Thunderbird’s plans to expand beyond the desktop client took another step forward this month as the project published its latest progress report on Thunderbird Pro – the new Mozilla initiative to offer an open-source alternative to Gmail and Office 365, for which we informed you about at the beginning of April. Here’s where things stand so far.
Testing of Thundermail, the project’s email hosting service, has reached production level. Internal users have begun onboarding, allowing the team to validate account setup, support workflows, and delivery reliability. The refreshed Thundermail dashboard is also in place, giving users controls for custom domains, aliases, and account settings.
Alongside this, work continues to improve message deliverability and reduce the risk of outgoing mail being flagged as spam. The team has also completed its data-hosting migration, shifting services from the Americas to Germany and, where possible, to the wider EU.
Appointment, Thunderbird’s scheduling and meeting tool, is also progressing through a round of visual and workflow updates. The developers have been refining their Zoom and CalDAV integration while addressing infrastructure issues and bugs. These changes are being applied across Thunderbird Pro as part of a broader interface refresh designed for the upcoming Early Bird beta.
Send, Thunderbird’s encrypted file-sharing service, is being moved from its standalone extension into the new unified Thunderbird Pro add-on. The team is also strengthening file-safety checks, tightening reporting of illegal uploads, and finalizing an external security review slated for public release. Mobile performance, upload and download speeds, and onboarding flows have all been improved in recent months.
And now to the most important thing. All three services—Thundermail, Send, and Appointment—will be included in Thunderbird Pro’s first subscription option. The new Early Bird Plan is priced at $9 per month and is intended to support the platform’s early development, infrastructure, and long-term sustainability.
On top of that, the team emphasizes that Thunderbird Pro will not rely on advertising, data sales, or external influence to fund its operations. Additional pricing tiers are expected once the platform stabilizes.
Finally, the Thunderbird Pro website is now live, serving as the central hub for information about Thundermail, Send, and Appointment. It also introduces the account system that future subscribers will use to sign up, sign in, and manage their services.
For more information, see the announcement.
