IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

IceWarp and Zimbra are both solutions in the Email Applications category. IceWarp is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3, while Zimbra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. IceWarp holds a 5.2% mindshare in EA, compared to Zimbra’s 8.5% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IceWarp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

IceWarp

Read 17 IceWarp reviews

2,512 Views
2,035 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 29 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

2,523 Views
2,397 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IceWarp

Zimbra Collaboration

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Zimbra Collaboration and IceWarp compete in the collaborative software market. IceWarp appeals with its extensive feature set, while Zimbra attracts those looking for competitive pricing and support.

Features: Zimbra Collaboration is known for its comprehensive email and calendaring features with effective platform integration. The system is designed with real-time control through its management console, offering premium features like mobile management and seamless synchronization. It's valued for its open-source nature and customizable options, facilitating robust collaboration features. IceWarp provides strong email capabilities and an all-encompassing suite boasting instant messaging and video conferencing, alongside tools for smart document management and team chat features that enable file sharing and real-time collaboration.

Room for Improvement: Zimbra could enhance ease of use for non-technical users, improve its two-factor authentication system, and offer better document collaboration tools compared to cloud giants like Microsoft and Google. IceWarp faces challenges with the advancement of its document management tools, needs more comprehensive smart document archiving features, and could benefit from providing more extensive customization options beyond current implementations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zimbra stands out with its open-source platform that supports scalability and benefits from a community-driven support mechanism. Its deployment is straightforward with comprehensive documentation. IceWarp offers a flexible deployment process with typically faster setup periods, complemented by professional customer service that assists with configuration and troubleshooting needs.

Pricing and ROI: Zimbra offers lower initial setup costs, appealing to budget-conscious buyers seeking quick ROI while maintaining high functionality standards. It provides an affordable alternative for organizations mindful of software expenses. IceWarp may involve higher initial investments, yet its extensive feature set is designed to provide substantial long-term ROI for businesses that value integrated communication solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

July 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

6th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zimbra Collaboration

Ranking in Email Applications

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 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 Zimbra Collaboration is 8.5%, down from 9.4% 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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Muhammad Talha Baig

Business Analyst and Associate Project Manager at SAMI Pharmaceuticals

One of the premium features was customized rooms tailored to the collaboration needs

Zimbra's strength lies in its individuality, and it should focus on leveraging its unique features rather than trying to emulate competitors. My organization has certified Zimbra technicians, so we believe we can utilize Zimbra certification. However, I was recently informed by Zimbra that no such certification exists. I have recently completed the test kit, and after the training, I will gain access to tickets. Therefore, if any clients are experiencing issues, we have a certified technical team available to provide support 24/7. This is how we can cater to our client's needs. I recommend Zimbra to small-scale and enterprise customers. Anyone, even those with 5 users, can opt for Zimbra. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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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

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

"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 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."

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

"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."

"The groupware module is the most valuable feature."

"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."

"It's scalable and stable."

More IceWarp pros

"Good email solution and it's open-source."

"The web interface is powerful and easy to use."

"We can control all the data in my IT infrastructure."

"Zimbra Collaboration is a good tool for video calls...Zimbra Collaboration's initial setup phase was easy."

"The solution is easy to implement."

"The most valuable feature is sending messages as well as text and documents. It's a big solution for us since internal communication is a must in our organization."

"The stability is good and keeps getting better with each new update."

"Network NG Modules are valuable to us."

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

"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."

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

More IceWarp cons

"I would like to see a Microsoft schedule function added."

"I can confidently say that Zimbra is good enough for 2,000 client users. But, at the same time, if my client needs more than that and we have two options—Zimbra or Microsoft—I'm going with Microsoft because many admins will speak to Microsoft's ability to handle that many."

"File sharing permissions with Nextcloud integration need improvement."

"The solution could use more integration with third-party tools."

"There are some security issues."

"Zimbra must improve its solution to make it easy so that the users don't have to use webmail to connect to their accounts and log in to webmail every time. This is something that is lacking in Zimbra Collaboration. They should provide a better way to easily connect email applications on the desktop to the Zimbra server. They should also try to have more functionality for storage management, like Microsoft Exchange. Currently, the management of the email data must be done manually in Zimbra Collaboration, which we are finding very difficult. They should provide a way to save emails so that you can have more space on the server and storage. Because of the lack of this functionality, we are planning to migrate to Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft Exchange provides a better way to manage storage than Zimbra Collaboration. You cannot have a mail solution without storage management because emails will always increase. Zimbra Collaboration also needs tools for management. More back-office tools are required to manage the whole mailbox and space. You don't only manage emails but also the documents attached to the emails. Therefore, you require tools to select and decide what do you want to save or how do you want to free up space in your infrastructure."

"The solution’s forums don't have much information or documentation on administration tasks."

"In the next release, Zimbra Collaboration should include a security feature to allow access for mobile device administrators."

More Zimbra Collaboration cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

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

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

"The solution is priced well."

"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 solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."

More IceWarp pricing and cost advice

"We do not pay for licenses to use this solution."

"We pay yearly licenses for Zimbra Collaboration."

"It's very expensive. When we compare the cost with Google Workspace, it's so expensive."

"When it comes to the licensing of Zimbra Collaboration, my license covers the servers and I find its terms to be much simpler than those of Microsoft Exchange."

"The solution is competitively priced."

"Zimbra Collaboration offers a good price-to-feature ratio."

"I use Zimbra Collaboration's community version. We may move to the enterprise version since prices are affordable."

"If you choose the network edition, it is a little pricier. They have the open-source edition too which is only community supported."

More Zimbra Collaboration 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

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Energy/Utilities Company

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 Zimbra Collaboration?

The most valuable feature of Zimbra for our team's productivity is its efficiency in handling email communication.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zimbra Collaboration?

The solution is competitively priced.

See all answers

Comparisons

Zoho Mail vs IceWarp

Compared 31% of the time

Google Workspace vs IceWarp

Compared 16% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs IceWarp

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs IceWarp

Compared 9% of the time

KerioConnect vs IceWarp

Compared 7% of the time

More IceWarp Competitors

Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 26% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 21% of the time

KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 8% of the time

Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 7% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp

August 2025

Download IceWarp product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

July 2025

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

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

Zimbra Collaboration provides administrators and their end users innovative features that solve the challenges faced by organizations using today's legacy communications infrastructure.

Zimbra

Sample Customers

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon

NEC Biglobe, City of Ventura, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Hola Publishing, BIG, Sleepwell, LaFayette College, Xmission, DNA, Ring Line, Future Group, TIGC

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

July 2025

Free Report: IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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