Why is Mailbird the best Alternative to Thunderbird in 2023?

Back in 2017, Mozilla had abandoned Thunderbird, with the email client relying on donations. Then, 2020 brought talk of moving Thunderbird development to Mozilla’s subsidiary called MZLA Technologies. So, what does the future hold for the email app? If you’ve asked yourself that question one too many times, maybe it’s a call to find the best alternative to Thunderbird and stay on top of your emails. 

Currently, the best alternatives to Thunderbird are:

• Mailbird
• Microsoft Outlook
• eM Client
• ProtonMail
• Opera Mail
• Sea Monkey
• Evolution
• Postbox
• Zoho Mail
• Airmail
• Mailspring
• Knowmail
• Zimbra

Let’s look at why Mailbird has been the best alternative to Thunderbird for thousands of users already.

Mailbird vs. Thunderbird

Having a clean interface in front of you coupled with an interaction that makes managing your online communication easier is a sweet deal.

Mailbird is super easy to use and promises you will be able to master it within five minutes. A great email experience is what you should strive for, and Mailbird gives you exactly that.

“I’ve purchased Mailbird for my old mother as well, as it’s easy to use. She’s not in anyway computer savvy, but last weekend I actually got an email from her – the first ever, imagine my (very pleasant) surprise! 🙂 For me Mailbird is a keeper – easy to use and most importantly easy to configure!! My 80 year old mom is a testament to that.” — Lars

We will be looking at the following areas to see if Mailbird is the best alternative to Thunderbird for you too:

1. Layout and UI
2. Most Popular Features
3. Cost

1. Layout and User Experience

The biggest Thunderbird vs. Mailbird difference is that the former is not being updated anymore. Also, it is known for its cluttered and bloated layout and UI, making it rather complicated for new and even existing users to handle the software.

Sure, if you use the software on a daily basis you eventually learn how to get around it — in fact, that’s even the case with rocket science.

But is that the best utilization of your time?

Softwares and apps in this day and age should be intuitive enough to not have a learning curve, so spending a few days unraveling the mystery of using an email client seems like we’re technologically pushing you back to the early 2000s.

Lack of simplicity, a clean UI, and an intuitive UX are the main reasons people start searching for a replacement for Thunderbird. Email clients such as Mailbird feature an easy-to-use interface, enabling users to master it in less than five minutes (not days).

User Experience

User experience is the little details you don’t recognize consciously but that intuitively guide you to use the software.

Mailbird has many such small elements. Let’s look at examples –

Example #1 – Let’s say you’re a Dropbox user and you activated the Dropbox app from your Mailbird App Store. Apart from looking at your Dropbox app by clicking on the Dropbox icon in the bottom left, the only other place you’ll find it is when you’re composing a new email or replying to one. It shows up like this –

And when clicked upon, it opens the Dropbox file explorer for you to select files to be attached.

Example #2 – You might think Mailbird does not offer as many features and functionalities as Thunderbird. Otherwise, the inbox and menu would look the same, right? That is not quite correct.

Instead of filling the interface with lots of buttons and options, we hid them to show up on certain user actions. If you look at how emails are stacked in Mailbird, it looks just like any other email program, but when you hover over the profile picture of an email message, an action bar shows up on top, which makes it easier for you to deal with it.

You can even click on the profile picture of an email message, and it will show you all the emails you’ve exchanged with the person. Such features make you wonder, “Why use Thunderbird anymore?”

Layout and UI

In Mailbird, you can customize the layout and color theme, personalizing your inbox.

2. Most Popular Features

In order to find the perfect alternative to Thunderbird, people tend to only look for ones that have exactly the same features as their current email client, regardless of whether or not those features will actually be used.

Mailbird has integrated the standard features users know from Thunderbird, and the client also offers special Mailbird-only features that have not yet been implemented by any other email app. These features include a quick preview of attachments, a speed reader, LinkedIn lookup, snooze, and many others.

Integration with Third-Party Apps

An additional feature that differentiates Mailbird from other email clients is the integration of a variety of popular apps, turning Mailbird into a true all-in-one communication hub by combining email, messaging, task management, calendars, and video meetings in the most effective way possible for the user.

Mailbird’s all-star developer team continues to add and improve these features requested by you. Think Mailbird needs a certain feature to convince you to switch? We have a Mailbird Feature Request forum where you can submit your ideas.

Imagine working like a productivity machine through your email, while also being able to jump on a call without having to switch to a browser or another software. It’s not just convenient but also way more efficient. In Mailbird, as the best Thunderbird replacement, you have all your communication power tools in one place. In the Mailbird vs. Thunderbird battle, the former is the absolute winner, thanks to this feature.

Featured apps include:

• Messaging apps, like Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

• Task management apps and tools, like Todoist, Moo.do, Evernote, and Asana, can easily be activated in your Mailbird AppStore.

• Video meeting apps, such as Whereby and Veeting Rooms, allow you to easily jump on a call or virtual meeting, without having to leave your Inbox.
  

• Calendar apps, like Google Calendar and Sunrise Calendar, give you a nice overview of your upcoming appointments and enable you to schedule appointments from your Mailbird.
  

3. Cost

Mailbird has four different pricing options to choose from. Depending on the number of accounts and your actual email needs, Mailbird has the perfect plan for you, which may include:

1. Mailbird Personal Yearly
2. Mailbird Personal Pay Once
3. Mailbird Business Yearly
4. Mailbird Business Pay Once (on request only)

Mailbird gives you a free trial when you install it for the first time. This is a great chance to find out if Mailbird Business is the right choice for you.

Still have questions before downloading Mailbird? Our team is always there to help you out. Shoot us an email to support@getmailbird.com or tweet us @getmailbird. We are ready to help you and to answer every single one of your questions. That’s a great value that comes with Mailbird — direct responses and feedback to help you through your email, communication, and communication management needs.

Ready to make the switch to the best alternative to Thunderbird? Simply start downloading Mailbird! You’ll just love it.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.