Thunderbird
Free, open-source desktop email, calendar, contacts, chat and RSS client from Mozilla.
Liked as a desktop client for juggling multiple email accounts, especially on Linux,1234 and for archiving or migrating years of mail locally;5678 some also use its built-in RSS, Matrix and IRC support.91011 The most common complaint is that it feels clunky and has gotten worse over the years,12131415 with weak search and heavy resource use also mentioned.16171819
Why people recommend it
Mail archiving · 3
Commenters use it to back up, archive or migrate large mailboxes from Gmail and Outlook.com.
“I used Thunderbird local folders for the archive”
“I've synced 20 years of Gmail to a local Thunderbird via imap.”
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“Thunderbird was the tool I used to create backup”
Multiple accounts · 3
Handles many email accounts in one client, including CardDAV and CalDAV.
“Juggling multiple e-mail accounts in a single client, and I haven't found anything better”
“On Linux desktop, Thunderbird is still the best all around email/CardDAV/CalDAV client it seems”
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“I use Thunderbird on desktop and FairEmail on Android”
Long-term daily use · 3
Many commenters say they have used it every day for years and are happy with it.
“I use Thunderbird every day and have used it for years now.”
“Just donated. Have been using Thunderbird for years.”
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Extra protocols · 3
Its built-in RSS, Matrix and IRC support gets praise.
“The built-in matrix and irc client is pretty great too”
“I use Thunderbird as my main Matrix client since it's already always open on my PC and is Lightweight.”
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“I use Thunderbird only for a small number of feeds I want to read every post from.”
Quick filter · 2
The quick filter bar makes finding messages fast.
“finding things in Thunderbird was just so much faster because it had a filter feature”
Beats Outlook · 2
Commenters coming from Outlook find it faster and more pleasant.
“Now, the Thunderbird experience is shockingly pleasurable, compared.”
“neither of which is as quick to load as Thunderbird was 20 years ago”
Caveats and dissent
Declining quality · 3
Some long-time users say changes over the years have made it worse.
“Literally every change that's been made to thunderbird in the last 10+ years has made it worse.”
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“I used Thunderbird for years, it was really the best client for some times on Linux.”
UI and editor · 2
The UI feels off to some even after the redesign, and one commenter called the editor garbage.
“Thunderbird on the other hand feels wrong somehow, and the recent UI “modernization” didn’t do much to change that.”
“I previously used Thunderbird but its editor was garbage”
Search · 2
Its built-in search does not work well for some users.
“the search in Thunderbird never worked for me, so I use the quick filter”
“I use Thunderbird on both Linux/Android as my sole client for personal email. I'm mostly pretty happy with it”
Resource usage · 2
It is described as heavy, and one Mac user says it makes the machine too warm.
“On Linux desktop, Thunderbird is still the best all around email/CardDAV/CalDAV client it seems”
“Thunderbird alone makes the computer too warm to comfortably use.”
SMTP setup · 1
Outgoing SMTP servers are configured separately from accounts rather than per account.
“ThunderBird still insists what a single SMTP outbound server for all your accounts is totes fine.”
Often compared with
1 moved from mu4e to Thunderbird
1 moved from Thunderbird to mu4eEvolution3 comments mention both
2 moved from Thunderbird to Evolution
1 moved from Gmail to ThunderbirdMicrosoft Outlook5 comments mention bothLotus Notes1 comment mention both
1 moved from Thunderbird to Lotus NotesBetterbird1 comment mention both
1 moved from Thunderbird to Betterbird
Who recommends it in their own words
From the makers not counted in the ranking
“the open-source email client used by 20M+ people”
“Total mail UI/UX overhaul, total backend overhaul allowing implementation of new protocols”
Threads where it came up
- Help Keep Thunderbird Alive 7 mentions
- Thunderbird for iOS 5 mentions
- Thunderbird Desktop settings research: what we learned from your feedback 4 mentions
- Ask HN: Best way to archive 25 years of emails 3 mentions
- Using Thunderbird for RSS 3 mentions
- Penguin Mail – open-source Rust email client for Linux with AI 2 mentions
Data: thunderbird.json. Quotes are verbatim; the verdict and theme labels are written by a model from these comments, and every clause links to its sources.
All comments 43
“Thunderbird alone makes the computer too warm to comfortably use.”
“On Linux desktop, Thunderbird is still the best all around email/CardDAV/CalDAV client it seems”
“Juggling multiple e-mail accounts in a single client, and I haven't found anything better”
“the search in Thunderbird never worked for me, so I use the quick filter”
“this not-even-released mail app looks like old Bootstrap web apps”
“it's a turd of a program”
“Thunderbird on the other hand feels wrong somehow, and the recent UI “modernization” didn’t do much to change that.”
“It's really not hard to beat thunderbird.”
“use Thunderbird as the mail agent for the latter”
“what Thunderbird, Outlook, etc. did a quarter century ago”
“I use PGP to communicate with my business partners using Thunderbird and Evolution.”
“finding things in Thunderbird was just so much faster because it had a filter feature”
“I used Thunderbird local folders for the archive”
“put both accounts in thunderbird and then move everything over, thunderbird does the work”
“put as many free software as I can (Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, VLC, Gimp...)”
“if you use thunderbird as a client it has database files that you can copy”
“I've synced 20 years of Gmail to a local Thunderbird via imap.”
“I use Thunderbird which is at least local.”
“for anyone using Thunderbird”
“I replaced it with Thunderbird Mail.”
“ThunderBird still insists what a single SMTP outbound server for all your accounts is totes fine.”
“neither of which is as quick to load as Thunderbird was 20 years ago”
“looking at the roadmap of thunderbird, there is some plan about a global database”
“I'd hate it if efforts to make Thunderbird shiny enough to attract users sacrificed functionality, ease of use, or customization.”
“Thunderbird was the tool I used to create backup”
“I use thunderbird on Mac, Windows and Linux (Ubuntu).”
“Looked at the same email in Gmail and Thunderbird, it's just a PDF attachment, no message”
“Now, the Thunderbird experience is shockingly pleasurable, compared.”
“Firefox and Thunderbird being my daily drivers for many years”
“Still my preferred client.”
“I highly recommend moving to something that isn’t Thunderbird.”
“Thunderbird carries on like nothing has changed.”
“I love Firefox and Thunderbird, use both everyday”
“I use Thunderbird every day and have used it for years now.”
“Literally every change that's been made to thunderbird in the last 10+ years has made it worse.”
“Just donated. Have been using Thunderbird for years.”
“I use Thunderbird on both Linux/Android as my sole client for personal email. I'm mostly pretty happy with it”
“I used Thunderbird for years, it was really the best client for some times on Linux.”
“From Thunderbird mobile on Android I just add a new sender identity.”
“The built-in matrix and irc client is pretty great too”
“I use Thunderbird only for a small number of feeds I want to read every post from.”
“I use Thunderbird on desktop and FairEmail on Android”
“I use Thunderbird as my main Matrix client since it's already always open on my PC and is Lightweight.”