Mozilla Thunderbird, one of the best-known open source email clients, is expanding its offering with new services designed to improve the user experience and increase productivity. With the new “Thunderbird Pro” and “Thundermail” services, the company plans to position itself as a serious alternative to proprietary solutions such as Gmail and Microsoft 365.
Background: Why this step?
The decision to expand the offering comes as no surprise. In recent years, Thunderbird has lost users to closed ecosystems that impress with the close integration of email, calendars and cloud services. While Thunderbird continues to have a loyal fan base as an email client, it has so far lacked its own service offering that can compete with the major providers. With the new functions, the project aims to attract more users and offer a completely open-source alternative.
The new services at a glance
1. thundermail: Own mail service on an open source basis
One of the most exciting new offerings is “Thundermail”, a proprietary e-mail service based on the Stalwart software. It not only offers e-mail functions, but also calendar and contact management. The service will be accessible via the domains thundermail.com or tb.pro. Interested users can already register for the beta phase.
2 Thunderbird Appointment: An open source appointment scheduler
Another highlight is “Thunderbird Appointment”. This service is designed to offer an easy way to arrange appointments by allowing users to share their availability via a link. The service is similar to tools such as Calendly, but remains open source and places particular emphasis on data protection. The source code is already available as a public repository.
3. Thunderbird Send: Secure file sharing as a new version of Firefox Send
With “Thunderbird Send”, Mozilla is bringing back a revised version of “Firefox Send”, which was discontinued in 2020. The service makes it possible to send large files securely and in encrypted form. The repository for Thunderbird Send has already been published so that users and developers can take an early look at the new version.
4 Thunderbird Assist: AI-supported functions for greater convenience
Another feature that Thunderbird would like to offer in the future is “Thunderbird Assist”. This is a collection of AI-supported functions designed to make composing and managing emails easier. Interestingly, Thunderbird is cooperating with Flower AI and optionally also uses Nvidia’s confidential cloud computing infrastructure. Users can decide whether they want to use the AI functions locally or in the cloud.
Financing and business model
The new services will initially be free of charge for active community members. There are later plans to offer limited free versions, while a fee will be charged for extended functions. This model is intended not only to cover operating costs, but also to prevent abuse of the services.
Conclusion: Thunderbird breaks new ground
The introduction of Pro Services and its own mail platform marks a significant step for Thunderbird. The focus on open source, data protection and user control makes the offering particularly attractive for people who value independence from large tech companies. It remains to be seen whether Thunderbird can assert itself as an alternative to Gmail or Microsoft 365 in the long term – the potential is certainly there.
Further information on the new services is expected in the coming months.
