Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Microsoft Exchange vs ProtonMail comparison

Microsoft and Proton Technologies are both solutions in the Email Applications category. Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.9, while Proton Technologies is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5. Microsoft holds a 10.2% mindshare in EA, compared to Proton Technologies’s 7.5% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Proton Technologies users who would recommend it.
Microsoft Exchange
Read 95 Microsoft Exchange reviews
  • 3,631 Views
  • 2,977 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
ProtonMail
Read 2 ProtonMail reviews
  • 1,418 Views
  • 1,418 Comparison Views
66% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Microsoft Exchange and ProtonMail based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Email Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail Report (Updated: February 2026).
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail
February 2026
Download the complete report
Helped 882,637 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

Microsoft Exchange
Ranking in Email Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
95
Ranking in other categories
Wireless Email (2nd)
ProtonMail
Ranking in Email Applications
10th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 10.2%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ProtonMail is 7.5%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange10.2%
ProtonMail7.5%
Other82.3%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

SJ
SaqibJavaid
Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan
Efficient email management with seamless integration
We previously used Microsoft Exchange but have moved to an MDN email solution due to cost and user growth Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy solution, which is beneficial for handling emails even without professional support. It is effective in managing email integration…
Read full review
AP
reviewer68329471
Media Content Creator Intern
Trust and anonymity play a key role in secure communications
I am uncertain about the two-factor authentication feature. I have had integrations with other Proton services and have used Proton VPN once, though it has limited features. Simple Mail, which was acquired by ProtonMail, has been very useful for me. The pricing is moderate. I have not used any paid services from ProtonMail. It is not very costly, but I have not used any premium services. I am a customer of ProtonMail. I would rate ProtonMail an eight out of ten due to their transparency and the utility of their simple login feature. My job and company name should remain hidden.
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

"The setup was straightforward."
"The most used feature of Microsoft Exchange is the email capability, especially since it integrates with the calendar."
"The platform's most valuable feature is the mailbox roles."
"Support is very good."
"Technical support is good."
"It is a very stable tool...It is a very scalable tool."
"What I love about Microsoft Exchange is the good integration since 2013, particularly its integration with the calendar and other software such as Zoom, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, etc."
"It's a very user-friendly application. The mail server is also valuable when compared to other services like SquirrelMail."
More Microsoft Exchange pros
"The auto encryption of attachments is valuable."
"What I appreciate most about ProtonMail is that they are trusted, which is why I choose them."
 

Cons

"Load balancing is lacking."
"There are limitations in terms of the number of emails that can be sent in a minute, which makes it a little difficult for the marketing folks."
"If it was the same product, and slightly cheaper, that would be amazing."
"Exchange took time to be deployed. It requires extensive configuration and setting up servers and managing internal network access."
"The calendar integration in Exchange is not that great. The email features are okay, but it doesn't integrate well with the calendar and appointments, especially Zoom appointments. It integrates fine with Microsoft Teams, but Zoom is a challenge."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve the price."
"It's not always the finest solution in terms of integration with products that are not from Microsoft. It integrates very well with Microsoft products but not with third-party products."
"Microsoft could improve on Exchange's hybrid deployment or HCW. They need to improve on that because I was having many issues with HCW in our environment at times."
More Microsoft Exchange cons
"I think it is good but I feel that only tech-savvy people use ProtonMail. It is not that popular among other people."
"One improvement could be the integration between ProtonMail and Proton Pass, allowing sharing of specific secrets via email."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft Exchange itself does not require a license, but users who will have mailboxes will require a license. It depends on the number of users to choose which license. If you exceed 2,000 mailboxes, it's preferable to get the enterprise license."
"There are different prices depending on the customer's use cases and amount of users. The price of the solution could improve."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve. In Egypt, the price keeps increasing."
"We renew the product license with Microsoft every three years. The cost is included within a bundle of services. It's an enterprise agreement with Microsoft."
"It is not expensive."
"Compared to the other options in the market, the licensing costs attached to Microsoft Exchange seem reasonable."
"The product pricing is reasonable if you utilize its full suite of features."
"I rate Microsoft Exchange's pricing a six out of ten."
More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice
Information not available
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Email Applications solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
882,637 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
22%
Educational Organization
9%
Computer Software Company
6%
Government
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise28
Large Enterprise35
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...
See all answers
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?
I am aware of pricing aspects, and I would say it is affordable for what it is.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ProtonMail?
The pricing is competitive, offering good value on the average plan. It’s approximately $100 for annual billing.
See all answers
What needs improvement with ProtonMail?
In terms of what can be improved in ProtonMail, I think it is good but I feel that only tech-savvy people use ProtonMail. It is not that popular among other people. Therefore, we do not use it for ...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for ProtonMail?
My use cases include using ProtonMail for Drive occasionally for storing files. After some time, I stopped using that feature. Primarily, I use it for sending emails when I want to maintain anonymi...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 20% of the time
Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 13% of the time
KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 13% of the time
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 9% of the time
Microsoft Exchange Online vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Microsoft Exchange Online vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 6% of the time
More Microsoft Exchange Competitors
Google Workspace vs ProtonMail Logo
Google Workspace vs ProtonMail
Compared 26% of the time
Atomic Mail vs ProtonMail Logo
Atomic Mail vs ProtonMail
Compared 20% of the time
Zoho Mail vs ProtonMail Logo
Zoho Mail vs ProtonMail
Compared 15% of the time
Microsoft Exchange Online vs ProtonMail Logo
Microsoft Exchange Online vs ProtonMail
Compared 8% of the time
Superhuman vs ProtonMail Logo
Superhuman vs ProtonMail
Compared 7% of the time
More ProtonMail Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
February 2026
Microsoft Exchange reportDownload Microsoft Exchange product report
Buyer's Guide
Email Applications
February 2026
ProtonMail reportDownload ProtonMail product report
 

Also Known As

Exchange, MS Exchange
No data available
 

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

ProtonMail is the world‘s largest encrypted email provider, with over 11 million users trusting us to secure their data every day. We are the email service of choice for security-conscious enterprises.

Proton Technologies
 

Sample Customers

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Wall street journal,The New york times, The Gurdian, Forbes, Fox News
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail
February 2026
Free Report: Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
DOWNLOAD NOW
882,637 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail report.
See our list of best Email Applications vendors.

We monitor all Email Applications reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.