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Microsoft Exchange vs Zarafa comparison

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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

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)
Zarafa
Ranking in Email Applications
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
4.5
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 6.9%, down from 11.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zarafa is 1.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Exchange6.9%
Zarafa1.9%
Other91.2%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AS
Bookkeeper at FCA - Victoria Point
Reliable email service has supported consistent communication and improved user training
I do use Cisco Secure Email, Grafis, and Proofpoint Email Protection when needed, but we were using Proofpoint before, and we are no longer using it. I am currently using Microsoft Exchange as our email solution. We are a client of Microsoft; there is no partnership between my company and Microsoft. My experience with Microsoft Exchange is as good as the generic email. I do not use Microsoft Exchange to synchronize emails across devices, and it is not part of my workflow. The protocols I mostly use with Microsoft Exchange for integration are SMTP. I do not use the shared calendars feature in Microsoft Exchange. Data loss prevention is something we are not really using or utilizing at the moment. My overall review rating for Microsoft Exchange is 8.
it_user302112 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant IT Infrastructure at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Our customers are able to use this groupware solution to connect to Active Directory and OpenLDAP, although Postgres support would be an improvement.
Zarafa has several very valuable features, among them a very good Outlook-like web interface. Furthermore, ZPush for talking between ActiveSync and mobile devices is a valuable asset. In addition, one is able to connect via Outlook and the exchange protocol to Zarafa. This makes Zarafa a free, and working, alternative to Microsoft Exchange.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We have always used Exchange, that's a strategic choice for our company, and we are confident in Microsoft because their support is always there for us."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange are it is always online and has broad email and file-sharing capabilities."
"It is stable."
"Our customers are satisfied with the features included in Microsoft Exchange."
"Microsoft Exchange is a powerful solution, it can easily integrate with Active Directory and other business applications, it does not require any training, it is flexible and simple to use, and when comparing Microsoft Exchange to other solutions, such as Lotus Note, it is more straightforward for business."
"It's straightforward to set up."
"Microsoft support is very good."
"The initial setup is very simple."
"This makes Zarafa a free, and working, alternative to Microsoft Exchange."
 

Cons

"I do not have any notes for improvement."
"Unfortunately, the quality of support is very low."
"The platform could be more user-friendly."
"When an update wants to come, it should just come maybe once or twice rather than having us deal with constant updating."
"I would like to see Microsoft Exchange improve their documentation."
"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."
"The solution could be more user-friendly."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve by being more secure. We are always looking to have more security."
"Not really, although the Zarafa-index component was using a lot of memory and disk I/O bandwith."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's a little bit expensive."
"I rate Microsoft Exchange's pricing a six out of ten."
"It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise."
"Microsoft doesn't have a unit price, it's based on the quantity, and they offer great discounts."
"The solution is expensive to maintain because it requires frequent updates and ongoing server maintenance."
"I don't have enough information about the licensing costs of Microsoft Exchange, but I do know that you need two types of licenses to run it. You need the product key and the client access key to activate Microsoft Exchange. This means that apart from the standard Microsoft Exchange licensing fees, you have to pay additional costs."
"I rate Microsoft Exchange a four out of ten for pricing because it is quite cheap, and many companies use the solution."
"They are flexible when it comes to pricing, unlike most of the other vendors I have dealt with."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
13%
Construction Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business43
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...
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.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange?
I see some drawbacks and areas for improvement; the quarantining is not fantastic. I think the quarantining is not fantastic because it lets a lot of spam through, and when it is notified of spam, ...
Ask a question
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Comparisons

 

Also Known As

Exchange, MS Exchange
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Tivoli, InterAkt Contour, Riagg Rijnmond, Lammerink, Revell, KMP, International School of the Hague
Find out what your peers are saying about Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Email Applications. Updated: October 2026.
921,749 professionals have used our research since 2012.