KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange Online comparison

GFI and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. GFI is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.8, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8. GFI holds a 4.1% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 10.6% mindshare. Additionally, 62% of GFI users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

KerioConnect

Read 11 KerioConnect reviews

1,715 Views
1,544 Comparison Views

62% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange Online

Read 92 Microsoft Exchange Online reviews

4,291 Views
4,119 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

KerioConnect

Microsoft Exchange Online

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Microsoft Exchange Online and KerioConnect are two email and collaboration solutions. Microsoft Exchange Online seems to have the upper hand due to its extensive features and seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, despite its higher cost, while KerioConnect is recognized for offering a more budget-friendly alternative with ease of use and simplicity.

Features: Microsoft Exchange Online is known for its seamless integration with Office 365, robust security features, and vast storage options which enhance enterprise value. KerioConnect is valued for its ActiveSync support, user-friendly setup, and flexibility in on-premise deployment, though it lacks some advanced integration capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Exchange Online could improve by simplifying its licensing process, enhancing anti-spam features, and decreasing support response times. KerioConnect would benefit from more comprehensive documentation, better integration with CRM systems, and improved search and archiving capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Exchange Online, primarily deployed on public and hybrid clouds, offers scalability but can be complex to manage. KerioConnect supports on-premise deployment, providing greater control but less flexibility. Both solutions receive positive feedback for customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Exchange Online offers multiple subscription models that, while confusing, provide flexibility, resulting in substantial ROI and comprehensive functionality for businesses. KerioConnect's pricing is considered more straightforward and affordable, presenting a strong value for smaller businesses and on-premise solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

March 2026

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Helped 883,760 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

KerioConnect

Ranking in Email Applications

9th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Archiving (7th)

Microsoft Exchange Online

Ranking in Email Applications

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of KerioConnect is 4.1%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online is 10.6%, down from 14.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online	10.6%
KerioConnect	4.1%
Other	85.3%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Marcelino Mongcal

Senior Systems Tech/Admin at Samco Software Inc.

A seamless setup ensures smooth communication with comprehensive support

We remain a partner with Sophos and use XG S Firewalls without AWS implementation. We only use Sophos endpoint and Sophos Central. We host some clients on-premise while others we host remotely. The VPN connection is easy and proprietary, so it's not open to any other VPN clients. Communication with other mail servers is seamless. It can communicate with Gmail and Outlook without issues, provided the DNS settings are correct. We monitor our servers and security logs, implementing GeoIP blocking. We frequently block China and India IPs due to brute force attacks on our servers. We have extensive experience with KerioConnect. Backing up and maintaining it is straightforward compared to Microsoft Exchange, making it administrator-friendly. On a scale of 1-10, this solution rates an 8.

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Asad Mohammad

Assistant General Manager, IT Infrastructure at SAMI Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Limited.

Offers flexibility and cost-effectiveness with multiple service options but could improve support and mobile features

There are many things to consider about email management in Microsoft Exchange Online. The online management is good, the storage is sufficient, and we use most of the features such as the custom rules in Microsoft Exchange Online, which we cannot find in any other email solution. That is a very good option, as we have many options to create custom rules in Microsoft Exchange Online. Regarding security features in Microsoft Exchange Online, we also use Defender for Exchange which includes the basic Exchange Online protection that has spam and threat controls. The use of Defender is beneficial for our security. The flexibility of choosing plans in Microsoft Exchange Online is good. We have chosen the best plan for our use, including multiple licenses such as plan one and business basics, which leads us towards cost-effectiveness, and the pay-as-you-go option is more flexible. Microsoft Exchange Online is very scalable.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's relatively simple to use."

"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."

"We have contacted technical support a handful of times and received some assistance."

"The most valuable features are its ease of use, excellent pricing, and it is platform agnostic."

"The most valuable features are security and privacy because you installed it on your server, within your company premises, not in the cloud."

"We use the solution as a mail server. It connects with Outlook and is used for calendaring and similar tasks."

"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."

"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."

More KerioConnect pros

"Intuitive and easy to use."

"The solution offers complete scalability and flexibility."

"One of the important features is the collaboration tool used in Office 365. The security and DLP mechanisms are also quite good."

