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 4.0% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 11.1% 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

1,647 Views
1,482 Comparison Views

62% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange Online

Read 92 Microsoft Exchange Online reviews

4,197 Views
4,029 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: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

February 2026

Download the complete report

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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

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 February 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of KerioConnect is 4.0%, down from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online is 11.1%, down from 14.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online	11.1%
KerioConnect	4.0%
Other	84.9%

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

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

More KerioConnect pros

"Its most valuable feature is the unlimited storage. It also has very little downtime."

"Exchange Online doesn't just do email, it allows for collaboration with inbuilt chat and calling facilities and document sharing."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its integration with Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Teams for shared calendars."

"The solution is very easy to set up and quite quick to deploy."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange Online is if you have people that are geographically distributed from each other is good. For example, if you have people in the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, having an online solution works best because then you can reach the scale of the data centers that are available by Microsoft. Additionally, if you're only going to have two to three people using the solution the cost is a lot less than having an onsite server and licensing. It is highly beneficial in these areas."

"One of my favourite features is the Microsoft Calendar, which we use for booking appointments, scheduling calls, and managing resource rooms and devices. The Online Mailbox feature is also crucial because it allows us to communicate effectively within and outside the organization, contributing to our business growth."

"This solution makes it very easy to receive and detect problems about the mail flow and offers very good reporting. In general, it's very easy to manage the organization's mailboxes."

"The product enables us to have remote meetings."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pros

Cons

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

"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."

"It could be simpler to use and install, but I still wouldn't use it because there isn't a compelling use case."

"I would like to see better support from their support team."

"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"

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

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

More KerioConnect cons

"The solution's performance can be improved when you are trying to access it remotely."

"The solution could improve by making the user interface better."

"I would like to make the solution more user-friendly."

"The pricing could be cheaper."

"There is an annual enterprise subscription could improve by having more features."

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

"I would like to let new users know that there are challenges regarding user provisioning, HRMS and the AD. Also, the data migration integrity needs to be checked in terms of the old data."

"It is tricky to integrate Microsoft Exchange Online if you are in an infrastructure provided by other vendors."

More Microsoft Exchange Online cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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 pricing is about $3 per mailbox per month."

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

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

"There is a license for Microsoft Exchange Online and I have information on that, but there have been so many changes to the licensing and it's a completely different story nowadays. Microsoft has been pushing users to buy a package of products under one license. Users are becoming more dependent on Microsoft rather than independent, that you can't decide anymore, and from my point of view, that is bad."

"The pricing could be improved."

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

"I have no opinion."

"The solution's pricing is reasonable."

"The pricing is really high. It's higher compared to other services."

"The licensing price is ok, I'd rate it as four out of five."

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

11%

Manufacturing Company

Retailer

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

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 38% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect

Compared 18% of the time

IceWarp vs KerioConnect

Compared 10% of the time

Google Workspace vs KerioConnect

Compared 6% of the time

Open-Xchange vs KerioConnect

Compared 5% of the time

More KerioConnect Competitors

Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 27% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 17% 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

January 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

February 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: February 2026.

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