Total Thunderbird Converter vs ImportExportTools NG: Beyond the Free Add-on

Thunderbird has no built-in export. When you need your mail out as PST for Outlook, or as PDF and DOC for an archive, you reach for a tool. Two names come up: the free ImportExportTools NG add-on and Total Thunderbird Converter by CoolUtils. One lives inside Thunderbird and costs nothing; the other is a standalone converter you pay for. They solve overlapping problems from opposite ends.

Quick answer: ImportExportTools NG is the right pick for free EML, HTML, or PDF exports made from inside Thunderbird. Total Thunderbird Converter earns its $49.90 when you need PST for Outlook, DOC or TIFF output, attachment conversion, folder-batch jobs with a command line, or converting a Thunderbird profile without opening Thunderbird at all.

Total Thunderbird Converter vs ImportExportTools NG: The Facts

ImportExportTools NG is the official open-source Thunderbird add-on; Total Thunderbird Converter is a paid desktop app. The differences show up in output formats, attachment handling, and automation. Add-on facts below are taken from its Thunderbird add-on listing and GitHub project as of July 2026.

What ImportExportTools NG Does Well

ImportExportTools NG is free, open source, and maintained under the Thunderbird project itself. It installs as an add-on and works from the right-click menu on any folder — no second application to open, no license to buy. For a one-off job — pull a folder to EML, save a thread as HTML, or drop a single message to PDF — it is the fastest path, and it exports message fields to CSV when you need addresses or a spreadsheet of metadata.

Because it reads Thunderbird's own store, the selection you export is exactly what you see in the client, and mbox export of a folder tree is a genuinely useful backup. For occasional, free, in-client exports it is the right tool, and this comparison does not pretend otherwise.

Where Total Thunderbird Converter Wins

• PST export for Outlook. This is the gap the add-on cannot fill: ImportExportTools NG has no PST output. Total Thunderbird Converter builds a valid PST from your MBOX folders — folder hierarchy, metadata, and attachments intact — and does it without Outlook installed on the machine.
• DOC and TIFF, not just EML and HTML. The add-on stops at EML, HTML, PDF, CSV, and text. Total Thunderbird Converter adds DOC for editable Word archives and TIFF for imaging and legal-review workflows.
• Attachments become part of the output. Total Thunderbird Converter Pro converts DOC, XLS, and PDF attachments and embeds them into the output file, so a message and its files land in one document. The add-on only drops attachments in a folder beside the message.
• No Thunderbird required. Point it at a profile folder or at loose MBOX/MSF files copied from another PC and convert them — Thunderbird need not be installed or running. The add-on, by definition, needs a live Thunderbird.
• A real command line. ThunderbirdConverter.exe runs from a .bat file or Task Scheduler for unattended migrations across many profiles. The add-on is GUI-only.
• Output you control. Add page numbers, date stamps, headers and footers, merge a folder into one PDF or TIFF, and rename output files by sender, subject, or date.

How Do I Export Thunderbird Emails to PST?

This is the clearest reason to choose the paid tool: ImportExportTools NG cannot write PST at all. In Total Thunderbird Converter, let it detect your profile, tick the folders to migrate, click the PST button, choose a destination, set field and merge options, then press Start. It creates a valid PST with the folder structure preserved and no Outlook needed on the conversion machine. The step-by-step Thunderbird to PST guide has the full walkthrough.

Can ImportExportTools NG Convert Emails to PDF?

Yes. ImportExportTools NG exports messages to PDF, either one PDF per message or a whole folder merged into a single file, so for a straightforward PDF archive the free add-on is enough. The limits appear beyond PDF: it offers no DOC or TIFF output, and attachments are saved as separate files rather than converted and embedded. When you need editable DOC, imaging-grade TIFF, or attachments merged into the document, Total Thunderbird Converter — Pro for attachment conversion — is the tool that does it.

How Do I Batch Convert Thunderbird Folders?

Both handle whole folders. ImportExportTools NG exports a folder and its subfolders from the menu; Total Thunderbird Converter adds unattended automation. Set the options once, then reuse the command in a .bat file or Task Scheduler:

ThunderbirdConverter.exe -sPST "C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Thunderbird\Profiles\abc123.default\Mail\Local Folders\Inbox" C:\Output\Inbox.pst

Here -sPST sets the target format — swap it for -sPDF, -sDOC, or -sTIFF — the second argument is the source MBOX or profile folder, and the last is the destination. Chain several lines to process multiple profiles overnight. ImportExportTools NG has no command line, so scripted, scheduled runs are where the two tools part ways.

When to Pick Which

• Free, occasional EML, HTML, or PDF export from inside Thunderbird — ImportExportTools NG.
• Export addresses or message fields to CSV — ImportExportTools NG.
• Move a whole Thunderbird profile to Outlook as PST — Total Thunderbird Converter.
• DOC or TIFF output, or attachments merged into the file — Total Thunderbird Converter (Pro for attachments).
• Unattended, scripted, command-line batch jobs — Total Thunderbird Converter.
• Convert a profile on a PC where Thunderbird is not installed — Total Thunderbird Converter.

ImportExportTools NG is free and genuinely good at in-client exports; if that is the whole job, use it. When the job is PST migration, DOC or TIFF output, attachment conversion, or unattended batch runs, Total Thunderbird Converter costs $49.90 ($99.90 Pro). The 30-day trial is fully functional and needs no email or credit card — run it on your own mailbox and compare the output before you decide.

Total Thunderbird Converter vs ImportExportTools NG: FAQ ▼