IMAP downloaders copy a live mailbox tree, not just INBOX. When to use IMAP instead of POP3 to feed a local mail server or archive.
Hexamail Editorial
IMAP when the tree matters
POP3 is INBOX. IMAP is folders, flags, and optionally IDLE push. Gmail labels show up as folders. If anyone still uses the source webmail, IMAP copy-and-leave is safer than POP delete.
Protocol explainer on the hub: Gmail POP3 alternative. POP-only product page: POP3 downloader. Moving a user off POP clients: POP3 to IMAP.
Hexamail’s IMAP mode
Despite the product name, Hexamail POP3 Downloader is an IMAP collector with IDLE, Gmail labels, SSL, OAuth2, then SMTP injection. Use it when the destination is a server or archive, not when you only needed Thunderbird.