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KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

GFI and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. GFI is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3. GFI holds a 4.9% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 11.4% mindshare. Additionally, 57% of GFI users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
KerioConnect
Read 10 KerioConnect reviews
  • 1,906 Views
  • 1,045 Comparison Views
57% willing to recommend
Microsoft Exchange
Read 91 Microsoft Exchange reviews
  • 3,559 Views
  • 3,065 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between KerioConnect and Microsoft Exchange based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Email Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Report (Updated: January 2025).
Buyer's Guide
KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange
January 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

KerioConnect
Ranking in Email Applications
8th
Average Rating
6.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Email Archiving (7th)
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 February 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of KerioConnect is 4.9%, up from 4.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.4%, down from 13.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

David Bloomer - PeerSpot reviewer
Lightweight, simple, and robust; easy to maintain and doesn't require a lot of system resources to run
Kerio Connect does as advertised, so there are no real issues with the product itself. It's developed regularly, so there are constant updates. Possibly, the support and development have lessened since they've sold the company, but as far as the product itself is concerned, there isn't anything that I would suggest needs improvement. If I'm being picky, Kerio Connect uses a proprietary, mappy atom for Outlook, and it would be nice if they used a native mappy connection instead, but that's the only additional feature that I would like to see in its next release. If they have native Outlook map integration, that would be great, but other than that, it's got all the functions that I think a mail server should have.
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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.
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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

"Kerio Connect is secure, flexible, and easy to control from the user interface. It has many security features able to be controlled from one place, such as anti-spam. I have found it very convenient. Additionally, you can analyze log files and share folders which is helpful."
"The solution is easy to maintain, unlike Exchange. It's easy to create multiple domains and back up and restore if needed. It also has good security features like anti-spam and antivirus."
"The user interface is good."
"The most valuable features are security and privacy because you installed it on your server, within your company premises, not in the cloud."
"The most valuable features are its ease of use, excellent pricing, and it is platform agnostic."
"KerioConnect has integration with 365. We can use Outlook, which has its client and can be used with Apple devices. It integrates with the App Store and Microsoft Office. It has a smart router. The spam filtering and antivirus are good."
"What I like most about Kerio Connect is that it supports ActiveSync, and that is its most critical feature. The solution is also a nice, simple, robust, and stable mail server."
"We use the solution as a mail server. It connects with Outlook and is used for calendaring and similar tasks."
More KerioConnect pros
"The platform's most valuable feature is the mailbox roles."
"I find Exchange's basic mail features to be highly valuable."
"Microsoft Exchange has good performance and is user-friendly."
"It gives me benefit in terms of integration with other services such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and OneDrive. It makes my work much easier."
"The most valuable features are that you can exchange information, tasks, attachments, and enhance the process in a short amount of time."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is the collaboration tools."
"Now, we manage to serve almost 99% of the information."
"The most used feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email capability, especially since it integrates with the calendar."
More Microsoft Exchange pros
 

Cons

"Most of our clients use Outlook and Kerio Connect. Occasionally, Kerio can be a bit slow. They could make it faster to get onto the web interface without so much load time. It's just slow with Outlook, however, for some reason."
"The search and archiving documentation capabilities need to be stronger."
"I would like to see better support from their support team."
"You cannot integrate with other services like Google Docs, Google Assistant, Google Calendar, etc."
"The solution could improve the redundancy because we only have one copy of the Kerio Connect server on our hardware. The next step for us is to move to the cloud and if Kerio does not have a cloud version available they should release one"
"It could be simpler to use and install, but I still wouldn't use it because there isn't a compelling use case."
"KerioConnect is stable as long as you use a strong password."
"We are considering switching to Microsoft Exchange. One reason is that it doesn't improve our workflow and doesn't integrate well with Microsoft 365 applications."
More KerioConnect cons
"Sometimes the client part generates some trouble. It can be very slow, though this might be related to our company's installation and configuration rather than the product itself."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve by being more secure. We are always looking to have more security."
"The main problem with Microsoft products is that we're constantly required to install patches and fixes."
"When we started using Exchange on the cloud, we had a lot of initial problems relating to our main database and we also experienced issues with the accidental deletion of inboxes, amongst other things. In fact, many of the files we had moved to the cloud had disappeared. There also seems to be a problem with the retention of information."
"I do not have any notes for improvement."
"If it was the same product, and slightly cheaper, that would be amazing."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve, it is priced high."
"In terms of configuring the product, that's definitely an area in which they can make some improvements on."
More Microsoft Exchange cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is about $3 per mailbox per month."
"The solution's pricing depends on how long you plan to keep it because you pay on a per-year basis. You might have a one-time setup cost for something like Microsoft Exchange or a Linux mail server. I'd say this solution is expensive on a per-year basis, almost 2000-3000 dollars annually. It doesn't seem to pay off yet, so we're considering switching to another product."
"KerioConnect has a first-time cost and yearly subscription. It is not expensive."
"The price of Kerio Connect is better when comparing it to others solutions."
"It is not expensive."
"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."
"Microsoft doesn't have a unit price, it's based on the quantity, and they offer great discounts."
"The pricing is expensive."
"Microsoft Exchange itself does not require a license, but users who will have mailboxes will require a license. It depends on the number of users to choose which license. If you exceed 2,000 mailboxes, it's preferable to get the enterprise license."
"I rate Microsoft Exchange a four out of ten for pricing because it is quite cheap, and many companies use the solution."
"It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise."
"We pay for the license annually."
More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Government
10%
Educational Organization
8%
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 do you like most about KerioConnect?
The most valuable features are security and privacy because you installed it on your server, within your company premises, not in the cloud.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for KerioConnect?
KerioConnect has a first-time cost and yearly subscription. It is not expensive.
See all answers
What needs improvement with KerioConnect?
KerioConnect continues to improve with regular updates throughout the year. They must be added to the roadmap, which requires approval. In larger organizations, the server's capabilities and the da...
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 Microsoft Exchange?
The initial setup was straightforward and fast.
See all answers
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...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect Logo
Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect
Compared 30% of the time
IceWarp vs KerioConnect Logo
IceWarp vs KerioConnect
Compared 8% of the time
Microsoft Exchange Online vs KerioConnect Logo
Microsoft Exchange Online vs KerioConnect
Compared 7% of the time
Google Workspace vs KerioConnect Logo
Google Workspace vs KerioConnect
Compared 4% of the time
More KerioConnect Competitors
Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 22% of the time
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 12% of the time
Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 12% of the time
HCL Notes vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
HCL Notes vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 8% of the time
IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 7% of the time
More Microsoft Exchange Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
KerioConnect
February 2025
KerioConnect reportDownload KerioConnect product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
February 2025
Microsoft Exchange reportDownload Microsoft Exchange product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Exchange, MS Exchange
 

Overview

Kerio Connect, a messaging and collaboration solution, meets the needs of small and mid-sized businesses while offering a robust feature lineup. Business users enjoy support for their favorite email client and easy web-based access. Kerio Connect is highly stable—so you can focus on business rather than unexpected downtime and recovery.

GFI
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

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Innotta, Baustoff + Metall, Hamifleurs, Chanson TV, Ryman Stationery
Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Buyer's Guide
KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange
January 2025
Free Report: KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange
Find out what your peers are saying about KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
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