Mailbird vs Mailspring

Mailbird

• Windows users who want several email accounts in one desktop app
• People who would rather buy a license once than subscribe
• Keeping chat and calendar apps in a sidebar next to email

Mailspring

• Linux users who want a modern desktop email client
• People who want a free client with unlimited accounts
• Anyone who wants read receipts and link tracking built into email

Mailbird

• The free version covers 1 email account on 1 device and leaves out email tracking, app integrations and Exchange support.
• There is no iOS, Android, web or Linux version; the pricing FAQ says mobile apps are on the roadmap.
• Mailbird for Mac needs macOS Ventura or later and cannot connect POP3 accounts.
• Prices here are US Mac App Store in-app prices. Mailbird's website prices Premium in local currency, marked down from a crossed-out list price, and its figures can differ.

Mailspring

• There is no iOS, Android or web version; the docs say the team is focused on the desktop app.
• Exchange (EWS and ActiveSync) and POP3 are not supported. Microsoft 365 accounts connect over IMAP and SMTP.
• The calendar is a read-only preview for Google accounts; a full calendar is described as coming later.
• No one-time or lifetime license is offered, and Pro does not include premium support.

Mailbird

Unified inbox

Messages and contacts from several email accounts appear in one inbox. The free version is limited to 1 account, and Premium allows unlimited accounts.

Email tracking

Shows who opened a sent message and when. The comparison table lists tracking as unlimited on Premium and not included in the free version.

App integrations

Slack, WhatsApp, Dropbox, Google Calendar, Asana and other apps open inside Mailbird, and Premium can add any app or website as a custom app.

AI email writing

A ChatGPT integration drafts email text for you. The pricing table lists it as a Premium feature.

Snooze and send later

Snooze takes a non-urgent message out of the inbox until later, and send later schedules a message for a set time. On Mac both are listed under Premium, along with undo send.

Unsubscribe and block senders

Unsubscribe from mailing lists and block unwanted senders from inside the inbox. The pricing table lists both as Premium features.

Mailspring

Unified inbox

One inbox for Gmail, iCloud, Office 365, Fastmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo and other IMAP accounts. The free version puts no limit on the number of accounts.

Advanced search

Mailspring indexes mail so that Gmail-style search queries can look through message contents across every connected account.

Read receipts and link tracking

Notifies you when a recipient opens a message or clicks a link. A free Mailspring ID can track 5 messages a week of each kind, and Pro is unlimited.

Send later, snooze and reminders

Schedule a message, snooze a conversation, or get a reminder when nobody replies. The free allowance is 5 send-later messages, 5 reminders and 15 snoozes a week.

Translation and grammar check

Translates drafts and incoming messages and checks grammar in the composer with LanguageTool. Both have weekly caps, which are higher on Pro.

Open source with direct sync

The full codebase is published under the MIT license. Mail syncs over IMAP straight from the provider to your machine, not through Mailspring's servers.

Mailbird

• Free$0

  Basic features for 1 email account on 1 device, with Knowledge Base support only.

• Premium (Yearly Plan)$34.49

  per year (US Mac App Store in-app price)

  Unlimited accounts, unlimited email tracking, templates, app integrations, Exchange support and email support, on up to 3 devices per license.

• Premium (One-Time)$159.00

  one-time payment (US Mac App Store in-app price)

  Premium bought once. The website calls it Pay Once, shows it at 75% off a crossed-out price in local currency, and sells a Lifetime Updates add-on.

Mailspring

• Free$0

  Complete email client with unlimited accounts and a unified inbox. Weekly allowances of Pro features: 15 snoozes, 5 send-later messages and 5 tracked messages.

• Mailspring Pro$8

  per month, or $85 per year

  Unlimited snooze, send later, follow-up reminders, read receipts and link tracking, plus higher caps on translation, grammar check and contact profiles.

Mailbird

• Lifetime license

  Pay Once license instead of a subscription

  Premium is also sold as a Pay Once license with no renewals, and an optional Lifetime Updates add-on covers all future Mailbird versions. The US Mac App Store lists Premium One-Time at $159.00.

• Other savings

  Volume discounts from 2 licenses

  The pricing FAQ lists automatic discounts on multiple Premium licenses: 5% for 2 to 10, 10% for 11 to 25, 15% for 26 to 50, 20% for 51 to 100 and 25% for 101 or more.

Mailspring

• Annual discount

  11% off with annual billing

  Mailspring Pro is billed monthly at $8 by default. The subscription docs list an annual plan at $85 a year, which they describe as an 11% discount.

• Other savings

  Multi-seat discounts for teams

  The subscription docs say discounts on multi-seat licenses and annual team plans are available by contacting Foundry376's sales address.