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Google Workspace vs IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Google Workspace is 14.7%, down from 23.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IceWarp is 4.9%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 9.9%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Google Workspace14.7%
Microsoft Exchange9.9%
IceWarp4.9%
Other70.5%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AR
Assosiate Professor at Palazzo del Mediterraneo
Collaborative work with students has improved but storage limitations and support issues remain
We have Google Workspace, and we use it primarily for Drive to collect items. We categorize folders with topics and material either for students or for research. We use Google Doc to share documents, especially when we assign homework to be corrected for peer correction or classroom correction. With Teams and Microsoft, we use it for collective calls and exam supervision because we use video surveillance through camera with Teams. We use Teams for meetings and to share material with students. The ability to share documents with students and assign them things and correct them in real time has been beneficial. You can verify what they write, and they can contribute and cooperate to create a collective document, which is something that our society nowadays requires. The ability to cooperate, especially those who work with languages and those who work with writing, need to learn how to cooperate. There is co-editing and co-writing, all these sorts of things. I love the fact that I can easily have access to folders that I can categorize and where I can upload research material and teaching material.
AvinashLotke - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
SJ
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…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We're replacing a mishmash of different solutions with one fully integrated product."
"We haven't had any issues with scalability - we have over a thousand employees, and G Suite just scales."
"It has saved us money."
"The solution offers very good email."
"Users can work anywhere with an internet connection."
"Google seems to be a more stable environment than our current on-premise Microsoft solution that we're replacing."
"G Suite Enterprise is user-friendly, and the technical toolkits and other information are on the website. Additionally, the technical documents are comprehensive."
"Reduces IT spend, freeing up cash for other areas: sales, marketing, recruitment, etc."
"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."
"Its price is the most valuable. It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"IceWarp offers very extended cross-platform communication solutions."
"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."
"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."
"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources at a low cost."
"As the license of our company is very affordable per year and per user, and considering the almost-zero administration needs, I would say that the cost is returned in the first three months, compared to other solutions."
"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources."
"I find Exchange's basic mail features to be highly valuable."
"The exchange functionalities are good."
"Microsoft Exchange's most valuable feature is that it's old-fashioned communication, meaning it's good for people who aren't able to work comfortably in a cloud environment."
"Microsoft Exchange is a very well-priced solution."
"The backup and archiving features are valuable, it is user friendly too."
"Exchange is very scalable, it's one of the most important things about this software."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is its communication capabilities."
"Microsoft Exchange has good performance and is user-friendly."
 

Cons

"There are times the plugins or extensions in the solution do not work properly and I need to disable and enable the solution."
"It takes a long time to import the data from G Suite into another platform."
"I sometimes am logged out randomly from my account and it's a pain to have to log in again."
"The initial setup is not intuitive at all."
"The cost could be improved. It can sometimes be a bit confusing figuring out how we are actually being charged."
"There are 120 different products and Google is ready to copy their competitors and vice versa. Some of them work, and some of them don't. There are many newer tools with no-code environments which allow for a leaner self-owned system, where I'm not tied to paying hundreds and thousands of dollars a year to another company."
"The feature set of Google Sheets is limited."
"The synchronization is a bit of an issue."
"There are some feature improvements possible the way we use it as a hosting provider, but for most we currently have workarounds."
"It is difficult to disable user rights on the console so some users accidentally delete their documents or user details."
"Customer service is not always helpful."
"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."
"Our customers sometimes have problems receiving mail."
"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 exchange compatibility mode is rather limited. Their technical support can also be better. They only provide online support, and there should be some option for escalating."
"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."
"The solution could be more user-friendly."
"The main problem with Microsoft products is that we're constantly required to install patches and fixes."
"I think that improvements should be made in creating greater abilities for Microsoft Exchange in terms of Research and Development."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve the archiving of emails and the performance."
"Deployment should become a bit easier, the process is a bit complicated. There are a lot of complications compared to Gmail For Business, which is a bit easier when it comes to configuration."
"The biggest issue with Microsoft Exchange is its high cost, especially in pricing for license upgrades and expansion to more users."
"Microsoft Exchange is highly stable. However, after receiving some updates it can be unstable."
"There can be occasional challenges during the product's implementation phase, making it an area where improvements are needed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is a bit on the higher side than normal. For a basic Google account it costs $100, but Enterprise is %150."
"The pricing is comparable, it's pretty decent."
"Approximately $6 per user, per month."
"The main challenge regarding startups with identity services is you could be on a platform that works well but the services are expensive. For example, Microsoft Azure costs approximately $30 per user which is expensive. You end up choosing a different platform, such as G Suite Enterprise because it is priced reasonably and is less expensive than other solutions."
"There are benefits that can provide a competitive advantage, e.g., improved productivity (with appropriate training), increased collaboration (with correct use of tools), flexible working - work from home or remote locations, easy to scale - fast onboarding of new employees, and ability to add and remove licenses, as required."
"It's low in cost as compared to Office 365. There is an annual licensing cost."
"We normally purchase the license on a yearly basis."
"There are different versions of the solution available, such as premium."
"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."
"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."
"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."
"It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"Pricing and licensing is very competitive and in some cases, cheap."
"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 license is based on the number of users."
"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."
"The platform has a reasonable price."
"Its price is fair."
"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."
"Its price is okay."
"It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise."
"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."
"There is an annual cost to use Microsoft Exchange, and the price could be less expensive."
"This solution is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Construction Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business64
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise28
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise28
Large Enterprise35
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Workspace?
The company made the decision to migrate, so I'm not sure why specifically. The company is moving the data and the Mi...
What needs improvement with Google Workspace?
Before I was in a Microsoft environment, which had its own software that was not website-based. When I moved to Googl...
What is your primary use case for Google Workspace?
I have been using Google Workspace for file organizing, including Google Drive, Spreadsheet, Gmail, and Google Form, ...
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...
What needs improvement with IceWarp?
The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management. Users currently have the rig...
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 ...
What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange?
The initial setup was straightforward and fast.
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.
 

Also Known As

G-Suite Enterprise, G-Suite, Google Apps for Business, G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G-Suite Basic, G-Suite Business, Google Vault
No data available
Exchange, MS Exchange
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

There are over five million businesses that use Google Apps for Business worldwide. Some key customers include The Roche Group, National Geographic, American Red Cross, City of Los Angeles, Flight Centre, and Konica Minolta.
Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon
Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Find out what your peers are saying about Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Email Applications. Updated: March 2026.
885,444 professionals have used our research since 2012.