Mailbird vs Thunderbird: Which Desktop Email Client Reigns Supreme?
Email remains one of the most essential communication tools, both for work and personal use. While webmail interfaces like Gmail are popular, many still prefer a dedicated desktop email client for managing their inboxes. Two of the leading options for Windows users are Mailbird and Thunderbird.
In this in-depth comparison, we‘ll pit Mailbird against Thunderbird in a head-to-head battle. We‘ll examine their features, interface, customization options, and more to help you determine which email client deserves a spot on your desktop. Let‘s dive in!
An Overview of Mailbird and Thunderbird
Mailbird
Launched in 2012, Mailbird is a relatively new contender in the email client arena. It aims to provide a clean, modern interface for managing your email accounts. Some of its standout features include:
- Unified inbox to manage all your accounts in one place
- LinkedIn lookup of contacts
- App integrations with Asana, Dropbox, Google Calendar, and more
- Customizable layout and color schemes
Mailbird is a paid application, with licenses starting at $79 for lifetime access.
Thunderbird
Thunderbird is a free, open-source email client from Mozilla, the non-profit behind the Firefox web browser. Originally launched in 2004, it has a long track record and sizable user base. Thunderbird boasts:
- Cross-platform availability on Windows, Mac, and Linux
- Tabbed interface to manage multiple emails and tasks
- Robust privacy and security features
- Highly customizable through themes and add-ons
As an open-source project, Thunderbird is completely free to use.
Supported Platforms
- Mailbird: Currently only available on Windows, with a native Mac app in development.
- Thunderbird: Can be installed on Windows, macOS, and Linux. There are also unofficial ports for other operating systems.
Setup and Configuration Process
Both Mailbird and Thunderbird make it relatively painless to set up your email accounts using POP3 or IMAP. You simply enter your name, email address, and password, and the clients automatically detect the appropriate server settings in most cases.
For those who need to connect to their work email via Microsoft Exchange, Mailbird offers support through its paid Business plan. Thunderbird relies on add-ons to provide Exchange connectivity.
Slight edge to Mailbird for its more modern onboarding flow, but overall setup is straightforward with either client.
User Interface and Layout Options
Mailbird
One of Mailbird‘s strengths is its sleek, minimalist interface. It almost resembles a modern chat app, with a 3-column layout displaying your accounts and folders, message list, and email contents. You can choose from 3 layouts:
- Default 3-column view
- Stripped down "Lite" interface
- Horizontal preview with columns stacked on top of each other
There are also numerous free and premium color schemes to personalize the look.
Thunderbird
Thunderbird sports a more traditional email client design, which may feel familiar to Outlook users. Buttons and menus provide quick access to advanced features and options. Tabs allow you to have multiple emails or tasks open at once.
While perhaps not as stunning as Mailbird, Thunderbird‘s interface is highly functional. You can customize it with themes, layout adjustments (e.g. toggling the message preview pane), and extensions to add features.
Email Management Features
Folders and Tags
Mailbird and Thunderbird both support creating folders to organize your messages. Mailbird requires you to manually move emails to folders, while Thunderbird offers message filtering to automatically sort incoming mail based on criteria you define. This is a big time saver.
Only Thunderbird supports applying tags (aka labels) to messages, which is another way to categorize them without using folders. With tags, a single email can be associated with multiple categories.
Quick Filters and Search
Mailbird allows you to quickly filter the message list to show unread, starred, or attachment-containing emails. Its search lets you find messages across all your accounts that contain a keyword.
Thunderbird has similar quick filters, plus more options like filtering by contact, tags, or priority. Its search function is also more advanced, with the ability to specify if the search term should be in the subject, body, sender, etc. You can construct complex queries using multiple criteria and boolean operators, almost like a Gmail search.
Spam Filtering
Mailbird relies on your email provider‘s spam filtering to keep junk out of your inbox. There is no built-in option to mark messages as spam or block senders within the app.
Thunderbird comes with its own trainable spam filter in addition to any server-side filtering. You can mark messages as junk to improve its accuracy over time. The filter is quite effective at identifying spam after an initial learning period.
App Integrations
Mailbird promotes its integration with popular productivity tools as a key selling point. It offers over 30 app integrations covering:
- Calendars: Google Calendar, Sunrise Calendar
- Cloud Storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive
- Task Management: Todoist, Evernote, Asana
- Messaging: Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp
- And many more
Most integrations open a panel within Mailbird displaying that app‘s interface. There‘s no true sync (e.g. turning an email into a task), but it‘s convenient to access those tools alongside your inbox.
Thunderbird is expandable via hundreds of free add-ons, some of which provide app integrations. Options include:
- GCal Tab lets you view Google Calendar events
- Filelink attaches a file to an email via Dropbox
- Send Later schedules messages to send in the future
- Thunderlink links email and Evernote notes
The selection may not be as broad as Mailbird‘s, but the add-on architecture allows for innovation.
Customization Options
Mailbird offers a curated set of customization choices:
- 12 free and 20 premium themes to change the color scheme
- 3 layout options (column, lite, horizontal preview)
- Custom sounds for new mail and other notifications
Thunderbird is extremely customizable, reflecting its power-user roots:
- 1000+ themes to transform the appearance
- Complete control over toolbars, menus, keyboard shortcuts, etc.
- Hundreds of add-ons to add features
If you want a personalized but not overwhelming experience, Mailbird is a good fit. Thunderbird rewards those who like to tinker and make their tools bend to their will.
Pricing
- Mailbird: Starts at a one-time $79 Personal license. Business subscription for $239/year per user, with Exchange support.
- Thunderbird: 100% free, and plans to remain so.
The Verdict
So which email client emerges victorious in this showdown? The answer depends on your needs and preferences.
Choose Mailbird if you want:
- A modern, uncluttered interface
- Convenient access to popular productivity apps
- Easy personalization options
- Willingness to pay for a polished experience
Go with Thunderbird if you need:
- A powerful, time-tested email client for free
- Cross-platform availability on Windows, Mac, Linux
- Robust email management features like filtering and tagging
- Endless customization via add-ons and themes
For most Windows users, Mailbird is the slicker, more user-friendly option. But Thunderbird remains an exceptional open-source alternative, especially for power users and those on a budget.
You can‘t go wrong with either of these full-featured email clients. The best way to pick your favorite is to try both Mailbird and Thunderbird for yourself. With Mailbird‘s free trial and Thunderbird‘s nonexistent price tag, you have nothing to lose in seeing which one fits into your workflow best.
No matter which you choose, both Mailbird and Thunderbird will help you reclaim control over your inbox. Happy emailing!