# Betterbird review (2026): is it any good? > A fork of Thunderbird with extra features and bug fixes Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Betterbird is a fine-tuned version of Mozilla Thunderbird that adds features of its own, fixes bugs and carries some fixes Thunderbird may ship later. It can be installed alongside Thunderbird and run on the same profile. It is free to download and funded by donations. - **Category:** Email Apps - **Made by:** Betterbird project - **Website:** https://www.betterbird.eu - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a phone or web app, as it's desktop only. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Betterbird is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free to download and use; the project asks for donations by Stripe or PayPal. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Betterbird | $0 | Free download for Windows, macOS and Linux; paid support is not offered, and donations are optional. | Read from https://www.betterbird.eu/donate/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Betterbird before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Thunderbird users who want fixes and options Thunderbird has not shipped - People who want an independent open-source client without leaving the Thunderbird interface ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.0 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Betterbird is a free desktop mail client built on Thunderbird with extra changes, for Windows, macOS and Linux. It's run as a small project funded by donations, and the site says to avoid old release series because of unpatched vulnerabilities. Mac builds are English only unless you add a language pack. - **Value for money: A.** Free to download and use, with donations optional. A program anyone can download and run counts as free and substantial. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright, with no paid edition and no trial limits. - **Features: B.** A 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. - **Ease of use: C.** No store rating on record. It's a desktop client where you connect your own accounts first. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Windows, Mac and Linux desktop builds only. No phone or web version. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Betterbird's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among email apps - Betterbird's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 55 of the 70 other email apps we grade, and level with 9. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 55 of 70) and worst on ease of use (C, above 1). - Betterbird has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/email ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Betterbird is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 55 of the 70 other email apps we grade. - You could make: Calendar: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Thunderbird **Tags:** Email client, Open source, Calendar ## Alternatives - [Thunderbird](https://toolgpa.com/tools/thunderbird): Free, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/betterbird-vs-thunderbird) - [Claws Mail](https://toolgpa.com/tools/claws-mail): Lightweight GTK email and news client, free under the GPL. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/betterbird-vs-claws-mail) - [Evolution](https://toolgpa.com/tools/evolution): GNOME's free mail, calendar and address book app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/betterbird-vs-evolution) - [Mailspring](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailspring): Open-source desktop email client for Mac, Windows and Linux. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/betterbird-vs-mailspring) - [eM Client](https://toolgpa.com/tools/em-client): Desktop email client for Windows and Mac with calendar and chat. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/betterbird-vs-em-client) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.betterbird.eu/ - https://www.betterbird.eu/downloads/ - https://www.betterbird.eu/faq/ - https://www.betterbird.eu/donate/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/betterbird Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).