In case you use an email with your own domain name and not a 3rd-party one, you’ll be able to make use of an email software app such as Apple Mail, Outlook or Thunderbird to access and manage your email messages. The advantage of using such applications is that you can also take advantage of other features, such as calendars and address books. There are two email retrieval protocols that you can choose from when you set up the app of your choice to access your mailbox – POP3 and IMAP. With the first protocol, all email messages that are received will be downloaded on your device – desktop or mobile, unless you opt to leave a copy on the server. With the second one, the email messages will be displayed at your end, but they will stay on the server at all times, so you can set up the account on numerous devices and check the messages from any place. You will also be able to view old email messages if there is a problem with your Internet connectivity, which is a huge advantage over a web-based service.