IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

IceWarp and Zimbra are both solutions in the Email Applications category. IceWarp is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.3, while Zimbra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. IceWarp holds a 5.2% mindshare in EA, compared to Zimbra’s 8.2% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IceWarp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

IceWarp

Read 17 IceWarp reviews

2,423 Views
1,963 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 29 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

2,419 Views
2,298 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IceWarp

Zimbra Collaboration

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Zimbra Collaboration and IceWarp compete in the collaborative software market. IceWarp appeals with its extensive feature set, while Zimbra attracts those looking for competitive pricing and support.

Features: Zimbra Collaboration is known for its comprehensive email and calendaring features with effective platform integration. The system is designed with real-time control through its management console, offering premium features like mobile management and seamless synchronization. It's valued for its open-source nature and customizable options, facilitating robust collaboration features. IceWarp provides strong email capabilities and an all-encompassing suite boasting instant messaging and video conferencing, alongside tools for smart document management and team chat features that enable file sharing and real-time collaboration.

Room for Improvement: Zimbra could enhance ease of use for non-technical users, improve its two-factor authentication system, and offer better document collaboration tools compared to cloud giants like Microsoft and Google. IceWarp faces challenges with the advancement of its document management tools, needs more comprehensive smart document archiving features, and could benefit from providing more extensive customization options beyond current implementations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zimbra stands out with its open-source platform that supports scalability and benefits from a community-driven support mechanism. Its deployment is straightforward with comprehensive documentation. IceWarp offers a flexible deployment process with typically faster setup periods, complemented by professional customer service that assists with configuration and troubleshooting needs.

Pricing and ROI: Zimbra offers lower initial setup costs, appealing to budget-conscious buyers seeking quick ROI while maintaining high functionality standards. It provides an affordable alternative for organizations mindful of software expenses. IceWarp may involve higher initial investments, yet its extensive feature set is designed to provide substantial long-term ROI for businesses that value integrated communication solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

September 2025

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Helped 867,676 peers since 2012

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

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zimbra Collaboration

Ranking in Email Applications

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.2%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zimbra Collaboration is 8.2%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Zimbra Collaboration	8.2%
IceWarp	5.2%
Other	86.6%

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

"It's scalable and stable."

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

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

"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."

"The groupware module is the most valuable feature."

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

"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."

More IceWarp pros

"The solution is easy to implement."

"The web interface is powerful and easy to use."

"Network NG Modules are valuable to us."

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

"Zimbra Collaboration is light to manage. It works on the Linux operating system, which is far better to manage than Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Exchange works only on the Windows server. We prefer working on the Linux server for security reasons and ease of management. Zimbra Collaboration also has some integrated tools for security. It some modules to fight malware. These modules are not very powerful but are still doing a great job. Microsoft Exchange doesn't have a basic module. You have to purchase a security solution and add it to the solution. The cost of Zimbra Collaboration is one more reason for liking it. It is also very simple to migrate from Zimbra Collaboration to another email solution."

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

"Good email solution and it's open-source."

"The stability is good and keeps getting better with each new update."

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

"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."

"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."

"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."

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

"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."

"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."

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

More IceWarp cons

"The antispam and antivirus features are hard to understand on mobile devices."

"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."

"It would be great if a group chat feature were created to allow for a team environment."

"It does have a few bugs."

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

"Zimbra must improve its solution to make it easy so that the users don't have to use webmail to connect to their accounts and log in to webmail every time. This is something that is lacking in Zimbra Collaboration. They should provide a better way to easily connect email applications on the desktop to the Zimbra server. They should also try to have more functionality for storage management, like Microsoft Exchange. Currently, the management of the email data must be done manually in Zimbra Collaboration, which we are finding very difficult. They should provide a way to save emails so that you can have more space on the server and storage. Because of the lack of this functionality, we are planning to migrate to Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft Exchange provides a better way to manage storage than Zimbra Collaboration. You cannot have a mail solution without storage management because emails will always increase. Zimbra Collaboration also needs tools for management. More back-office tools are required to manage the whole mailbox and space. You don't only manage emails but also the documents attached to the emails. Therefore, you require tools to select and decide what do you want to save or how do you want to free up space in your infrastructure."

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

"Zimbra Collaboration could improve the migration from a basic solution to a more containerized solution. For example, the installation should be able to extend to the containers and manage them with some solution, such as OpenShift or Kubernetes."

More Zimbra Collaboration 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."

"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."

"The solution is priced well."

"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."

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

"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."

More IceWarp pricing and cost advice

"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."

"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."

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

"If you choose the network edition, it is a little pricier. They have the open-source edition too which is only community supported."

"Zimbra Collaboration is expensive, and there is no perpetual license option."

"It's very expensive. When we compare the cost with Google Workspace, it's so expensive."

"I use Zimbra Collaboration's community version. We may move to the enterprise version since prices are affordable."

More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Media Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Government

Manufacturing Company

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	19
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

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...

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...

See all answers

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

Zoho Mail vs IceWarp

Compared 32% of the time

Google Workspace vs IceWarp

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs IceWarp

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs IceWarp

Compared 9% of the time

KerioConnect vs IceWarp

Compared 7% of the time

More IceWarp Competitors

Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 24% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 21% of the time

KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 8% of the time

Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 8% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp

September 2025

Download IceWarp product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

August 2025

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

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

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

Zimbra

Sample Customers

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon

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

IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

September 2025

Free Report: IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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