If you use an email address with your own domain name and not a 3rd-party one, you will be able to make use of an email application such as Outlook, Thunderbird or Apple Mail to access and administer your email messages. The advantage of using such apps is that they also offer other features, such as address books and calendars. There are two different email protocols that you can select from when you configure the application of your choice to access your mailbox – POP3 and IMAP. With the first protocol, all messages that are received will be downloaded on your device – mobile or desktop, unless you opt to save a copy on the mail server. With the second protocol, the email messages will be displayed locally at your end, but they will remain on the server at all times, so you can set up the account on numerous devices and access the messages from any location. You will also be able to check old email messages if there is a problem with your Internet access, which is a huge advantage over web-based email services.