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IceWarp vs Microsoft Exchange Online comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

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
10th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Exchange Online
Ranking in Email Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
92
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.1%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online is 9.3%, down from 14.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online9.3%
IceWarp5.1%
Other85.6%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

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.
AM
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IceWarp offers very extended cross-platform communication solutions."
"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."
"If you have a small to medium business and you require a professional collaboration server that focuses on the main services of emails and calendar scheduling, I recommend IceWarp."
"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."
"The solution is easy to manage and includes features such as smart documents and the archiving of user data."
"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."
"It's scalable and stable."
"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange Online is its performance."
"Exchange Online doesn't just do email, it allows for collaboration with inbuilt chat and calling facilities and document sharing."
"The initial setup is straightforward and easy to configure."
"Microsoft takes care of the back end while companies can focus on their day-to-day work and be more productive."
"The best part of this solution is the security it offers."
"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."
"The design is intuitive and better than the solution we had previously used, and once it was configured it was very easy to use."
"Its most valuable feature is the unlimited storage. It also has very little downtime."
 

Cons

"Our customers sometimes have problems receiving mail."
"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."
"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."
"We attempted to obtain support for deleted documents through the representatives in Mumbai, but they did not have an answer for us."
"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."
"Support should be improved. Most of the time, the queries are not resolved within the SLA."
"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 integration could be better if it could integrate well with other products and software."
"The solution could improve by making the user interface better."
"What I don't like about Microsoft Exchange Online is too much integration because now it has many services connected to it."
"For example, recently there were some spam incidents that Microsoft does not currently mitigate because they have another paid solution to do so. It would be nice to integrate the security and the anti-spam (i.e. the fake links, etc.) along with the Exchange Online default."
"I don't like it in general. It sort of has that Microsoft flavor to it, which is just the style they use and the way they color things and lay them out."
"This solution involves a lot of work for an administrator. It is not always easy to find exactly what you are looking for within the system."
"The interface is a bit confusing."
"Tech support is a challenge at times. They take a long time to respond."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."
"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."
"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."
"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."
"Costs far less than other solutions."
"The license is based on the number of users."
"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."
"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 costs $12 to $16 per user per month."
"It is a cluster solution."
"The pricing is a bit more expensive than other solutions."
"This solution requires a license."
"We bought some licenses, and some are within our package or partnership with Microsoft."
"They have raised their prices, and obviously, it hits our customers. Some of them are deciding to step back from Office 365. For customers who have bought the annual subscription, they are moving to the monthly subscription."
"We have a three-year license for $25,000."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business12
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise5
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise41
 

Questions from the Community

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.
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...
What is your primary use case for IceWarp?
We managed approximately one thousand user accounts with IceWarp for company communications. We utilized features such as smart attachments and document solutions. Our setup was primarily on-premis...
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.
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 ...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Exchange Online?
I currently work with a Microsoft partner and I support users that use Microsoft Exchange Online. I also use Microsoft Exchange Online myself. I use the shared calendar feature of Microsoft Exchang...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Exchange Online, Exchange Online Plan 1, Exchange Online Plan 2, MS Exchange Online
 

Overview

 

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
Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. Microsoft Exchange Online and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,244 professionals have used our research since 2012.