Thunderbird AlternativesOnly apps from the EU

The best alternative to Thunderbird is Betterbird, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to Thunderbird and 13 are so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting alternatives to Thunderbird are FairEmail, KMail, myMail and Trojitá.

filter to find the best alternatives

Thunderbird alternatives are mainly Email Clients, but if you're looking for Calendar Apps or Contact Managers you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Thunderbird.
Thunderbird iconThunderbird
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  • ...

Cross-platform email client providing POP/IMAP support, robust filtering, multiple accounts, and chat. Extendable via add-ons with RSS/Atom, etc.

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Thunderbird alternatives page was last updated May 16, 2025
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  1. Betterbird icon

    Betterbird

     51 likes
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    Betterbird, a soft fork of Mozilla Thunderbird, improves user experience with advanced features, bug fixes, security patches, and multi-row descriptions similar to Outlook. Compatible with multiple platforms and can be used alongside Thunderbird, sharing the same profile.

    27 Betterbird alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Chocolatey
    Betterbird screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Multiple Account support
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Unified inbox
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Portable
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Spam Filter
    9.  Calendar Integration
    10.  SMTP Support
    11.  IMAP Support
    12.  POP3 Support

    Betterbird VS Thunderbird

     
    Comments about Betterbird as an Alternative to Thunderbird
    Top Positive Comment
    Sam Lander
    May 31, 2023
    3

    Betterbird does everything that Thunderbird does (it's a soft fork), while improving bugs and features.

    Because it's a soft fork, it retains the security implementations of Thunderbird.

    Thunderbird actually implements many of the bug fixes created by Betterbird, but at a much slower pace.

    Most Recent Comment
    drummer_nrg
    Positive •Mar 5, 2025
    1

    Betterbird is actively updated by a previous Thunderbird developer and is a fully compatible fork of Thunderbird which fixes some outstanding bugs. My add-ons like keepassxc-mail work fine!

    Guest
    Positive •Jun 20, 2024
    2

    It has many fixes for long existing bugs

    Show more comments
    3 of 5 comments
    Thunderbird Icon
    Betterbird icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Betterbird is a great Thunderbird alternative.

    • Betterbird is the most popular Mac alternative to Thunderbird.

    • Betterbird is Free and Open SourceThunderbird is also Free and Open Source
    • Betterbird is Privacy focused and LightweightThunderbird is not according to our users
  2. FairEmail icon

    FairEmail

     79 likes
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    Open-source, privacy-focused email client offering features such as encryption via OpenPGP and S/MIME, unlimited accounts, a unified inbox, customizable settings, and reformatted emails to prevent phishing. Supports two-way synchronization and provides Pro features for additional customization.

    44 FairEmail alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    Compose message view.
    Setup screen.
    Messages view with dark theme.

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused
    2.  Customizable
    3.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Multiple Account support
    2.  Email Notifications
    3.  PGP Encryption
    4.  Extensive settings menu
    5.  IMAP Support
    6.  Notifications
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Unified inbox
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  S/MIME Support

    FairEmail VS Thunderbird

     
    Comments about FairEmail as an Alternative to Thunderbird
    ByteRanger
    Negative •Jul 25, 2023
    -3

    While I do use FairEmail on my mobile devices and like it, it is not a valid alternative to Thunderbird which is for desktop platforms.

    Guest
    Negative •Oct 8, 2020
    -8

    wrong platform. FairEmail is not an alternative for Thunderbird users because it only runs on android. Thunderbird is for desktop operating systems only.

    Thunderbird Icon
    FairEmail icon

    • Most users think FairEmail is a great Thunderbird alternative.

    • FairEmail is Freemium and Open SourceThunderbird is Free and Open Source
    • FairEmail is Privacy focused and CustomizableThunderbird is not according to our users
  4. KMail icon

    KMail

     49 likes
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    KMail is the email component of Kontact, the integrated personal information manager of KDE. Kontact is a personal information manager and groupware software suite for KDE. It supports calendars, contacts, notes, to-do lists, news, and email.

    52 KMail alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    KMail screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Email Organizer
    2.  Spam Filter
    3.  Multiple Account support
    4.  Ad-free
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Tray Icon

    KMail VS Thunderbird

     
  5. myMail icon

    myMail

     17 likes
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    myMail is the smart email app for managing all your accounts on iOS and Android.

    28 myMail alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    myMail screenshot 1
    myMail screenshot 2
    myMail screenshot 3

    myMail Features

    1.  Multiple Account support
    2.  Mail Filtering
    3.  Unified inbox
    4.  Push Notifications
    5.  POP3 Support
    6.  IMAP Support
    7.  Mobile friendly
    8.  Filter Management

    myMail VS Thunderbird

     
    Comments about myMail as an Alternative to Thunderbird
    Paul Karpo
    Positive •Mar 25, 2019
    3

    One of the best mobile email apps!

    Thunderbird Icon
    myMail icon

    • Almost everyone thinks myMail is a great Thunderbird alternative.

    • myMail is Free and ProprietaryThunderbird is Free and Open Source
  6. Trojitá icon

    Trojitá

     17 likes
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    Trojitá, is a fast Qt IMAP e-mail client that respects open standards and facilitates modern technologies. Trojitá values vendor-neutrality that IMAP provides and is committed to be as interoperable as possible.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CZ flagCzechia
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Home
    Discontinued

    The last update is from June 2016.

    Trojitá Features

    1.  QT Based
    2.  IMAP Support

    Trojitá VS Thunderbird

     
  7. Airmail icon

    Airmail

     73 likes
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    Engineered for iOS, macOS, and watchOS, this fast mail client supports multiple account types, custom actions, Smart Inbox filtering, unified inbox, privacy mode, email scheduling, snooze, third-party app integration, flexible personalization, and advanced workflow tools.

    65 Airmail alternatives

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • IT flagItaly
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    Airmail screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Clean design
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Multiple Account support
    2.  IMAP Support
    3.  POP3 Support
    4.  Fullscreen support
    5. Dropbox icon  Dropbox integration

    Airmail VS Thunderbird

     
  9. WunderMail icon

    WunderMail

     2 likes
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    The missing native desktop client for Gmail on Windows 10.

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Gmail
    WunderMail screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    Development seems to have stopped. The latest version on the Windows Store is from 2018.

    WunderMail Features

    1.  Gmail
    2. Gmail icon  Gmail integration

    WunderMail VS Thunderbird

     
7 of 13 Thunderbird alternatives