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IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

IceWarp and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. IceWarp is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.3, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.0. IceWarp holds a 5.3% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 11.3% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IceWarp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
IceWarp
Read 17 IceWarp reviews
  • 2,183 Views
  • 1,169 Comparison Views
90% willing to recommend
Microsoft Exchange
Read 92 Microsoft Exchange reviews
  • 3,048 Views
  • 2,143 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Microsoft Exchange and IceWarp compete in the enterprise communication solutions category. Microsoft Exchange maintains an edge with its comprehensive enterprise-level integrations and features, demonstrating strong capabilities in providing robust solutions for large businesses.

Features: Microsoft Exchange offers extensive integration capabilities, calendar synchronization, and email retention management. Its robust toolbox for third-party integration and seamless collaboration tools stand out. IceWarp is known for its cross-platform compatibility, cost-effective communication solutions, and features such as team chat, file sharing, and conferencing collaboration.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Exchange needs to improve storage management, integration with non-Microsoft products, and simplify its complex licensing. Enhancing its security features would also be beneficial. IceWarp could improve its mobile integration, mailing list function, and enhance security features while simplifying its administrative processes.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Exchange offers a variety of deployment options including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid models, though it requires comprehensive technical support. IceWarp provides similar deployment flexibility and is noted for its ease of use but faces challenges with customer service consistency and documentation.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Exchange's pricing is higher, reflecting its enterprise capabilities and comprehensive feature set. This pricing structure is generally suited for larger organizations. IceWarp provides aggressive and flexible pricing appealing to smaller enterprises, offering essential features within a budget-friendly framework. This makes IceWarp an attractive option for smaller companies concerned with costs.

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

IceWarp
Ranking in Email Applications
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Exchange
Ranking in Email Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
92
Ranking in other categories
Wireless Email (1st), File Archiving (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.3%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.3%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AvinashLotke - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Read full review
Harry Murdani - PeerSpot reviewer
Helps with email services and communication with internal and external contacts
Everything is useful. The only useful thing Microsoft Exchange could do is give us more of a discount on pricing because it's so expensive. Regarding the calendaring functions of Exchange, there is a problem when scheduling an event for the whole day. When you click the whole day event, the scheduling doesn't really work. For example, if I schedule a meeting with you and block your whole day, instead of just putting a time from morning to afternoon, other people can still block your time, which results in double booking. It's kind of a bug that allows people to double-book. So, the scheduling isn't working properly yet. We also faced challenges with backup services. You need to use a third-party backup solution to back up the whole Exchange server properly. You can't use the native Windows backup services. It's like they're forcing me to buy another product, which means additional costs. The backup solution and the double booking issues. If Microsoft Exchange can fix these two things, then it will be very good.
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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

"It's scalable and stable."
"Its price is the most valuable. It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"The solution's voice services work well for our company."
"The solution is easy to manage and includes features such as smart documents and the archiving of user data."
"The groupware module is the most valuable feature."
"IceWarp has multiple applications that are easy to use for many people."
"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."
"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources."
More IceWarp pros
"It gives me benefit in terms of integration with other services such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and OneDrive. It makes my work much easier."
"Exchange is very scalable, it's one of the most important things about this software."
"Microsoft Exchange is comparable to the Outlook client. Both are Microsoft products, and most people are familiar with Outlook. This is why the best feature of Microsoft Exchange is the ease of use. It is more compatible with the client software, especially for Microsoft Outlook. There are a lot of features available that are required for businesses users."
"Our customers are satisfied with the features included in Microsoft Exchange."
"Technical support is good."
"It is easy to use and we can allow many users because now our users are scattered They over a wide area. We can use it from anywhere. That is the main benefit for us."
"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly product that is easy to manage and configure."
More Microsoft Exchange pros
 

Cons

"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."
"Although it is not a tool, video conferencing should be scalable and operate in a professional and efficient way."
"It is difficult to disable user rights on the console so some users accidentally delete their documents or user details."
"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."
"The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management."
"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."
"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."
"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."
More IceWarp cons
"I'd like the archiving process to be faster."
"The main problem with Microsoft products is that we're constantly required to install patches and fixes."
"We would prefer to be able to manage the solution on the cloud."
"Currently, its administration is too cumbersome. It's unwieldy. It's slow. It consumes too many resources. Configuration needs to be much more streamlined and administratively automated."
"The product or service could be improved in terms of Microsoft Outlook client compatibility."
"I would like to see Microsoft Exchange improve their documentation."
"Nothing is perfect, that's why I am giving Microsoft Exchange a nine."
"One thing for improvement would be to have an offline version of Exchange available for use if our connection goes down."
More Microsoft Exchange cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing and licensing is very competitive and in some cases, cheap."
"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."
"It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."
"The solution is priced well."
"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."
"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."
"The license is based on the number of users."
"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."
More IceWarp pricing and cost advice
"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."
"It is not expensive."
"They are flexible when it comes to pricing, unlike most of the other vendors I have dealt with."
"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."
"We pay for the license annually."
"I rate Microsoft Exchange a four out of ten for pricing because it is quite cheap, and many companies use the solution."
"Its price is fair."
"There are different prices depending on the customer's use cases and amount of users. The price of the solution could improve."
More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Insurance Company
8%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 Microsoft Exchange?
The initial setup was straightforward and fast.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?
Microsoft Exchange is costly, and its licensing model can be expensive over time as more users require licenses.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Zimbra Collaboration vs IceWarp Logo
Zimbra Collaboration vs IceWarp
Compared 15% of the time
Google Workspace vs IceWarp Logo
Google Workspace vs IceWarp
Compared 15% of the time
Microsoft Exchange Online vs IceWarp Logo
Microsoft Exchange Online vs IceWarp
Compared 9% of the time
KerioConnect vs IceWarp Logo
KerioConnect vs IceWarp
Compared 6% of the time
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Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 18% of the time
KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 17% of the time
Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 14% of the time
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 12% of the time
ProtonMail vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
ProtonMail vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 5% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
IceWarp
June 2025
IceWarp reportDownload IceWarp product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
May 2025
Microsoft Exchange reportDownload Microsoft Exchange product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Exchange, MS Exchange
 

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
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

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon
Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Buyer's Guide
IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange
June 2025
Free Report: IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange
Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
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