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Thunderbird vs Balsa: catalog facts
Thunderbird	Balsa
Free Free forever, funded by donations.	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android	Linux
Unified inbox across every account, or each account kept separate, your choice Mail, calendar, contacts and tasks in one application rather than four	Lightweight native GTK interface Fits in with the GNOME desktop
The interface carries a lot of history and can feel dense next to a webmail tab Major ESR releases have historically been disruptive for add-ons and settings	Linux only Smaller feature set than full PIM suites
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MPL-2.0	License: GPL-2.0-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026

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