Betterbird vs eM Client (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Betterbird grades higher than eM Client: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Betterbird grades higher on value for money and the free plan. eM Client grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
eM Client
Desktop email client for Windows and Mac with calendar and chat
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 eM Client if
- Fits if you want mail, calendar, tasks and contacts in one desktop program on Windows or Mac
- Works for people who'd rather pay $74.95 once for the current major version than subscribe
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on Linux or want your mail in a browser, as neither is listed
- Tight if you're staying free, because that's 2 email accounts on one device with no snooze, Send Later or thread view
- Not for you if you want it free at work, since the Free license is for non-commercial use only
- Watch out: a one-time license covers the current major version only, and the AI Add-on and later versions cost extra
- Pricey if you license a business, at $59.95 per device a year rather than per person
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABetterbirdVery good | 2.6GPAeM ClientGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download and use, with donations optional. A program anyone can download and run counts as free and substantial. | B$49.95 a year for one person on 3 devices is about $4.16 a month, at the low end of this category, with every feature and the AI Add-on in. Or $74.95 once, less than a year of the $8 middle here, though that buys the current major version only and leaves out the AI Add-on. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid edition and no trial limits. | CThe Free license is 2 email accounts on one device, personal use only, and thread view, notes, snooze, Send Later and translation are all held back. Those are caps you'll hit, though the first 30 days unlock everything. |
| 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. | BMail, calendar, tasks, contacts, notes and chat in one program, PGP and S/MIME on every license, and paid licenses add snooze, Send Later, undo send, Watch for Reply and translation of incoming mail. Nothing in the listing points at a hole in the mail-client job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It's a desktop client where you connect your own accounts first. | CNo rating on record. It imports your data from Outlook, Thunderbird and other clients, but it's a dense desktop program with mail, calendar, tasks, contacts and chat panes and accounts to connect first. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux desktop builds only. No phone or web version. | BWindows and Mac with free iPhone and Android apps that need no license, so computer and phone are both covered. It talks to Google Workspace, Office 365, Outlook and Exchange, and paid licenses add Teams, Slack and Rocket.Chat. No Linux or web version is listed. |
| Best for | a Thunderbird fork for Windows, Mac and Linux | one desktop program for mail, calendar and tasks |
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 eM Client. 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. eM Client starts at $4.16 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
eM Client scores higher, and starts $4.16 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email apps on the chart, none scores higher than Betterbird for less, and 6 score higher than eM Client 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 is open source, according to its own site.
- eM Client can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- eM Client also covers notes and tasks.
At a glance
| Betterbird | eM Client | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $49.95 per year (Personal subscription, up to 3 devices) |
| Free plan | Free to download and use; the project asks for donations by Stripe or PayPal. | Free license for personal, non-commercial use: 2 email accounts on one device, with email, calendar, contacts and tasks. The Android and iOS apps are free and need no license. |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of all features, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Betterbird project | eM Client s.r.o. |
| Price read from | betterbird.eu | emclient.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 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.
eM Client
- The Free license is for personal, non-commercial use only, on one device with 2 email accounts.
- Thread view, notes, snooze, Send Later, undo send and message translation need a paid Personal or Business license.
- A one-time license covers the current major version only. Later major versions need a paid upgrade or the Lifetime Upgrades option.
- No Linux or web version is listed. The pricing page shows different prices by country; the figures here are the US ones.
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.
eM Client
- Works with most email services
- Connects to Google Workspace, Office 365, Outlook, Exchange and other services, and imports data from Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird and other clients.
- Calendar, tasks, contacts and notes
- Calendars, tasks and contacts are part of every license, with a sidebar agenda of upcoming events, tasks and birthdays. Notes need a paid license.
- PGP and S/MIME encryption
- Messages can be encrypted and digitally signed with S/MIME or PGP. The pricing table lists this on the Free license too.
- Snooze, Send Later and Watch for Reply
- Paid licenses add snooze, scheduled sending, undo send, a watch for replies to sent messages, mass mail and a view of all attachments.
- AI and translation
- AI generates messages and replies or adjusts the tone of a draft through the AI Add-on, which subscriptions include. Paid licenses also translate incoming messages.
- Chat and meeting integrations
- Chat and online meeting integration are built in, and paid licenses add Microsoft Teams, Slack and Rocket.Chat integration.
Plans
Betterbird
Betterbird$0
Free download for Windows, macOS and Linux; paid support is not offered, and donations are optional.
eM Client
Free$0
Personal, non-commercial use on one device with 2 email accounts and forum support. No snooze, Send Later, notes, thread view or translation.
Personal (subscription)$49.95
per year, for 1 user on up to 3 devices
Individual use with unlimited email accounts, every feature, VIP support, new major versions and the AI Add-on included.
Business (subscription)$59.95
per device / year
Company or institutional use, priced per device and lower in volume. Adds the License Manager, with VIP support and the AI Add-on included.
Personal (one-time)$74.95
one-time payment, for 1 user on up to 3 devices
Never expires for the current major version and includes 1 year of VIP support. Later major versions and the AI Add-on cost extra.
Business (one-time)$89.95
per device, one-time payment
Per-device company license that never expires for the current major version. Lifetime Upgrades are an optional extra.
Ways to pay less
Betterbird
No public discounts listed.
eM Client
- Lifetime license
One-time payment instead of a subscription
Personal at $74.95 or Business at $89.95 per device buys a license that never expires for the current major version. Optional Lifetime Upgrades extend it to all future versions.
- By country
Lower price shown to buyers in India
Read from India on October 9, 2026, the pricing page showed the Personal subscription at $24.95 a year. Read from the United States the same day, it showed $49.95.
- Nonprofit
30% discount for NGOs
The pricing page states that NGOs are eligible for a 30% discount, arranged by contacting eM Client.
- Education
30% discount for schools and universities
Schools and universities are eligible for the same 30% discount, arranged by contacting eM Client.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Betterbird or eM Client?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Betterbird is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $4.16 a month when paid by the year for eM Client. Betterbird is free, and eM Client starts at $49.95 per year (Personal subscription, up to 3 devices).
Which has a free plan, Betterbird or eM Client?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Betterbird and eM Client have a free plan.
Which platforms do Betterbird and eM Client run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Betterbird lists a Linux app and only eM Client lists iOS and Android apps. Both list macOS and Windows 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.