Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) vs Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe)

A side-by-side comparison of two Communication servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) Provider-agnostic email MCP over IMAP/SMTP — read, search and send from any mailbox Verified stdio (local) API key Python	Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe) Gmail MCP with auto OAuth: send, search, label and manage email Verified stdio (local) OAuth TypeScript
Category	Communication	Communication
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	OAuth
GitHub stars	254	1.1k
Last commit	19 days ago	3 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-email-server@latest stdio`	`npx -y @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) if you prefer its approach (provider-agnostic email mcp over imap/smtp — read, search and send from any mailbox).

Pick Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Add Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP)

Install / run

uvx mcp-email-server@latest stdio

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "email-mcp-server-imap-smtp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-email-server@latest",
        "stdio"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

Add Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe)

Install / run

npx -y @gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gmail-mcp-server-gongrzhe": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@gongrzhe/server-gmail-autoauth-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) or Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe) — which is better?

Pick Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) if you prefer its approach (provider-agnostic email mcp over imap/smtp — read, search and send from any mailbox). Pick Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Can I use both Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) and Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) and Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Email MCP Server (IMAP/SMTP) →View Gmail MCP Server (GongRzhe) →More comparisons →