Betterbird vs Thunderbird (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Thunderbird grades higher than Betterbird: 3.2 against 3.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Thunderbird grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Thunderbird
Free, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android
Free
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 Thunderbird if
- Fits if you want a free desktop email app with no ads in it
- Works for people who move between Windows, macOS and Linux and want the same app on each
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you're on an iPhone, as Thunderbird Mobile is listed for Android only
- Not for you if you want someone to call when it breaks, because support is community-based
- Too light for anyone who needs an email address as well, since it's a mail app, not a mailbox
- Watch out: Thundermail, the team's own hosting, is a separate paid beta behind a waitlist, $6 a month yearly
- Skip it if you read mail in a browser, as there's no web version
How we grade them
| 3.0GPABetterbirdVery good | 3.2GPAThunderbirdVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree to download and use, with donations optional. A program anyone can download and run counts as free and substantial. | AIt's free, where the middle of this category is $8 a month. Every feature of the desktop and Android apps costs $0, with no ads and no paid tier, funded by voluntary donations. Thundermail, the team's own hosting service, is a separate paid subscription and still in beta. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid edition and no trial limits. | AThe whole app is free on desktop and Android, with no cap and nothing held back for a paid plan, because there isn't one. The trade-off is support: it's community-based, and Thunderbird says donations don't buy individual technical help. |
| 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. | BSeveral accounts read separately or in a unified inbox, with calendar, contacts and tasks in the desktop app so scheduling needs no second program, add-ons to extend it, and OpenPGP on Android through OpenKeychain. 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, and this is a settings-heavy old hand rather than a tidy modern app: accounts to add, panes and add-ons to arrange, and community forums if you get stuck. A QR code copies your desktop accounts to the Android app. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux desktop builds only. No phone or web version. | BWindows, macOS and Linux on the desktop and Android on the phone, so computer and phone are covered and Linux people are included for once. No iPhone or iPad app is listed, there's no web version, and the only integration on record is OpenKeychain. |
| Best for | a Thunderbird fork for Windows, Mac and Linux | free, open-source email on any desktop |
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 Thunderbird. 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. Thunderbird has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
Thunderbird 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 Thunderbird 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
- Thunderbird also covers tasks.
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxOpen sourceCalendarEmail client
At a glance
| Betterbird | Thunderbird | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 app is free on desktop and Android, with no ads and no paid tier. Development is funded by voluntary donations. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Betterbird project | MZLA Technologies Corporation |
| Price read from | betterbird.eu | thunderbird.net |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 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.
Thunderbird
- Thunderbird Mobile is listed for Android only, through Google Play and F-Droid. No iPhone or iPad app is listed.
- It is a mail client, not a mailbox: it connects to accounts hosted elsewhere. The team's own hosting service, Thundermail, is in beta behind a waitlist.
- Thundermail is a separate paid subscription. Its Early Bird Plan is shown at $6 per month, paid annually, with full launch expected in 2026.
- Support is community-based. Thunderbird states that donations do not buy individual technical support.
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.
Thunderbird
- Unified inbox for several accounts
- Keep every email account in one app and read them separately or together in a unified inbox, on desktop and on Android.
- Calendar, contacts and tasks
- The desktop app manages appointments, contacts and tasks alongside email, so scheduling does not need a separate program.
- No ads or data mining
- Thunderbird says it does not sell ads in the inbox, collect personal data or train AI on private conversations. It is funded by user donations.
- Open source and extensible
- The code is published under the MPL 2.0 license for anyone to inspect, modify and share, and add-ons extend what the desktop app can do.
- OpenPGP encryption on Android
- Advanced users can send and receive encrypted mail with the OpenPGP standard by pairing Thunderbird Mobile with the free OpenKeychain app.
- Desktop-to-mobile setup
- Desktop users can move their account settings to the Android app by scanning a QR code shown in the desktop app.
Plans
Betterbird
Betterbird$0
Free download for Windows, macOS and Linux; paid support is not offered, and donations are optional.
Thunderbird
Free$0
Every feature of Thunderbird Desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux and of Thunderbird Mobile for Android.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Betterbird or Thunderbird?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Betterbird and Thunderbird are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Betterbird or Thunderbird?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Betterbird and Thunderbird have a free plan.
Which platforms do Betterbird and Thunderbird run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Thunderbird lists an Android app. Both list macOS, 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.