IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

IceWarp and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. IceWarp is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.9. IceWarp holds a 5.1% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 10.6% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IceWarp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IceWarp

Read 17 IceWarp reviews

2,100 Views
1,680 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange

Read 95 Microsoft Exchange reviews

3,412 Views
2,832 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

IceWarp

Microsoft Exchange

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Microsoft Exchange and IceWarp compete in the enterprise communication solutions category. Microsoft Exchange maintains an edge with its comprehensive enterprise-level integrations and features, demonstrating strong capabilities in providing robust solutions for large businesses.

Features: Microsoft Exchange offers extensive integration capabilities, calendar synchronization, and email retention management. Its robust toolbox for third-party integration and seamless collaboration tools stand out. IceWarp is known for its cross-platform compatibility, cost-effective communication solutions, and features such as team chat, file sharing, and conferencing collaboration.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Exchange needs to improve storage management, integration with non-Microsoft products, and simplify its complex licensing. Enhancing its security features would also be beneficial. IceWarp could improve its mobile integration, mailing list function, and enhance security features while simplifying its administrative processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Exchange offers a variety of deployment options including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid models, though it requires comprehensive technical support. IceWarp provides similar deployment flexibility and is noted for its ease of use but faces challenges with customer service consistency and documentation.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Exchange's pricing is higher, reflecting its enterprise capabilities and comprehensive feature set. This pricing structure is generally suited for larger organizations. IceWarp provides aggressive and flexible pricing appealing to smaller enterprises, offering essential features within a budget-friendly framework. This makes IceWarp an attractive option for smaller companies concerned with costs.

To learn more, read our detailed IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange

December 2025

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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

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Exchange

Ranking in Email Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Wireless Email (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.1%, down from 5.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 10.6%, down from 11.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange	10.6%
IceWarp	5.1%
Other	84.3%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

AvinashLotke

Delivery Head at Team Computers

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.

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SaqibJavaid

Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan

Efficient email management with seamless integration

We previously used Microsoft Exchange but have moved to an MDN email solution due to cost and user growth Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy solution, which is beneficial for handling emails even without professional support. It is effective in managing email integration…

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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

"IceWarp has multiple applications that are easy to use for many people."

"Its price is the most valuable. It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."

"It's scalable and stable."

"The solution's voice services work well for our company."

"The most valuable feature of IceWarp is the chat rooms and file-sharing, they are useful. It is convenient that everything is in one place. You can easily share and collaborate documents, making the program's unity a significant advantage."

"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."

"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources."

"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."

More IceWarp pros

"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"The functionality on the user side is quite good. Exchange provides an excellent platform for collaboration between users."

"For me, the solution is very user-friendly. I've used it a long time and I know where everything is."

"The backup and archiving features are valuable, it is user friendly too."

"The most used feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email capability, especially since it integrates with the calendar."

"The search tools are good."

"Communication is the most valuable feature of the solution."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is the collaboration tools."

More Microsoft Exchange pros

Cons

"Support should be improved. Most of the time, the queries are not resolved within the SLA."

"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."

"Although it is not a tool, video conferencing should be scalable and operate in a professional and efficient way."

"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."

"The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management."

"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."

"It is difficult to disable user rights on the console so some users accidentally delete their documents or user details."

"Our customers sometimes have problems receiving mail."

More IceWarp cons

"The platform could be more user-friendly."

"They could offer simultaneous features for Exchange Online and on-premises versions. Specific features such as litigation hold and audit setups should be available on-premises."

"The licensing model could be improved."

"Microsoft Exchange is highly stable. However, after receiving some updates it can be unstable."

"There are issues when you add your domain to Microsoft Tenant, and you try to create that. Which is a problem for me."

"Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence."

"When an update wants to come, it should just come maybe once or twice rather than having us deal with constant updating."

"There is a problem when scheduling an event for the whole day."

More Microsoft Exchange cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"The solution is priced well."

"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."

"Pricing and licensing is very competitive and in some cases, cheap."

"The license is based on the number of users."

"It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."

"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."

"Costs far less than other solutions."

More IceWarp pricing and cost advice

"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."

"Its price is okay."

"It's a little bit expensive."

"The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve. In Egypt, the price keeps increasing."

"Microsoft doesn't have a unit price, it's based on the quantity, and they offer great discounts."

"We are currently using enterprise licenses for the solution. They are different pricing models available. There are individual, cloud-based, and enterprise licenses all with different pricing models. The larger the number of users, the lesser the price. For small to medium companies like us, we feel it is expensive."

"The solution is expensive to maintain because it requires frequent updates and ongoing server maintenance."

"I don't have enough information about the licensing costs of Microsoft Exchange, but I do know that you need two types of licenses to run it. You need the product key and the client access key to activate Microsoft Exchange. This means that apart from the standard Microsoft Exchange licensing fees, you have to pay additional costs."

More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Retailer

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	28
Large Enterprise	35

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IceWarp?

It's scalable and stable.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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...

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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...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange?

The initial setup was straightforward and fast.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?

I am aware of pricing aspects, and I would say it is affordable for what it is.

See all answers

Comparisons

Zoho Mail vs IceWarp

Compared 26% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs IceWarp

Compared 12% of the time

Google Workspace vs IceWarp

Compared 12% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs IceWarp

Compared 10% of the time

KerioConnect vs IceWarp

Compared 7% of the time

More IceWarp Competitors

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 20% of the time

KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 13% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 13% of the time

HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 9% of the time

OpenText GroupWise vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp

January 2026

Download IceWarp product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange

January 2026

Download Microsoft Exchange product report

Also Known As

No data available

Exchange, MS Exchange

Overview

IceWarp helps thousands of organizations streamline all areas of business communication and become more profitable by providing Mail Server complete with GroupWare, Calendaring and Document Management, accessible through an intuitive WebClient, simple to setup in WebAdmin. Customize with add-ons: spam and virus protection, Instant Messaging with video calls, mobile sync and more.

IceWarp

Built to deliver the enterprise-grade security and reliability that businesses require, Microsoft Exchange provides email, calendar and contacts on your PC, phone and web browser.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange

December 2025

Free Report: IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange

Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.

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