IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange Online 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 #2 with an average rating of 8.7. IceWarp holds a 5.2% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 12.8% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IceWarp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

IceWarp

Read 17 IceWarp reviews

2,423 Views
1,963 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange Online

Read 91 Microsoft Exchange Online reviews

4,131 Views
3,966 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IceWarp

Microsoft Exchange Online

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Microsoft Exchange Online and IceWarp offer contrasting solutions in the realm of business communication platforms. Based on the reviews, Exchange Online appears to have the upper hand due to its robust integration capabilities and user-friendly design, although IceWarp's competitive pricing and standalone versatility remain attractive.

Features: Microsoft Exchange Online is known for its intuitive user interface, strong collaboration features like email and calendar sharing, and seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, which enhances stability and reliability. IceWarp, however, offers versatile cross-platform solutions with valuable features such as TeamChat for efficient communication and collaboration but lacks in advanced document management. It provides essential tools that support cost-effective communication strategies for businesses.

Room for Improvement: Users of Exchange Online report difficulties with migration and integration with non-Microsoft products and mention concerns over security vulnerabilities, complex configuration, and high pricing. There is also a desire for enhanced anti-spam and anti-malware tools. IceWarp users note issues with user rights management, cumbersome master databases, and express the need for improvements in security and documentation as well as more responsive support services.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Exchange Online's strong cloud presence offers consistent performance across public and hybrid environments, however, support responses can be slow. IceWarp offers flexibility with on-premises and private cloud options, which is appealing for those seeking cost-effective solutions. While customer service is generally appreciated, users note that faster support and better integration options are desired.

Pricing and ROI: Pricing for Exchange Online can be challenging for some users due to complex licensing and bundling multiple services, though it provides significant ROI through improved business efficiencies. IceWarp's pricing is more attractive as it is often lower than competitors like Google and Microsoft. This cost advantage makes it appealing for businesses looking to cut costs while maintaining essential communication features, offering significant ROI through its affordability.

To learn more, read our detailed IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

September 2025

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Helped 867,341 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

IceWarp

Ranking in Email Applications

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Exchange Online

Ranking in Email Applications

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.2%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online is 12.8%, down from 16.1% 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	12.8%
IceWarp	5.2%
Other	82.0%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

AvinashLotke

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.

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NancyHartman

Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees

Effective collaboration achieved with versatile features and good customer service

There are always improvements needed. My personal issue with using OfficeSuite and the Exchange Server is that one has to cobble together a whole bunch of different applications. Therefore, a lot of scripting and programming knowledge is necessary. I am not an IT person; I am an educator, a trainer, a user. I want to get the work done. However, I find that the Exchange Server and possibly the way our company has set up access permissions require extensive programming knowledge. It might take six to eight weeks to get a programmer's time to build something, whereas I can use something like Smartsheet that will do everything I want without needing a programmer. Smartsheet is more end-user friendly compared to a Microsoft product. Microsoft believes an expert IT person should manage everything, however, I want to manage things on my own in a simplified way. That is not easy using the Exchange Server or Microsoft Office. It is not end-user friendly for development, and a programmer is needed. Once set up, using them as an end-user is fine. I find that the automations are not robust, and the FedRAMP systems are not robust. I have a few issues with Exchange and Office, but there's nothing I can do about it.

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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

"The groupware module is the most valuable feature."

"The solution is easy to manage and includes features such as smart documents and the archiving of user data."

"It's scalable and stable."

"The product is used very extensively in my company since we have around 1,500 users using it. Also, there is no requirement for any administrators to manage the product by the people who own the solution."

"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."

"Its price is the most valuable. It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."

"The TeamChat feature has been really good for our email management. It lets us collaborate, share files, and invite guests like Google Spaces or Microsoft Teams. I like the two-factor authentication for security. However, they need to improve their document collaboration tools, as their Word, Excel, and PowerPoint features are basic compared to Microsoft and Google."

More IceWarp pros

"Microsoft Exchange Online is easy to use. You have a common storage where people can store documents. It also helps with version control."

"When you used to write to someone, you would often begin typing their name and their email address would appear; you would simply click and you would have the correct email address. That has been working for a while, but having the location address appear was a pleasant surprise. It was amazing."

"With the Exchange Server, there is a lot of capability for version controlling."

"It is very manageable."

"Stability has increased exponentially since 2010."

"We also create technical presentations, so most of the time we are dealing with MS Word and Excel. Sometimes, we also use Visio for diagramming. Our overall experience is good."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange Online are the frequent updates. They upgrade and optimize the features to make them better and better. They have a very strong ecosystem and they integrate together."

"Microsoft Exchange Online has great functionality."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pros

Cons

"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."

"Although it is not a tool, video conferencing should be scalable and operate in a professional and efficient way."

"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."

"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."

"It is difficult to disable user rights on the console so some users accidentally delete their documents or user details."

"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."

More IceWarp cons

"The product needs to embed AI for intelligent searches and analytics."

"The solution could improve with the integrations with some of the known applications is still not possible, there must be more connectors."

"The interface is a bit confusing."

"The solution must provide better security features."

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

"We use different software for email spoofing filters and similar functions because Exchange is quite limited in this area."

"In terms of areas for improvement, I think Microsoft could enhance security. Right now, there are limited options for security within Exchange Online, and much of it relies on third-party security and compliance tools. I'd like to see more security features directly integrated. One specific area that needs improvement is the configuration of SMTP for third-party applications. It's challenging to manage without an on-premise SMTP server, and this is an issue many organizations face, including ours. If Microsoft could offer better SMTP configuration for third-party applications within Exchange Online, it would greatly benefit us."

"I don't really like the response time of the web GUI for administration."

More Microsoft Exchange Online cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."

"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."

"It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."

"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."

"Pricing and licensing is very competitive and in some cases, cheap."

"The solution is priced well."

"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."

"The license is based on the number of users."

More IceWarp pricing and cost advice

"The cost is around $12 to $16 per user."

"The cost of Microsoft Exchange Online is approximately $4 to $36 per user. They do not give a discount which is not good. The solution is expensive if you have 800 to 1,000 users. They should give discounts when you have a lot of users."

"The solution's pricing is reasonable."

"The licensing cost increased at least 15 to 20 percent recently and it would be helpful for them to be reduced."

"We have yearly licensing costs."

"Microsoft solutions are expensive."

"The product is very cheap."

"We bought some licenses, and some are within our package or partnership with Microsoft."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Media Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	40
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	40

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

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?

I see no disadvantages currently. From the admin perspective, whenever an admin wants to get the email backup for a particular employee, there are a few challenges in terms of the role assignment o...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Google Workspace vs IceWarp

Compared 15% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs IceWarp

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs IceWarp

Compared 13% of the time

KerioConnect vs IceWarp

Compared 7% of the time

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Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 45% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 12% of the time

Amazon WorkMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 10% of the time

ProtonMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp

September 2025

Download IceWarp product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online

August 2025

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

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

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

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon

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

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

September 2025

Free Report: IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

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