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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 April 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.4%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.4%, down from 12.5% 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

"Its price is the most valuable. It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."
"The solution's voice services work well for our company."
"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources."
"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 solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."
"The solution is easy to manage and includes features such as smart documents and the archiving of user data."
"The tool's most valuable feature is associated with the fact that it stands out for being beneficial for managing emails."
"It is easy to use and we can allow many users because now our users are scattered They over a wide area. We can use it from anywhere. That is the main benefit for us."
"This solution handles all of our primary functionality including email, message delivery, message archiving and calendars."
"It's so much of a part of what I do every day that I don't give it a lot of thought. It just works, for the most part, until it doesn't, in which case I call tech support."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange are its ease of use, and simplicity of communication, and we can track communications between teams."
"The ability to share information, appointments, and agendas easily is the big value of Microsoft Exchange."
"With the cloud coming in, scalability is not an issue even for Microsoft."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email storage is on the cloud. We don't have to delete emails often."
 

Cons

"It is difficult to disable user rights on the console so some users accidentally delete their documents or user details."
"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."
"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."
"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."
"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."
"The solution should improve the mailing list feature. Google has a similar feature where you can automate sending files to different people in a sequence, but that feature is no longer available in the current version of IceWarp. Other features may also have been removed in the current version."
"The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management."
"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."
"There are limitations in terms of the number of emails that can be sent in a minute, which makes it a little difficult for the marketing folks."
"In terms of probability, every now and then there are changes coming and going. The changes are not that frequent because every month they got updates back, so that is an issue."
"The security features could be improved. There should be a better policy management system."
"The solution's hybrid deployment process could be improved, particularly for customers who initially started in the cloud and may want to return to an on-premises setup. Microsoft could make this transition more flexible."
"For new users, it might take them some time to get used to the product."
"The solution is stable, but it could improve. It's crashing if there is a big mail database. The Zimbra solution is better in this area."
"Exchange can be a little finicky, sometimes, or flakey. Last week, for example, I had gone into my calendar to check on some briefings that I had established, and then went back into my inbox, and suddenly the view had changed. I had no idea what it was that I had done, and I couldn't figure out how to get that view back. I took a productivity hit as a result of that, trying to fix it, due to the fact that it just wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't what I was used to working with. Two different tech support people had to work with me in order to get the view back to what I wanted just so I could be productive."
"The product or service could be improved in terms of Microsoft Outlook client compatibility."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."
"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."
"The solution is priced well."
"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."
"It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"The license is based on the number of users."
"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."
"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."
"We pay for the license annually."
"It's a little bit expensive."
"Since my company is on Microsoft Cloud, we pay for the licenses per user. Compared to volume licensing, I would say the present licensing cost is not expensive."
"Microsoft Exchange is a very well-priced solution."
"We can get Exchange in the cloud along with the Microsoft 365 license."
"Microsoft doesn't have a unit price, it's based on the quantity, and they offer great discounts."
"There is an annual cost to use Microsoft Exchange, and the price could be less expensive."
"The platform has a reasonable price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Retailer
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
11%
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.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.