Thunderbird vs BlueMail

by Gralio Feb 11, 2025

Thunderbird and BlueMail cater to different email management needs. Thunderbird shines with its privacy-centric approach and extensive customization options, while BlueMail offers a more unified mobile experience. Thunderbird is better for users prioritizing privacy and control, while BlueMail suits those who need seamless mobile access.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 441 reviews and 60 websites, saving 2 hours, 57 minutes of reading.

Thunderbird

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BlueMail

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About

Thunderbird is a free and open-source email client software known for its focus on privacy and customization. It allows you to manage multiple email accounts, organize emails with tags and filters, and access calendars and contacts. Funded by donations, Thunderbird is part of the Mozilla family and prioritizes user privacy by not collecting data or selling ads. It's available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

BlueMail is a free email app available on all major platforms. It allows you to manage unlimited email accounts from different providers in one place. BlueMail also offers a calendar feature to manage your schedule. For businesses, BlueMail for Teams provides a platform for team communication and collaboration. They prioritize user privacy and security, ensuring that users have control over their data.

Summary

Main difference

Thunderbird is a robust desktop email client prioritizing privacy and customization, ideal for users comfortable with open-source software and local email storage. BlueMail excels as a mobile-first email app offering a unified inbox across various platforms, making it better for users constantly on the go who prioritize a seamless mobile experience.

Relative strengths of Thunderbird (compared to BlueMail)

Stronger privacy focus with open-source development and no data collection.
Greater customization with themes, extensions, and local control over data.
Superior organization features with robust filtering, tagging, and folder management.

Relative weaknesses of Thunderbird (compared to BlueMail)

Lacks a dedicated mobile app, creating a fragmented experience across devices.
Desktop application can be resource-intensive and occasionally slow to sync.
Open-source nature may present a steeper learning curve for non-technical users.

Who should use Thunderbird VS. BlueMail

Thunderbird is a free, open-source email client perfect for privacy-conscious users. It's known for its customizability and multi-account management. Users praise its easy-to-use interface and powerful search, but some dislike the slow syncing and lack of a mobile app.

BlueMail is a free email management app designed for users seeking a unified inbox across multiple platforms. While mobile users enjoy its ease of use and multi-account support, some desktop users have reported performance issues. Consider BlueMail if you need a free, basic email solution and prioritize mobile access.

Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a free email client.
A good fit for various sectors, especially those prioritizing data privacy.

Best for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a free email solution.
Suitable for various sectors, including Healthcare, Finance, Education, and Media.

Thunderbird and BlueMail features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

AI-powered email generation

Partially supported

Thunderbird supports AI email generation via extensions.

Supported

BlueMail uses AI to generate, summarize, and improve emails, increasing productivity.
Multiple account switching

Supported

Thunderbird allows switching between multiple accounts within the app.

Supported

BlueMail allows switching between multiple accounts within the app.
Shared inbox

Supported

Thunderbird allows multiple users to access a shared inbox via manual configuration.

Not supported

BlueMail does not offer a shared inbox feature.
Send, receive and manage emails.

Supported

Thunderbird can send, receive, and manage emails.

Supported

BlueMail can send, receive, and manage emails from multiple accounts.
Multi-Mailbox Management

Supported

Thunderbird supports multiple email accounts and a unified inbox.

Supported

BlueMail supports managing multiple email accounts in one unified interface.
Color customization

Supported

Thunderbird allows color customization of the interface and Spaces Toolbar, potentially with add-ons.

Supported

BlueMail offers various color themes and lets users customize colors for each account.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

No data
Customer Service

No data

-1

Strongly negative sentiment
Ease of Use

+0.73

Strongly positive sentiment

+0.2

Neutral sentiment
Reliability and Performance

-0.09

Neutral sentiment

No data
Ease of Implementation

+0.6

Rather positive sentiment

No data
Scalability

No data

No data

Thunderbird and BlueMail Pricing

No data

User sentiment

Strongly positive

We couldn't find a pricing page for Thunderbird.

BlueMail offers email management solutions with features like unified folders, instant push, and encryption. The Standard plan is free, while BlueMail Plus and Business Pro plans offer additional features like AI-powered email generation and corporate management tools.

