What is the name of the email client developed by the Mozilla Foundation?

The email client developed by the Mozilla Foundation is Thunderbird. It is a free, open-source desktop application for reading, sending, organizing, and searching email, with additional tools for calendars, contacts, news feeds, and chat.

Thunderbird was first released on July 28, 2003, as part of the broader Mozilla software ecosystem. Its development was influenced by the same open-source culture associated with Firefox, but Thunderbird is a separate application rather than a Firefox feature or email mode.

The name can cause confusion because Netscape helped create the Mozilla project, and SeaMonkey is another Mozilla-related suite that includes email capabilities. Firefox, meanwhile, is Mozilla’s web browser and does not function as a traditional built-in email client. Thunderbird uses standard protocols such as IMAP and SMTP to connect to mail services.

Mozilla Messaging temporarily handled Thunderbird development after becoming a Mozilla Foundation subsidiary in 2008. In 2011, it was absorbed into Mozilla’s wider organization. Today, Thunderbird is overseen through MZLA Technologies Corporation, a subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, and the project also has an Android version.