Which is Better – Thunderbird or Outlook?

In this digital era, the usage of email applications is at peak. Each individual requires an email account for social media account creation, online shopping, mailings, communication purposes etc. An individual gets satisfied when he chooses the right email client application which meets his requirements.

Thunderbird and Outlook are the email applications which are demanded by majority of the people. Both have similar functionalities with distinct features.

Thunderbird is an open source email application which is secured and provides features like RSS feed reader, multi-account, newsgroup options, unified inbox and many more.

On the other hand, Outlook is the most widely used email application with the features like task management, journal, group scheduler, contact manager and many more.

Let us take the overview of both Thunderbird and Outlook email application with their respective pros and cons in order to come to the conclusion.

Overview of Thunderbird

Thunderbird is an open source cross platform email application. It has simple and easy to use interface with basic features that makes it suitable as an alternative to Outlook. According to the research done by Mozilla, there are around 9 million users all around the globe using the Thunderbird application. By default it is available for Linux, but it can be easily configured on Mac and Windows operating system.

It has a number of features, however, for additional features, the user can always go for add-ons.  It is secure and allows to configure multiple accounts into it like G Suite account, Yahoo etc.

Pros and Cons of Mozilla Thunderbird

Pros

• It allows to open the multiple tabs as in case of chrome. The multiple tab allows to navigate to different window and perform functions
• Thunderbird allows to add multiple email clients that support SMTP, POP3 and IMAP protocols
• It has a feature to auto-update its features whenever the need arises
• It provides the easy management of the emails with the help of fast search, filters, tags, views etc.
• It has an inbuilt functionality to extend its features by adding multiple extensions which are required for some specific functioning
• It provides complete security of the email account with the help of spam filters, anti-virus and fire walls
• It ensures to send heavy files after installing the pCloud add-on functionality

Cons

• It has been often seen that the subject lines are missing
• It can be configured only with an add-on functionality
• It does not include calendar and task list
• The user interface is not updated and lacks appealing look with unpleasant functionality
• It does not ensure complete stability and security due to slow developmental process
• Some of the features like drag/drop facility does not works on it

If you want to move your emails from Thunderbird to Outlook, opt for the best MBOX to PST Converter and perform the conversion without any data loss.

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Outlook is a well-known email application with the features such as calendar, task tracking, contacts, journals, notes and web browsing functionalities. It is integrated with the Microsoft applications like Word, Share Point and Exchange platforms. You can send or receive the invitation link or share calendar with the users commonly using the network. You will have an additional features like tracking of email status and attachment reminders to ensure that you don’t miss attaching a file if it required.

Pros and Cons of MS Outlook

Pros

• It allows spam filtering and inhibits phishing attacks
• It provides support for accessing multiple accounts with the format like IMAP, POP3, MSN and Hotmail Profile in Outlook
• Emails can be easily filtered using ‘Clutter’
• It can be accessed from multiple devices
• It ensures security and safety from unauthorized users
• It provides enhanced connectivity as the user can access it from mobile device with just login credentials
• It allows easy sharing, integration and familiar user interface

Cons

• It is a paid subscription
• It is complex to configure and a lengthy process
• The naive user cannot perform functions without guidance
• It does not allows to put flags, notes or rules for one’s ease
• MS Outlook is compatible on Windows operating system but create issues in compatibility on other operating systems

Final Thoughts

In the above blog, the light has been thrown upon a brief of Thunderbird and Outlook. Both the email client applications have their own significance. Their overview with pros and cons have been discussed so as to evaluate the better platform one over the other. On discussing each email application, it can be said that Thunderbird is such an email application that is easy to configure and set up free of cost. Whereas MS Outlook takes time to configure and requires a technical person to do the same. Outlook can be operated only after purchasing the license to use.

Henceforth, depending upon the user’s preference and requirements on the basis of above aforementioned paragraphs, the choices can be made accordingly. Thunderbird can be opted when there are less number of users or an individual wants to access. On the other hand, MS Outlook is best suited for medium-large enterprises.