Plans

User sentiment

Strongly positive

See full Pricing page

Thunderbird and BlueMail review insights

401 reviews analysed from and

Users love

Free and open-source.
Easy-to-use interface for managing multiple email accounts.
Powerful search and filtering capabilities.
Customizable with various add-ons and extensions.
Stores emails locally for offline access.

Free and easy to use on mobile devices.
Supports multiple email accounts and providers.
Unified inbox for managing all emails in one place.
Fast email sending and receiving on mobile.
Customizable interface with options for notifications and organization.

Users dislike

Slow syncing with servers, sometimes taking hours.
Occasional errors saving sent messages or drafts.
Email templates with visual elements often don't render correctly.
No mobile app creates an inconsistent experience across devices.
Recent UI changes and updates are not well-received by some users.

Slow performance and lag, especially on desktop.
Buggy desktop application with frequent crashes and freezes.
Unresponsive customer support.
Lack of advanced features and customization options.
Confusing interface and navigation.

Thunderbird and BlueMail Ratings

No data

Company health

Employee growth

2% increase in the last year

No change in the last year

Web traffic

7% increase in the last quarter

No data

Financing

September 2004 - $2M

No data

How do Thunderbird's offline capabilities compare to BlueMail's?

Thunderbird stores emails locally, enabling offline access to emails, contacts, and calendars. BlueMail, while having some offline functionality, primarily functions as a mobile app and relies on periodic syncing, therefore it does not provide the same comprehensive offline experience as Thunderbird.

Which product offers better customization for notifications and organization?

Thunderbird offers better customization for notifications and organization. While BlueMail allows customizing colors and notification settings for different accounts, Thunderbird's open-source nature and extensive add-on library provide significantly more flexibility for customizing the interface, notifications, and email organization using tags, filters, and custom views.

What are the advantages of Thunderbird?

Thunderbird's advantages include being free and open-source, prioritizing user privacy, and offering extensive customization options through add-ons and extensions. It allows for local storage of emails, enabling offline access, and provides robust search and filtering capabilities for efficient email management. It also supports multiple email accounts within a unified inbox.

What are the disadvantages of Thunderbird?

Thunderbird's disadvantages include slow syncing with email servers, occasional errors saving messages, inconsistent rendering of HTML emails, lack of a dedicated mobile app, and recent UI changes that have been met with criticism from some users. The desktop-focused nature can be a limitation for users who need consistent access to their email across devices.

Alternatives to Thunderbird and BlueMail

eM Client

eM Client is an email client for Windows and macOS, offering a combined inbox for your emails, calendars, contacts, tasks, and chats. Supporting major services like Gmail and Outlook, eM Client allows easy data importing from other email clients. A free version is available after a 30-day trial, with the option to upgrade to a paid version at any time.

Emailgistics

Emailgistics helps businesses manage their shared email inboxes within Microsoft Outlook 365. It offers features like automatic email routing, performance tracking, and pre-written response templates to streamline email communication and improve team productivity. With its focus on analytics and workflow automation, Emailgistics aims to give your team better control over their inbox and provide insights into response times and overall efficiency.

Front

Front is a customer service platform designed to help businesses manage customer interactions efficiently. It offers a shared inbox that combines email, chat, social media, and other channels into one place. This allows teams to collaborate, automate tasks, and access customer information easily. Front also provides analytics and insights to help businesses improve their customer service operations and measure performance. It's suitable for businesses of all sizes looking to streamline customer support and enhance team collaboration.

Zimbra Desktop

Zimbra Desktop is a free email application that lets you manage email from multiple accounts (like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook) in one place. It works offline, syncing your emails when you're online. Zimbra Desktop also allows you to manage your contacts and calendar. It's a good fit for businesses of all sizes looking for a simple and unified email solution.

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is an email and personal organization software. It allows you to manage emails, calendars, contacts, and tasks in one place. Outlook integrates with other Microsoft Office tools, making it easy to share files and collaborate with colleagues. It's a popular choice for businesses of all sizes due to its comprehensive features and seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem.

Trengo

Trengo is a customer engagement platform designed for mid-sized businesses looking to streamline customer interactions. It offers a multichannel inbox that consolidates messages from email, live chat, social media, and messaging apps like WhatsApp into a single view. This centralized platform facilitates team collaboration and efficient customer support. Trengo also provides automation features like chatbots and workflows to help businesses manage high volumes of inquiries and improve response times. Additionally, it offers analytics and reporting tools to track key performance indicators and make data-driven decisions.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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