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 8.8. IceWarp holds a 5.3% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 13.8% 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

2,183 Views
1,169 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange Online

Read 90 Microsoft Exchange Online reviews

4,403 Views
2,984 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: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

June 2025

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Helped 859,579 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

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

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 Online is 13.8%, down from 15.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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

"IceWarp has multiple applications that are easy to use for many people."

"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."

"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."

"The most valuable feature of IceWarp is the chat rooms and file-sharing, they are useful. It is convenient that everything is in one place. You can easily share and collaborate documents, making the program's unity a significant advantage."

"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."

More IceWarp pros

"We have found the solution to be stable."

"The overall usage was all good."

"I enjoy not having to maintain the local infrastructure, local servers, local whatever. You use the software and don't have to worry about the details."

"The initial setup is straightforward and easy to configure."

"All of the Microsoft Exchange Online is very useful, such as the sections, the information protection, and the mail flows."

"The solution is easy to access, and you can bring your own device to access from anywhere."

"Exchange Online's best feature is its webmail platform."

"Microsoft has many consultants who can provide support."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pros

Cons

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

"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."

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

"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."

"Support should be improved. Most of the time, the queries are not resolved within the SLA."

"The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management."

More IceWarp cons

"The interface is a bit confusing."

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

"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."

"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."

"There is room for improvement in terms of optimization."

"I would rate Exchange Online's stability eight out of ten - it has room for improvement."

"I think there should be an incorporation of DLP on the business premium version of Exchange, as well."

"The price could be an area of concern for many."

More Microsoft Exchange Online cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."

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

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

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

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

"The solution is priced well."

More IceWarp pricing and cost advice

"The license for the solution is cheap, but it could be more affordable in the long term."

"We have yearly licensing costs."

"This solution requires a license."

"The product is expensive and has an annual subscription."

"We have a license per user scenario."

"The pricing is based on a yearly contract and a floating license option is offered."

"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 price of the solution could be less expensive."

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

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

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

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?

The cost of Microsoft Exchange Online varies between $4 and $25 per user per month, depending on the different plans we use for different users.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online?

The mobile version of Microsoft Outlook has limited features compared to the desktop version. We find fewer features in the mobile version of Microsoft Exchange Online, so that could be improved if...

See all answers

Comparisons

Zoho Mail vs IceWarp

Compared 30% of the time

Google Workspace vs IceWarp

Compared 16% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs IceWarp

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs IceWarp

Compared 13% of the time

KerioConnect vs IceWarp

Compared 6% of the time

More IceWarp Competitors

Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 50% of the time

Amazon WorkMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 10% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 9% of the time

Zoho Mail vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 6% of the time

OpenText GroupWise vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Online Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp

June 2025

Download IceWarp product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online

June 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

June 2025

Free Report: IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

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