Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

Google and Zimbra are both solutions in the Email Applications category. Google is ranked #1 with an average rating of 7.9, while Zimbra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Google holds a 24.1% mindshare in EA, compared to Zimbra’s 9.2% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

Google Workspace

Read 100 Google Workspace reviews

6,715 Views
6,038 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 29 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

3,766 Views
2,876 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Google Workspace

Zimbra Collaboration

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 29, 2024

Zimbra Collaboration and Google Workspace are popular collaboration tools. Google Workspace has an edge due to its comprehensive features and integration, though it comes at a higher cost.

Features: Zimbra Collaboration provides robust email, calendar, and task tools. Google Workspace offers integrated communication apps, real-time document editing, and extensive storage options.

Room for Improvement: Zimbra Collaboration needs better mobile app performance, a smoother user experience, and enhanced search functionality. Google Workspace could improve offline capabilities, integration with non-Google apps, and data migration tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service:Zimbra Collaboration is flexible, supporting both on-premises and cloud setups. Google Workspace's cloud-centric model simplifies deployment and offers quick setup. Users report mixed experiences with Zimbra's customer service, while Google Workspace is noted for responsive support.

Pricing and ROI: Zimbra Collaboration is cost-effective with a favorable ROI. Google Workspace, despite being more expensive, is considered worth the investment for its extensive features. Users feel Zimbra appeals to budget-conscious buyers, while Google Workspace justifies its higher price with additional functionalities.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Workspace vs. Zimbra Collaboration Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace vs. Zimbra Collaboration

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Google Workspace

Ranking in Email Applications

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

100

Ranking in other categories

Wireless Email (2nd), Cloud Storage (4th), Content Collaboration Platforms (3rd)

Zimbra Collaboration

Ranking in Email Applications

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Google Workspace is 24.1%, up from 21.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zimbra Collaboration is 9.2%, down from 12.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Jerome Poudevigne

CTO at Lounivo

Seamless collaboration with advanced calendaring and real-time document editing

One area of improvement for Google Workspace is the Google Meet functionality. Currently, users cannot upload files directly through Google Meet; instead, they have to share links via Google Drive, which adds unnecessary steps and complexity. This is especially frustrating when dealing with external users who do not have Google IDs. Another area requiring improvement is the chat/messaging feature, which is basic compared to other products like Slack. Having an integrated and efficient messaging system would be beneficial.

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Muhammad Talha Baig

Business Analyst and Associate Project Manager at SAMI Pharmaceuticals

One of the premium features was customized rooms tailored to the collaboration needs

Zimbra's strength lies in its individuality, and it should focus on leveraging its unique features rather than trying to emulate competitors. My organization has certified Zimbra technicians, so we believe we can utilize Zimbra certification. However, I was recently informed by Zimbra that no such certification exists. I have recently completed the test kit, and after the training, I will gain access to tickets. Therefore, if any clients are experiencing issues, we have a certified technical team available to provide support 24/7. This is how we can cater to our client's needs. I recommend Zimbra to small-scale and enterprise customers. Anyone, even those with 5 users, can opt for Zimbra. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The email is excellent."

"Google Mail lets you link a task to a specific email and add a reminder. That's helpful for reviewing your schedule. It's based on Slack, so you don't have these folders like in Microsoft mail. Using Slack instead of folders is a bit more intuitive. It's easier to find again a specific email than using Microsoft Suite. If you misplace things, it's much easier to find them because of Google's search capability."

"All the Microsoft Office features are available in Google Workspace."

"It's certainly easier to meet. We have offices around the world and the ability to have a company meeting on Google Meet platform makes it a whole lot easier to actually have everybody virtually in one room at the same time."

"The valuable feature of Google Workspace is its integrated environment where everything is pre-integrated, like chat and document sharing in Gmail."

"Extremely reliable, providing great collaboration features."

"personally prefer to use G Suite applications, such as Gmail, Slides, and Sheets, because they give you the freedom to share the document you're editing and co-work with other colleagues simultaneously."

"The solution's technical support is very good."

More Google Workspace pros

"The logs, troubleshooting, and tracking we have found to be the most valuable features. We have any issues with lost messages the features are useful. It is very easy to track and log."

"Zimbra Collaboration's sharing features are most valuable."

"The solution is easy to implement."

"The most valuable feature is sending messages as well as text and documents. It's a big solution for us since internal communication is a must in our organization."

"The product is easy to set up."

"It has all collaboration features, such as document sharing, video conferencing, chatting, task sharing, and calendar sharing."

"The most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is email functionality."

"Zimbra Collaboration is a good tool for video calls...Zimbra Collaboration's initial setup phase was easy."

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

"Google Workspace lacks the ability to copy and move files from one folder to another easily."

"Less customizations than there used to be."

"We've had difficulty using PowerPoint files in G Suite. PowerPoint has some functions that are not available in G Suite, so when you convert from PPTX to the Slides format, they don't work."

"With Microsoft, you can use it on the web version, and you can use Microsoft Outlook. Google has the web version."

"Google Workspace has limitations as a document or file management system. Without a workspace account, manual actions are required to perform tasks such as managing groups of people. Additionally, managing permissions individually is a time-consuming and inefficient process. It's difficult to articulate, but the process is not very streamlined."

"We would like to use something within Google Workspace for project management, but we didn't find it there."

