Betterbird vs Claws Mail (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Betterbird grades higher than Claws Mail: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Betterbird grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Betterbird if
- Fits if you like Thunderbird and want its changes on Windows, Mac or Linux
- Works for people who keep mail in a desktop client rather than a browser
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone or web app, as it's desktop only
- Watch out: it's a small project funded by donations, with no paid support
- Watch out: old release series reach end of life, and the site says not to run them
- Watch out: Mac builds are English only unless you add a language pack
- Not for you if Thunderbird bugs bother you, as they can carry over
Pick Claws Mail if
- Fits if you want a light mail client you can drive from the keyboard
- Works for people who use GnuPG and want plugins for extras
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a calendar built in, as that's a plugin
- Not for you if you use a Mac, since the downloads page mentions no macOS version
- Watch out: Windows is a separate port
- Too light on looks if you want a modern design: the interface is built on GTK and follows older desktop mail clients
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABetterbirdVery good | 2.8GPAClaws MailGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download and use, with donations optional. A program anyone can download and run counts as free and substantial. | AFree under the GPL for anyone to download. A program anyone can download and run counts as free and substantial. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid edition and no trial limits. | AFree outright, the whole app, with no paid edition. |
| Features | BA full mail client built on Thunderbird, with add-ons, several languages and installing beside Thunderbird. Nothing on the pages shows a gap in the core email work. | CA keyboard-driven client with filtering, search, GnuPG, plugins, several protocols and MH storage. Gaps: calendar and RSS are plugins, not the base app. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a desktop client where you connect your own accounts first. | CNo store rating on record. You install from a distro package or source, connect your accounts and add plugins for extras. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux desktop builds only. No phone or web version. | CLinux, plus a separate Windows port. No macOS version is mentioned and there's no phone or web version. |
| Best for | a Thunderbird fork for Windows, Mac and Linux | a lightweight keyboard-driven mail client |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Betterbird and Claws Mail. How we grade
Price against what you get
Betterbird has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Claws Mail has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
Betterbird scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than Betterbird for less, and none scores higher than Claws Mail for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Betterbird also covers calendar.
- Claws Mail also covers inbox filtering.
In commonFree planWindowsLinuxOpen sourceEmail client
At a glance
| Betterbird | Claws Mail | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free to download and use; the project asks for donations by Stripe or PayPal. | The whole application is free software under the GPL. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | Betterbird project | Claws Mail project |
| Price read from | betterbird.eu | claws-mail.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Betterbird
- It is a small project funded by donations, and the site says Mac builds are English only unless a language pack is added.
- Old release series reach end of life, and the site advises against running them because of unpatched vulnerabilities.
- It follows Thunderbird's code, so some Thunderbird issues can carry over.
Claws Mail
- Calendar and RSS are plugins, not part of the base application.
- Windows is listed as a separate port; no macOS version is mentioned on the downloads page.
- The interface is built on GTK and follows the look of older desktop mail clients.
Key features
Betterbird
- Thunderbird base with changes
- Features and bug fixes exclusive to Betterbird, listed in a feature table on its home page, such as a multi-line message view.
- Install next to Thunderbird
- You can run it at the same time as Thunderbird on the same profile and go back if you do not like it.
- Windows, Mac and Linux builds
- A Windows installer and portable version, Mac disk images for Intel and Apple silicon, and a Linux archive.
- Languages
- Ships in English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Czech, Polish, Swedish and Ukrainian.
- Add-ons
- Has its own add-ons page, and uses its own release series based on Thunderbird's ESR versions.
Claws Mail
- Keyboard-driven interface
- Almost all commands can be reached from the keyboard, in a layout meant to look familiar to people from other mail clients.
- Filtering and search
- Filtering, per-folder processing, message scoring, colour labels and a search function for sorting a busy mailbox.
- GnuPG support
- Encrypt and sign messages with GnuPG through GPGME, and switch the encryption type while composing.
- Plugins
- Extras such as an RSS aggregator and a calendar come as plugins, and the project lists them on a plugins page.
- Protocols and accounts
- Multiple accounts over POP3, IMAP4rev1 and SMTP with SSL, plus Usenet news reading and posting through NNTP.
- MH storage and import
- Messages are kept in the MH format, and mbox import and export lets you move mail in and out of other clients.
Plans
Betterbird
Betterbird$0
Free download for Windows, macOS and Linux; paid support is not offered, and donations are optional.
Claws Mail
Claws Mail$0
Free under the GPL; install from a distribution package or the source tarballs.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Betterbird or Claws Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Betterbird and Claws Mail are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Betterbird or Claws Mail?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Betterbird and Claws Mail have a free plan.
Which platforms do Betterbird and Claws Mail run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Betterbird lists a macOS app. Both list Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.