Mozilla's Thunderbird team tests a paid email service to rival Gmail

Thunderbird, the Mozilla-backed email project, is getting closer to launching its own email service. It is called Thundermail. Some people on its waitlist are now being invited to try it early. The Register was one of them. The basic plan appears to cost $6 a month, billed once a year.

What it is

Thundermail is hosted email, meaning Thunderbird runs the mail servers and you get an inbox. It began under the Thunderbird Pro name. That plan also covered appointment scheduling and file sharing, all meant to bring in more money for the organization.

You can read your mail in a web browser. You can also use the Thunderbird desktop app, the Thunderbird app for Android, or other compatible email apps. The Thunderbird apps themselves remain free.

What you get

• Up to 15 email addresses and three custom domains
• 30 GB of mail storage
• 60 GB of storage for Thunderbird Send, an encrypted file-sharing and large-attachment service
• Multiple drafts at once, scheduled sending, folders, contact lists and identities

Thunderbird says these are just the starting features. It plans to offer extra features and services at different price points.

The cost question

Paying for email may put off people used to free accounts from Gmail, Outlook.com and Proton Mail. The Register points out that with Gmail and Outlook.com, you do get ads alongside your messages. The sign-up screens suggest $6 a month, billed annually. The Register paid £55 for a year in the early access program.

The web version looks clean and uncluttered. It is laid out like Gmail, with folders on the left and messages on the right. The Register says it has not had much time to test it, but found no big surprises and everything worked as expected.

What happens next

No official launch date has been given. The Register asked Thunderbird when Thundermail will open to everyone and has not yet had an answer. Thunderbird previously said a full launch is expected sometime in 2026. The $6 price is also not confirmed, since it comes from sign-up screens and not an announcement.