
Is Thunderbird at risk of being discontinued—could it face the same fate as Pocket?
Hello everyone,
I recently saw Mozilla announce that the Pocket service will be discontinued on July 8, 2025, entering an export-only mode, with user data permanently deleted after October 8, 2025.
I’m very concerned about its future. The shutdown of Pocket really hit hard, and it makes me worry: could Thunderbird face a similar fate? Especially now that Mozilla seems to be focusing its efforts more on Firefox and AI browser development, I’d like to ask the community and official team a few questions:
1. What is the current organizational structure around Thunderbird’s development and maintenance? I understand that since 2020, Thunderbird has been placed under MZLA Technologies—an independent, wholly‑owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation—and is managed by the Thunderbird Council. Does this mean Thunderbird operates under a fundamentally different model from Pocket?
2. Is there any possibility of Thunderbird being discontinued, divested, or “down‑scaled” in the future?
Does Mozilla have any plans to shrink Thunderbird or shift strategy in a way similar to Pocket?
3. What is Thunderbird’s planned roadmap and how are resources being allocated?
From what I’ve seen, Thunderbird is undergoing UI redevelopment (Supernova), monthly releases, mobile client initiatives, and new Pro services like Thundermail, Appointment, and Send. Does this reflect Mozilla’s confidence in its future?
4. How can users and community members show support or express concerns?
If we want to help ensure Thunderbird’s continued health and growth, what steps can we take to encourage Mozilla to allocate more resources?
All Replies (1)
You are correct, Thunderbird is developed by MZLA https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/about/. Thunderbird is not a product of Mozilla Corporation which develops Firefox, and so there is no connection to what has happened to pocket.
And so, no, there is no danger of Thunderbird going away. There are many ways you can help keep it that way https://www.thunderbird.net/en-US/participate/
Desktop https://developer.thunderbird.net/planning/roadmap. Android https://developer.thunderbird.net/planning/android-roadmap (awaiting an update)
And look how active https://blog.thunderbird.net/ is. For example https://blog.thunderbird.net/2025/03/thunderbird-for-android-january-february-2025-progress-report/