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                Postbox Acquired by eM Client, Ends Development

   Adam Engst

   Sad news. The longstanding email client [1]Postbox has been acquired
   and shut down by [2]eM Client, described by the [3]announcement as 'a
   leading email platform for Windows and macOS that combines email,
   calendars, tasks, contacts, notes, and chat into a single, easy-to-use
   application.'

   Postbox users can continue to use the app indefinitely, but it will no
   longer be sold or developed. The company will continue to provide
   support through 22 December 2024, and the [4]Postbox Help Center will
   remain available for another year, through 22 December 2025.

   To ease the transition, the company is offering a 50% discount on a
   one-time purchase or the first year of an eM Client subscription for
   all users. Those who purchased Postbox after 22 September 2024 are
   eligible for a 100% discount, with these offers valid until 31 December
   2024.

   Built on Mozilla's open-source [5]Thunderbird, Postbox distinguished
   itself with powerful email management, advanced composition tools, and
   a customizable interface, attracting a niche yet loyal user base over
   16 years. We first covered Postbox in the TidBITS Watchlist in 2010
   (see '[6]Postbox 2,' 1 October 2010). However, it hasn't seen a
   significant update for 5 years (see '[7]Postbox 7.0,' 9 September
   2019). Although it has long been a serious contender among Mac email
   clients and TidBITS reader Patrick Dunn was telling me about its latest
   changes as recently as last month, I never found Postbox compelling.

   On the other side of the equation, I've never heard of any Mac users
   relying on eM Client, despite its cross-platform status. I was going to
   say that I'd never heard of it at all, but searching my email reveals
   that I tested it briefly in February 2022. I suspect it's a Windows app
   that has been clumsily ported to macOS. (Ironically, I was just
   encouraged by a PR person to look at [8]Mailbird, another Windows email
   client that just released a version that runs on the Mac but bears
   little resemblance to a true Mac app.) eM Client gained iOS and Android
   clients only this year.

   Competing in the email client world is tough, given that Apple's
   bundled Mail is a solid app and Microsoft Outlook is [9]free for Mac
   users. I suspect there's room for small, focused companies to carve out
   niche markets, but generating the sales needed to support a larger
   staff is likely challenging. The Gmail-specific Mimestream'supported by
   a several-person company'is still my current client of choice (see
   '[10]Why I Use Mimestream for Gmail,' 24 May 2023).

   Postbox users, although there's no need to decide immediately, where
   are you looking to migrate your email? Along with the company's
   encouragement to move to eM Client, Thunderbird would seem to be an
   obvious choice, or you could jump to Mail, Outlook, or another app.

References

   1. https://www.postbox-inc.com/
   2. https://www.emclient.com/
   3. https://www.postbox-inc.com/blog/entry/postbox-acquired-by-em-client
   4. https://support.postbox-inc.com/hc/en-us
   5. https://www.thunderbird.net/
   6. https://tidbits.com/watchlist/postbox-2/
   7. https://tidbits.com/watchlist/postbox-7-0/
   8. https://www.getmailbird.com/
   9. https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/outlook-blog/outlook-mac-for-all/ba-p/3757787
  10. https://tidbits.com/2023/05/24/why-i-use-mimestream-for-gmail/

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