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IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

IceWarp
Ranking in Email Applications
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Exchange
Ranking in Email Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
91
Ranking in other categories
Wireless Email (1st), File Archiving (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.6%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.4%, down from 12.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AvinashLotke - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful for collaboration and storage but improvement is needed in API integration
The solution has traditional SSL integration, SAML, and Federation Services. In its latest version, it added SAML integration. However, it needs to work on API integration, especially for dashboards or integration with SAP for log and data system management. It doesn't yet have the kind of API that Google and Microsoft provide for synchronizing users with Active Directory. I think IceWarp needs to improve in a few areas. They have two types of admin consoles - a web-based one and a remote one. I'd like to see these combined into a single web-based admin console. The log reading and information system also needs improvement. The current way of showing incoming and outgoing logs isn't very clear. For new users, it's hard to understand these logs, especially compared to Office 365 and other systems with easier-to-read logs. They should also add an export option to get all logs with a single click whenever we need them.
Hesham Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
A good solution for large enterprises, but is expensive when compared to other solutions
Regarding the decision of increasing the number of users, it depends on the organization's choice, whether to opt for CapEx or OpEx. Both options involve expenses over the years. Building an in-house Exchange solution requires investing in hardware, storage, connectivity, and administrative resources. Office 365 shifts the budget solely to OpEx as a subscription service. Scalability is another factor. Starting a new company favors Office 365 due to cost efficiency. As the organization grows, the choice depends on available resources and technical expertise. An internal Exchange setup is feasible with skilled engineers, while Office 365 suits those lacking in-house resources.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IceWarp has multiple applications that are easy to use for many people."
"The solution is easy to manage and includes features such as smart documents and the archiving of user data."
"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."
"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."
"It's scalable and stable."
"The TeamChat feature has been really good for our email management. It lets us collaborate, share files, and invite guests like Google Spaces or Microsoft Teams. I like the two-factor authentication for security. However, they need to improve their document collaboration tools, as their Word, Excel, and PowerPoint features are basic compared to Microsoft and Google."
"The groupware module is the most valuable feature."
"Its price is the most valuable. It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"Our customers are satisfied with the features included in Microsoft Exchange."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"The integration of Microsoft Exchange with other tools allows for seamless collaboration and increased productivity within teams."
"It's a very user-friendly application. The mail server is also valuable when compared to other services like SquirrelMail."
"Exchange is easy to use. It also has a built-in calendar for all the stuff I'm supposed to be looking at and doing. Exchange tells you if you have a doctor's appointment or a scheduled call. It also has a place to store and manage your contacts. If I want to add a new contact, it will put in information about that contact stored anywhere within the Microsoft Suite."
"It is very well integrated with other Microsoft programs, teams, and so on. They work well together."
"I find Exchange's basic mail features to be highly valuable."
"Communication is the most valuable feature of the solution."
 

Cons

"The exchange compatibility mode is rather limited. Their technical support can also be better. They only provide online support, and there should be some option for escalating."
"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."
"Our customers sometimes have problems receiving mail."
"The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management."
"Support should be improved. Most of the time, the queries are not resolved within the SLA."
"The solution has traditional SSL integration, SAML, and Federation Services. In its latest version, it added SAML integration. However, it needs to work on API integration, especially for dashboards or integration with SAP for log and data system management. It doesn't yet have the kind of API that Google and Microsoft provide for synchronizing users with Active Directory."
"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."
"The tool's configuration capabilities are not straightforward. Apart from that, if I want to archive emails into a vault so that they can be retrieved again later, the integration doesn't work, and IceWarp crashes."
"Its search functionality can be better. It is currently not really easy. It has the capability to search your mailbox, but it has some restrictions in terms of the number of results that you can retrieve. You can only get around 250 results. If you want to do a deeper search, you need to use different functionalities of the product. The policy that we have for handling emails is that we do not delete emails at all. If I insert the text that I am searching for in the Search field, it only retrieves a limited number of emails. To search for an email from 2010, I need to use different search functions to find what I am looking for. Microsoft can also improve its licensing for its products. Microsoft's licensing is not very easy to understand. It can sometimes be really complex to understand what you need to have in order to comply with Microsoft licensing."
"It is costly, so it depends on how much you want to pay."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve security. They can elevate a lot of security features."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve by being more secure. We are always looking to have more security."
"From a security perspective, Microsft Exchange can be improved. All that needs to be added is security, but that's an internal hierarchical problem from the product itself and not the end-users."
"It's not always the finest solution in terms of integration with products that are not from Microsoft. It integrates very well with Microsoft products but not with third-party products."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence."
"From a security point of view, Microsoft should enhance the new features. Technical support could also be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is priced well."
"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."
"I don't see any challenges for the Indian market. For example, 1 GB is available for around 399 INR, and 2 GB for 499 INR. They offer a range of plans, from basic to professional and enterprise, with multiple features. IceWarp's aggressive pricing is competitive compared to other market solutions like Zoho and Microsoft. One significant advantage is that IceWarp does not impose user capping like Google and Microsoft, which allows for substantial cost savings and flexibility in user conversion."
"It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."
"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."
"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."
"Pricing and licensing is very competitive and in some cases, cheap."
"We can get Exchange in the cloud along with the Microsoft 365 license."
"We renew the product license with Microsoft every three years. The cost is included within a bundle of services. It's an enterprise agreement with Microsoft."
"It is not expensive."
"We pay for the license annually."
"Its price is fair."
"Microsoft Exchange is a very well-priced solution."
"There are different prices depending on the customer's use cases and amount of users. The price of the solution could improve."
"They are flexible when it comes to pricing, unlike most of the other vendors I have dealt with."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Media Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IceWarp?
IceWarp was very cost-effective, offering services at a significantly lower cost than Google, which was appealing for our organization.
What needs improvement with IceWarp?
The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management. Users currently have the rights to delete smart documents, which poses a challenge for administrators. A mor...
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...
What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange?
The initial setup was straightforward and fast.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?
The licensing and pricing are quite costly, which can demotivate customers from opting for features and upgrades. However, the solution provides value for money if one is well-acquainted with Excha...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Exchange, MS Exchange
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon
Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
839,319 professionals have used our research since 2012.