"In some cases, we are using the Google Meet functions but only when we have external clients. Internally, we are using Slack. Google Meet virtual meeting function is not as advanced as the one in Slack and should improve."

"We need more functionality with Google Sheets"

More Google Workspace cons

"It is good and competent, but you have to pay for video and group chat features."

"In the next release, Zimbra Collaboration should include a security feature to allow access for mobile device administrators."

"It does have a few bugs."

"Zimbra should provide a desktop client. Right now, we are using a web browser for accessing our emails. There should also be a desktop client."

"I can confidently say that Zimbra is good enough for 2,000 client users. But, at the same time, if my client needs more than that and we have two options—Zimbra or Microsoft—I'm going with Microsoft because many admins will speak to Microsoft's ability to handle that many."

"The solution could use more integration with third-party tools."

"The new patches are, at times, not so good, so we don't install them, causing the tool to be not so stable overall."

"Zimbra Collaboration does not have a solution roadmap as aggressive as the new collaboration mail solutions. Additionally, they can have a better interface and integration with single sign-on."

More Zimbra Collaboration cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's cheaper to run a couple of users in a Google platform than what it would be with Microsoft Exchange."

"Careful consideration should be given to the different licensing options and provisions should be made for additional applications that may be required for your particular business."

"The overall cost is very reasonable when considering all of the security features that you are receiving. It is a bit more expensive than our local host and/or other hosting companies that are available on the market, but it is worth it."

"There are several areas where a G Suite implementation can reduce costs: lower license fees than some competing products, reduced hardware, and IT support costs."

"G Suite and Microsoft Office 365 offer products with similar functionality at several different price points. Zoho offer a more extensive range of products and attempts to provide all the applications required to run most small and medium-sized businesses."

"We have purchased an annual subscription."

"The solution is expensive."

"We pay a monthly subscription for the use of this solution."

More Google Workspace pricing and cost advice

"The solution is competitively priced."

"We pay yearly licenses for Zimbra Collaboration."

"We are using perpetual licenses. We have deployed it in our local data center, and we buy perpetual licenses on a per-user basis."

"Zimbra Collaboration is less expensive than Microsoft Exchange. Zimbra works for small companies because it is not expensive. Zimbra Collaboration has more security tools than Microsoft Exchange. If you are choosing between Zimbra Collaboration and Microsoft Exchange, you have to take into account the cost of security tools with Microsoft Exchange. When you purchase Microsoft Exchange, you will also have to purchase tools for security, which adds to the cost. The migration from Zimbra Collaboration to another email solution is very simple and easy. Migration from Microsoft Exchange to another email solution is very difficult. Microsoft doesn't allow migration that easily. In fact, you have to pay for tools to do that. You have to buy some expensive tools to migrate."

"The price of the solution is low."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the price a four"

"The solution is not expensive compared to other products."

"Zimbra Collaboration offers a good price-to-feature ratio."

More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Government

Computer Software Company

19%

Government

10%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Workspace?

Easy-to-build forms are allowing me to get feedback and information from my internal teams as well as from the customers very efficiently with the result data in structured manner.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Workspace?

I'm not satisfied with the cost because I feel these services should be free as they use our data.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Workspace?

Google Workspace lacks the ability to copy and move files from one folder to another easily. I also find it challenging to perform many operations using the context menu in Google Sheets, Google Do...

See all answers

How does Zimbra Collaboration compare with Microsoft Exchange?

Zimbra is a free, open source collaborative software suite. The features I like best are the ease of integration and the email, calendar, and collaboration server with web interface. In addition, I...

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What do you like most about Zimbra Collaboration?

The most valuable feature of Zimbra for our team's productivity is its efficiency in handling email communication.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zimbra Collaboration?

The solution is competitively priced.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Google Workspace

Compared 34% of the time

Amazon WorkMail vs Google Workspace

Compared 30% of the time

ProtonMail vs Google Workspace

Compared 6% of the time

IceWarp vs Google Workspace

Compared 4% of the time

Google Cloud Storage vs Google Workspace

Compared 2% of the time

More Google Workspace Competitors

Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 35% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 18% of the time

KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 14% of the time

IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 6% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace

December 2024

Download Google Workspace product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

November 2024

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

Also Known As

G-Suite Enterprise, G-Suite, Google Apps for Business, G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G-Suite Basic, G-Suite Business, Google Vault

No data available

Learn More

Google

Zimbra

Overview

Similar to G Suite, all Google Workspace plans provide a custom email for your business and include collaboration tools like Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and more.

As we’ve evolved G Suite into a more integrated experience across our communication and collaboration tools, we’ve rebranded to Google Workspace to more accurately represent the product vision.

Zimbra Collaboration provides administrators and their end users innovative features that solve the challenges faced by organizations using today's legacy communications infrastructure.

Sample Customers

There are over five million businesses that use Google Apps for Business worldwide. Some key customers include The Roche Group, National Geographic, American Red Cross, City of Los Angeles, Flight Centre, and Konica Minolta.

NEC Biglobe, City of Ventura, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Hola Publishing, BIG, Sleepwell, LaFayette College, Xmission, DNA, Ring Line, Future Group, TIGC

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace vs. Zimbra Collaboration

December 2024

Free Report: Google Workspace vs. Zimbra Collaboration

Find out what your peers are saying about Google Workspace vs. Zimbra Collaboration and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.

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