"Exchange Online is a straightforward cloud-based application. It's easy to connect and the interface is user friendly."

"The online version is faster, as it is a cloud instance. We can have massive mailbox capacity: 100 GB per user, which is huge. We can't provision such capacity internally, as the company would get burnt out paying for mailbox storage."

"The product was simple to use."

"Microsoft Exchange Online's resiliency is its most valuable feature."

"Technical support is helpful."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pros

Cons

"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"

"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."

"We cannot compete with them because they're fully integrated with their applications."

"KerioConnect continues to improve with regular updates throughout the year. They must be added to the roadmap, which requires approval."

"KerioConnect is stable as long as you use a strong password."

"The search and archiving documentation capabilities need to be stronger."

"Having a native Outlook map integration would make Kerio Connect better."

"You cannot integrate with other services like Google Docs, Google Assistant, Google Calendar, etc."

More KerioConnect cons

"Technical support can be improved by shortening the response time and increasing their knowledge."

"Microsoft needs to lower the price of the extra production add-ins for Exchange Online."

"The ActiveSync services and the mapping services could be improved."

"They should tighten their cloud security."

"For non-technical people, some configurations might be a little bit difficult. We can use it on our laptops or our portable devices like mobiles and others gadgets, but we have had repeated problems with syncing. That is, when using different gadgets and devices, there are issues with syncing. The configuration could definitely be improved."

"Improving the methods for inputting email signatures could be beneficial for the product."

"The solution is expensive."

"The stability of the solution on Mac products has room for improvement."

More Microsoft Exchange Online 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."

"The price of Kerio Connect is better when comparing it to others solutions."

"KerioConnect has a first-time cost and yearly subscription. It is not expensive."

"The model is one which is pay-per-use go. There is no license. We are talking about per-user subscription-based use."

"The pricing for this solution is good. We renew our contract every three years. I would rate the pricing for this solution a three out of five."

"It is a reasonable solution."

"It is a cluster solution."

"We pay per user per year for the cluster with over a thousand users."

"I would give the cost a five out of ten."

"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."

"I find it reasonably priced."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

13%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Performing Arts

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	40
Midsize Enterprise	16
Large Enterprise	40

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?

The pricing is very easy to understand. As a partner, we have a monitoring system that informs us when subscriptions expire, allowing us to handle renewals. The pricing is very competitive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with KerioConnect?

Since KerioConnect is a setup and go solution, everything works on its own. The only administrative tasks required are keeping it up to date, monitoring security logs, and ensuring protection from ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online?

The benefits are widespread and effective communication. We use Microsoft Teams for meetings within and outside our organization. Additionally, Teams can be used for chat, allowing us to track comm...

See all answers

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

If I segment it into three points: low price, average, and high price, I would place Microsoft Exchange Online between average and high price.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online?

There is room for improvement in Microsoft Exchange Online. Technical support for Microsoft is good, but in all fairness, I sometimes think more can be done. I have personally tried exploring with ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange vs KerioConnect

Compared 35% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect

Compared 16% of the time

IceWarp vs KerioConnect

Compared 10% of the time

ProtonMail vs KerioConnect

Compared 7% of the time

Google Workspace vs KerioConnect

Compared 6% of the time

More KerioConnect Competitors

Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 25% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 19% of the time

Amazon WorkMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 10% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 7% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Online Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect

February 2026

Download KerioConnect product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online

February 2026

Download Microsoft Exchange Online product report

Also Known As

No data available

Exchange Online, Exchange Online Plan 1, Exchange Online Plan 2, MS Exchange Online

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

Exchange Online helps protect your information with advanced capabilities. Anti-malware and anti-spam filtering protect mailboxes. Data loss prevention capabilities prevent users from mistakenly sending sensitive information to unauthorized people. Globally redundant servers, premier disaster recovery capabilities, and a team of security experts monitoring Exchange Online around the clock safeguard your data.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Innotta, Baustoff + Metall, Hamifleurs, Chanson TV, Ryman Stationery

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Blue Star Infotech, Scitec Nutrition, Resolution Films, British Airways, Empire Cinemas, InnoGames

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

March 2026

Free Report: KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

Find out what your peers are saying about KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Online and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

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