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Barracuda Message Archiver vs Google Vault comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Barracuda Message Archiver
Ranking in Email Archiving
6th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Google Vault
Ranking in Email Archiving
4th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
12
Ranking in other categories
eDiscovery (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Email Archiving category, the mindshare of Barracuda Message Archiver is 3.4%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Vault is 4.9%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Archiving
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2153010 - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use and doesn't require any maintenance
It's just a backup for email so that if people delete and/or try to remove stuff they shouldn't, we can find it It's easy to use. It's a little bit more expensive than the others.  It's like anything. You got to log in when you want stuff nowadays. Other than that, it's pretty good. I didn't…
Swapnil Dassi - PeerSpot reviewer
Capabilities in data management, eDiscovery, backup solutions, and ensuring data security and accessibility for admins
One thing I've noticed is that it splits the data files into multiple parts, like the PFT files. For example, when there is a large data size of any account, the backup process splits it into many files. This can be confusing and not very efficient when trying to manage the backups. It would be better if the backup process creates one or two files instead of numerous smaller ones. It should be easier for the admin to manage the data and perform imports or uploads to other accounts. So the backup solution should be more streamlined and provide options for easier data management and import/export processes. There is room for improvement in this aspect. It would be great to see enhancements in this area to make the backup process more user-friendly and efficient. Another area of improvement is support. Earlier, Google support used to be very attentive and responsible, but in the past few months, I've noticed delays in their responses, not only related to Google Vault but also to other products.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It's easy to use."
"My impression is that the initial setup process is not that difficult."
"Overall, I would rate Google Vault a ten out of ten."
"In my opinion, the search functionality is the best feature. With Google Vault, we can quickly search for any email within Gmail accounts. And then we can get further information, such as if you want the full header or want to know any extra details about the emails."
"It is a very stable solution...It is a very scalable solution."
"You can retrieve any type of data; for example, if a user accidentally deletes data, as an admin with access to Google Vault, you can easily restore the deleted data."
"The most valuable features are automatic document and email retention."
"Google Vault acts as a great method for retrieving files from Google Drive and Gmail."
"Data retention is very valuable to us."
 

Cons

"The user mailbox management is poor."
"It's a little bit more expensive than the others."
"So, when doing a search, perhaps in some instances when you use terms, the information is not very precise in the sense that I'm not getting what I'm looking for. And in some instances, the information, not all the time, but in some instances, it might not be accurate. For example, when doing a search, if you use too many terms, it might not return any results."
"Customer service has been a bit lacking."
"One thing I've noticed is that it splits the data files into multiple parts, like the PFT files. For example, when there is a large data size of any account, the backup process splits it into many files. This can be confusing and not very efficient when trying to manage the backups."
"My personal opinion is that Google Vault could improve if they could have a similar version to Microsoft 365 where you can have an eDiscovery manager account. With this, you can separate a regular person from an organization and just transfer the specific files."
"Although it does a good job of searching through data and exporting it, I feel that Google Vault should have more export options available to the user. As a reseller, our customers demand a lot from their Google products, and exporting is one area where there's a lot of improvement needed."
"eDiscovery could be improved with additional information and an easier way to retain it."
"The knowledge base is not as in-depth as it should be."
"Searching could be improved. There's a lot of limitations when searching with Google Vault."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are satisfied with the pricing and the service is bundled so there are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."
"They're a little bit more expensive than the others."
"The pricing is fairly cheap."
"Last year, the price was randomly increased and our customers were really facing a challenge around this. Google launched new pricing under different plans, where formerly there were only three plans, and now there are four, each with their own separate usage allowances. I think it's good, though. The basic plan is now the Business Starter plan, and many customers find this plan very convenient and minimal in price. Overall, the pricing for all the plans is good."
"Google Vault is a cheaply priced product. Monthly payments are to be made towards the licensing costs attached to the solution. There are no extra costs apart from the licensing costs attached to the solution."
"The solution is expensive."
"If you have Google Enterprise, then Google Vault is free to use."
"Google Vault comes as part of a package deal for us."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
12%
Educational Organization
10%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Barracuda Message Archiver?
We use Barracuda Message Archiver to keep a copy of our users' emails, both inbound or outbound. Our goal in using it is that from a compliance perspective, we can provide access to our auditors. I...
What do you like most about Google Vault?
It is a very stable solution...It is a very scalable solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Vault?
Pricing for Google Vault is very reasonable. We have a package, so I'm not sure of the exact cost. That said, it is considered reasonable.
What needs improvement with Google Vault?
For us, Google Vault does what we need it to do. I haven't had really any complaints about it, so I can't pinpoint areas for improvement.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Alfa Romeo, Texas A&M University, Time Warner, Nintendo, Boeing 
Broadcom, Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, Globeflight, Maven Wave, McClatchy, NII Holdings, Safetec, Sheboygan County
Find out what your peers are saying about Barracuda Message Archiver vs. Google Vault and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.