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Balsa vs Betterbird: catalog facts
Balsa	Betterbird
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source, funded by donations.
Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Lightweight native GTK interface Fits in with the GNOME desktop	Fixes and features Thunderbird has not shipped, listed openly in a comparison table Installs next to Thunderbird and runs on the same profile, so switching back is trivial
Linux only Smaller feature set than full PIM suites	A small volunteer project riding on someone else’s release train The Mac build ships in English only and needs a language pack for anything else
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0-or-later	License: MPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.