Mutt doesn't support retrieving mail very well, but you can use sync programs (getmail, offlineimap, isync, exchange2mbox) to create local mailboxes and make mutt use the local mailbox directory instead.
you can send email using external programs (local smtp server and openxchange for exchange).
Mutt is not a traditional mail client, it is more of a glue between multiple programs so you can have one interface for all of your emails need.
When I first started in the industry my colleagues told me that I should be using the read-mail program. It has a mode that allows you to use regexps to read your mail really fast. I was told that the normal way to run read-mail with the "really fast" mode was:
rm -rf *
Disclaimer: For the Unix impaired, this is an "expert only" utility. I am not responsible for the loss of all the files in your home directory should you attempt to use it.
Do NOT suggest people try a command which will recursively remove all files ignoring file permissions. Most people will be aware of the hazard. Those who aren't will suffer irreparable harm.
Be careful with which Exchange servers you try offlineimap with. There was a severely bad interaction in Exchange with how offlineimap operates. Exchange used a global database with a small limit (I want to say 2^16) for unique message headers. Offlineimap injected unique headers for synchronization purposes. This quickly led to resource exhaustion and essentially blocked the server.
Exchange has supported IMAP, MAPI, POP, and SMTP for at least a decade.
In large implementations (such as Exchange Online in Office365) they may not support some of those services. IMAP can be very resource intensive and bog down a CAS or storage server.
Exchange server sometimes choose to not provide smtp which is a pain. Their IMAP support is sometimes lacking too (i.e. imap-mail.outlook.com times out alot).
