Mailbind vs Mailbird
Mailbird sells a desktop licence, including a pay-once one. Mailbind sells a subscription to a web application. That is the first fork in the road, before any feature.
What each one is
Mailbird is a desktop mail client. Its pricing page sells a free tier limited to one account, and a Premium licence with unlimited accounts, email tracking, templates, custom apps, sender blocking and filters, plus Premium-only features it lists as advanced search, snippets, snooze, undo send, send later, dark mode, Exchange support and a ChatGPT integration. A licence covers one user on up to three devices.
Mailbind is a web application with no licence to install. The same build is the desktop app, the phone app and the browser tab. What it adds over a classic client is the sender rule, verified send-as addresses, shared inboxes for a team, and a mirrored Arabic interface.
What each one costs, as published
| Product | Published price | Where it runs | Interface languages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailbind | €0 Free · €12/month Pro · €14/member/month Team | Web app and PWA | EN · FR · AR (RTL) |
| Mailbird | €0 Free (1 account) · €2.30/user/month Premium billed yearly · €73.80 per user pay-once (prices as shown with the discounts on the page) | Windows and macOS licence; Android and iPhone apps | Not stated on the pricing page |
Mailbird is a trademark of its owner. Mailbind is not affiliated with it, and the figures above are quoted from its own published pages on the date given at the foot of this page — check them before you decide, because prices change.
Pay once, or pay monthly
A pay-once licence is a real advantage and worth naming: Mailbird’s page offers one at €73.80 per user, and sells a separate Lifetime Updates add-on at €65 for all future versions, noting that without it you get only regular improvements and security updates. If you dislike subscriptions, that is the offer Mailbind has and Mailbind does not.
The trade is what a subscription pays for on our side: a server that syncs your mailboxes whether or not your laptop is open, AI that runs without your machine doing the work, and a shared inbox that two people can use at once. A desktop client cannot do the second or third of those at any price.
- Mailbird Free is limited to one account; Mailbind Free takes two mailboxes.
- Mailbird licences are per user and limited to three devices on Premium; Mailbind has no device limit because there is nothing installed.
- Mailbird lists a 14-day money-back guarantee; Mailbind’s paid plans start with a 14-day trial and no charge.
Where Mailbind is different
- Replies leave from the mailbox that received the message, with aliases verified before use.
- Shared inboxes, assignment, roles and internal notes for a team on the Team plan.
- English, French and Arabic, with the Arabic layout mirrored throughout.
- Nothing to install, nothing to keep updated, and recent mail readable offline anyway.
- Mailbox credentials encrypted with AES-256-GCM on an EU server, with a published DPA.
When to pick Mailbird instead
Pick Mailbird if you want a Windows desktop client and a licence rather than a subscription, or if the feature list it sells — email tracking, templates, its app sidebar — is what you are after. Its Exchange support also matters if you have a mailbox that only speaks Exchange rather than IMAP; Mailbind is an IMAP and SMTP client and cannot help there.
It is also the answer if you want your mail stored only on your own machine. Mailbind keeps a synchronised copy on a server, which is what makes instant search and a shared inbox possible, and that is a trade some people should refuse.
What they agree about
- Both connect to existing IMAP and SMTP mailboxes.
- Both show several accounts together.
- Both offer snooze, filters and a dark mode.
- Both have a free tier you can judge them on.
Common questions
Can I buy Mailbind once instead of subscribing?
No. Mailbind is a hosted service with a server syncing your mailboxes, so it is sold monthly or yearly. Mailbird's pay-once licence is a genuine difference between the two.
Does Mailbind support Exchange?
No. It speaks IMAP and SMTP, which every mail provider exposes, including Microsoft 365. A mailbox that only offers Exchange cannot be connected.
Can I try Mailbind before leaving Mailbird?
Yes, and you should: connect two mailboxes on the Free plan and run both for a week. Nothing is moved, because Mailbind reads your existing mailboxes over IMAP, so there is nothing to undo if you decide against it.
Will my mail be moved or re-hosted?
No. Mailbind connects to the mailboxes you already own and keeps a synchronised copy for search and offline reading. Your provider stays the authority, and disconnecting deletes the copy.
Keep reading
Try the web version of the idea
Free for two mailboxes, with nothing to install and nothing to uninstall.
Start freeFree plan, two mailboxes, no card.
Sources
- Mailbird — Pricing — checked October 29, 2026
Page updated October 29, 2026