Mozilla is upgrading its Thunderbird open-source email client by making it a complete communications platform and offering paid “Pro” web services. Aside from enhancing user experience, the new offerings aim to compete with Microsoft 365, ProtonMail, FastMail, and Gmail.
Thunderbird debuted in 2003 alongside Mozilla’s Firefox browser. However, it was left behind in terms of popularity when rival ecosystems started to rise but maintained a loyal user base, Umar Shakir of The Verge reports.
Additionally, it has never included email services with its email client, underlining the gap in areas where the company falls short against competitors.
“This has been a long time coming. It is my conviction that all of this should have been a part of the Thunderbird universe a decade ago. But it is better late than never,” Managing Director Ryan Sipes explained in a post.
In line with efforts to expand Thunderbird’s email services, Mozilla is launching Thundermail and Thunderbird Pro. Accordingly, these two have features that could help bounce back from the declining active monthly installs.
New Upcoming Thunderbird Services
As part of Thunderbird Pro, Mozilla is adding Thunderbird Appointment. It is a scheduling tool that enables users to set appointments on the calendar through a link. Also, Appointment went through developments to make scheduling smoother and easier for users.
In addition, the developers included Thunderbird Send, which is basically a rebirth of Firefox Send. According to Sipes, changes are ongoing to enable direct methods of sharing files.
Moreover, the Pro services now have Thunderbird Assist, which is a partnership with Flower AI. The tool aims to allow users to leverage every AI feature. More importantly, the use of this feature is optional as it can be too sensitive for some users.
On the other hand, Thundermail is an email service that developers claim to be better than other providers. Sipes said they are using Stalwart as the software stack for the foundation. Capabilities are continuously being improved to produce a revolutionary email experience.
Sipes is inviting everyone to check out and test the latest progress of Thunderbird’s offerings. Those interested can sign up on a beta waitlist through thundermail.com.
