| Feature | POP Software | Web-based Email |
| Ability to access email | Only from a PC that has the POP email software installed. | Anywhere or anytime, from any PC with an Internet connection. |
| Ease of setup | Software installation required | No setup required; it's accessed through your Web browser. |
| Storage period | POP email software allows you to store email messages indefinitely on your computer's hard drive. | Web-based email retains your email messages on the mail server for 30 days.
(Note: Any email messages identified as spam by Spam Detector are immediately deleted.) |
| Impact to storage limits | When you download your email messages to the POP software, you are removing them from the mail server and thereby removing them from your storage limit. | When you use Web-based email , email messages are not removed from the mail server until you delete them and empty your trash. |
| Email Attachments | Up to 20 mb | Up to 8 mb |
| Address book functions | Advance | Basic |
| Distribution lists | Available | Available |
| Preview pane | Available in most email software | Not available |
| Increased rules to help you manage your email messages more effectively and efficiently | Advanced | The Rules screen lets you set criteria that will sort or delete incoming messages. |
| Email text formatting | Available | The Formatting Toolbar lets you create messages that can be viewed as Web pages. |
| Working offline | Available | Not available |
| Calendaring | Most POP email software provides a calendar. | Not available |
| Folder management | Available | No subfolders. |
| Multiple email account management | POP email software allows you to consolidate email messages from multiple email addresses into one software application. | The POP Set-up screen lets you consolidate email messages from external email addresses into your Verizon Online email account. You can also consolidate internal (Verizon Online) email addresses into one Verizon Online email account. |
| Spam and email filtering | Spam Detector will filter your spam, but there are many email filtering options with POP email software, from blocking email messages from certain addresses to automatically moving email messages to certain folders. | We use Spam Detector to reduce the amount of unwanted or unsolicited email messages you receive in your Inbox. We know that spam filtering is one of our customers' main concerns. That is why we have implemented many POP email client-like features such as block sender lists, approved senders lists, and mail filtering. What is even better is that you can access these features from any Internet-connected PC. |
| Signature | Available | Available |
| Email search | Has more functionality and links into how you have personalized your software. For example, search by an email address from your address book. | Comprehensive search engine but requires a few more steps to get desired result. |
| Address search | Usually available | Addresses sorted alphabetically, so fairly easy to locate. |
| Ability to synch with other programs | Depends on email software, but usually does with most popular items that can be synchronized. | Not available, but currently being explored. |
| Newsgroup access | Most POP email software allows access to newsgroups. | Not available |