Microsoft Exchange vs Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform comparison

The compared Microsoft and Proofpoint solutions aren't in the same category. Microsoft is ranked #3 in EA , with an average rating of 7.8, and holds a 11.3% mindshare in the category. Proofpoint is ranked #4 in EA , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Proofpoint users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Exchange

Read 94 Microsoft Exchange reviews

3,381 Views
2,806 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Proofpoint Intelligent Com...

Read 1 Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform review

929 Views
344 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange

Proofpoint Intelligent Com...

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Exchange and Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Email Applications.

To learn more, read our detailed Email Applications Report (Updated: October 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

October 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

Microsoft Exchange

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Applications (3rd), Wireless Email (2nd)

Proofpoint Intelligent Com...

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

5.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Archiving (4th), eDiscovery (12th), Compliance Management (13th)

Mindshare comparison

Microsoft Exchange and Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Microsoft Exchange is designed for Email Applications and holds a mindshare of 11.3%, down 11.6% compared to last year.
Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform, on the other hand, focuses on Email Archiving, holds 3.8% mindshare, down 3.9% since last year.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange	11.3%
Google Workspace	18.9%
Microsoft Exchange Online	12.1%
Other	57.7%

Email Applications

Email Archiving Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform	3.8%
Microsoft Defender for Office 365	24.8%
Barracuda Email Protection	23.7%
Other	47.7%

Email Archiving

Featured Reviews

ImranShaikh

Assistant Vice President, PreSales at Netcore Cloud

Offers several valuable features including conditional access, identity and access management, and scalability of mailboxes

We use Microsoft Exchange primarily for mailing purposes, both internal and external. We integrate it with other Microsoft tools like Outlook, Word document collaboration, Teams, SharePoint, and more The integration of Microsoft Exchange with other tools allows for seamless collaboration and…

Read full review

Anita Brüggemann

System Administrator at emco Bautechnik GmbH

Effectively reduces spam and malicious emails with reliable detection capabilities

It would be helpful to make it easier for end users to filter and see items in the quarantine within the Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform. As an admin, I believe it would be sensible if end users could also see the quarantine folder in the Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform so they can create their own rules. The reports are all predefined, and I cannot create custom reports, so I am not fully satisfied with their visibility. I would appreciate the ability to generate my own reports.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It integrates well with other tools."

"Microsoft has a very good support team."

"Our customers are satisfied with the features included in Microsoft Exchange."

"The technical support services are good."

"The most valuable features are that you can exchange information, tasks, attachments, and enhance the process in a short amount of time."

"The backup and archiving features are valuable, it is user friendly too."

"We've been using Exchange as an email platform. Our clients require multi-country, multi-regional email collaboration with controlled mail flow. The most valuable feature is the capability of message tracking and the protection of user data."

"Support is very good."

More Microsoft Exchange pros

"Our experience with the platform has been positive as it has maintained consistent control over spam and malware threats."

Cons

"They keep making all these changes, and our system was down for four or five days. They finally got it up, but there are still lots of quirks."

"When we started using Exchange on the cloud, we had a lot of initial problems relating to our main database and we also experienced issues with the accidental deletion of inboxes, amongst other things. In fact, many of the files we had moved to the cloud had disappeared. There also seems to be a problem with the retention of information."

"When an update wants to come, it should just come maybe once or twice rather than having us deal with constant updating."

"I think it could be more scalable."

"I would like to see the search capability of the Outlook client improved"

"The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve, it is priced high."

"Microsoft Exchange and other Microsoft solutions like Office 365 need to provide more detailed information for customers regarding the features and functionalities included in their plans, as some features are only available at an additional cost."

"It doesn't work very well on a virtual machine. We had to move it around. There are also issues when you try to move it between computers."

More Microsoft Exchange cons

"The Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform does not provide features that help reduce manual efforts, so additional human resources are still required to manage security."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft's licensing structure is too complex, but its prices are affordable, though not cheap."

"The product pricing is reasonable if you utilize its full suite of features."

"There is an annual cost to use Microsoft Exchange, and the price could be less expensive."

"I rate Microsoft Exchange's pricing a six out of ten."

"The pricing is expensive."

"Microsoft doesn't have a unit price, it's based on the quantity, and they offer great discounts."

"It is not expensive."

"Exchange is better for medium to large businesses because it can be quite costly for SMB, which may not need all the options the product provides."

More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	35

No data available

Questions from the Community

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...

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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

What needs improvement with Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform?

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What is your primary use case for Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform?

We use the Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform because it has a good ability to detect viruses and malicious emails, and it collects a lot of spam emails. Since we use this platform, the spa...

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What advice do you have for others considering Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform?

It is a cloud-based deployment of the Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform. We worked with an internet provider, who is also a security provider, and it took one day to deploy it on the cloud...

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Comparisons

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 19% of the time

KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 16% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 14% of the time

HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 11% of the time

Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 8% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Competitors

Mimecast Mailbox Continuity vs Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform

Compared 100% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange

October 2025

Download Microsoft Exchange product report

Buyer's Guide

Email Archiving

October 2025

Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform report

Download Proofpoint Intelligent Compliance Platform product report

Also Known As

Exchange, MS Exchange

Proofpoint e-discovery and Analytics, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive

Overview

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

It’s not easy to develop a strategy to enable corporate or regulatory compliance. Data growth plagues IT departments. And legal and compliance teams struggle to retain, discover and supervise content across channels. Proofpoint offers an Intelligent Compliance family of products and solutions that make it easier for you to make more informed compliance decisions, manage information risk and improve investigation readiness.

Proofpoint

Sample Customers

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America

Find out what your peers are saying about Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Email Applications. Updated: October 2025.

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