Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

Microsoft and Zimbra are both solutions in the Email Applications category. Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3, while Zimbra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 11.4% mindshare in EA, compared to Zimbra’s 8.8% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Exchange

Read 91 Microsoft Exchange reviews

3,291 Views
2,842 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 29 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

2,972 Views
2,295 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange

Zimbra Collaboration

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 20, 2025

Zimbra Collaboration and Microsoft Exchange offer competing solutions in the email and collaboration market. While Zimbra is recognized for its cost-effectiveness, Microsoft Exchange is often the choice for organizations needing comprehensive features.

Features: Zimbra Collaboration allows flexible deployment and supports extensive third-party integrations due to its open-source nature. It includes centralized management, shared folders, and efficient sync facilities with desktops and mobile devices. In contrast, Microsoft Exchange provides advanced scheduling, data syncing, and integration within the Microsoft ecosystem, offering a cohesive user experience and comprehensive mail capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Zimbra could enhance its integration capabilities with more secure modules and improve mobile app features. The community support may leave gaps that require additional resources. Microsoft Exchange, being complex, may benefit from streamlined licensing and simpler interface navigation. The learning curve for advanced settings might be steep, requiring more intuitive options for users unfamiliar with Microsoft environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zimbra Collaboration offers a straightforward deployment process supported by community resources. It is platform-flexible, adding to its deployment versatility. Microsoft Exchange, though requiring detailed initial configuration, benefits from a robust support framework, providing dedicated help that caters well to its vast user base, making it ideal for those valuing extensive support networks.

Pricing and ROI: Zimbra is favorable for budget-minded companies seeking essential collaboration tools due to its lower startup costs. However, Microsoft Exchange tends to offer a significant return on investment with its extensive feature set that facilitates productivity enhancements, justifying its higher initial costs. Organizations committed to long-term robust communication infrastructure may find the investment in Microsoft Exchange valuable.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Exchange vs. Zimbra Collaboration Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange vs. Zimbra Collaboration

April 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

Ranking in Email Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Wireless Email (1st), File Archiving (3rd)

Zimbra Collaboration

Ranking in Email Applications

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.4%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zimbra Collaboration is 8.8%, down from 10.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Hesham Hussain

Head Of Infrastructure at ValU

A good solution for large enterprises, but is expensive when compared to other solutions

Regarding the decision of increasing the number of users, it depends on the organization's choice, whether to opt for CapEx or OpEx. Both options involve expenses over the years. Building an in-house Exchange solution requires investing in hardware, storage, connectivity, and administrative resources. Office 365 shifts the budget solely to OpEx as a subscription service. Scalability is another factor. Starting a new company favors Office 365 due to cost efficiency. As the organization grows, the choice depends on available resources and technical expertise. An internal Exchange setup is feasible with skilled engineers, while Office 365 suits those lacking in-house resources.

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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

"With the cloud coming in, scalability is not an issue even for Microsoft."

"It integrates well with other tools."

"It is easy to use and we can allow many users because now our users are scattered They over a wide area. We can use it from anywhere. That is the main benefit for us."

"All features are useful; they meet the purpose of an email server."

"The exchange functionalities are good."

"It is a very stable tool...It is a very scalable tool."

"The initial setup is easy."

"I find the desktop version of Microsoft Exchange looks better than the online version. You can make it a white background. You might be able to make the online background white, but I have no idea how to do that. I know how to do it only on the desktop version"

More Microsoft Exchange pros

"Zimbra Collaboration is light to manage. It works on the Linux operating system, which is far better to manage than Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Exchange works only on the Windows server. We prefer working on the Linux server for security reasons and ease of management. Zimbra Collaboration also has some integrated tools for security. It some modules to fight malware. These modules are not very powerful but are still doing a great job. Microsoft Exchange doesn't have a basic module. You have to purchase a security solution and add it to the solution. The cost of Zimbra Collaboration is one more reason for liking it. It is also very simple to migrate from Zimbra Collaboration to another email solution."

"One of the premium features was customized rooms tailored to the collaboration needs. Many of the clients customize features such as organization logos and scanners."

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

"A lot of other products like Microsoft Exchange offer email or collaboration features, but they are not as fast as Zimbra."

"Zimbra Collaboration's best feature is its compatibility with Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol, which allows users to use Outlook on Windows or MacOS."

"The most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is email functionality."

"Zimbra Collaboration has a good web interface."

"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."

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

"I do not have any notes for improvement."

"In the version we have, I would like to see better communication between the end device and the Exchange server."

"I think it could be more scalable."

"Microsoft Exchange could improve by being more secure. We are always looking to have more security."

"I'd like the archiving process to be faster."

"From a security perspective, Microsft Exchange can be improved. All that needs to be added is security, but that's an internal hierarchical problem from the product itself and not the end-users."

"In terms of probability, every now and then there are changes coming and going. The changes are not that frequent because every month they got updates back, so that is an issue."

"Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence."

More Microsoft Exchange cons

"It would be great if a group chat feature were created to allow for a team environment."

"File sharing permissions with Nextcloud integration need improvement."

"The new patches are, at times, not so good, so we don't install them, causing the tool to be not so stable overall."

"It does have a few bugs."

"Zimbra should provide a desktop client. Right now, we are using a web browser for accessing our emails. There should also be a desktop client."

"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 support was lacking in my experience. However, recently the support I received was good. Perhaps they have improved."

"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

"We are currently using enterprise licenses for the solution. They are different pricing models available. There are individual, cloud-based, and enterprise licenses all with different pricing models. The larger the number of users, the lesser the price. For small to medium companies like us, we feel it is expensive."

"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."

"Its price is okay."

"Licensing costs for Microsoft Exchange have increased, but are still fair. For some users, the cost is high considering the number of functions and features they will use."

"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."

"It is not expensive."

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

"The product is quite cheap."

More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice

"There is an annual standard licensing fee to use Zimbra Collaboration and there is no other cost."

"Zimbra Collaboration is expensive, and there is no perpetual license option."

"The price of the solution is low."

"Zimbra Collaboration is less expensive than Microsoft Exchange. Zimbra works for small companies because it is not expensive. Zimbra Collaboration has more security tools than Microsoft Exchange. If you are choosing between Zimbra Collaboration and Microsoft Exchange, you have to take into account the cost of security tools with Microsoft Exchange. When you purchase Microsoft Exchange, you will also have to purchase tools for security, which adds to the cost. The migration from Zimbra Collaboration to another email solution is very simple and easy. Migration from Microsoft Exchange to another email solution is very difficult. Microsoft doesn't allow migration that easily. In fact, you have to pay for tools to do that. You have to buy some expensive tools to migrate."

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

"We pay yearly licenses for Zimbra Collaboration."

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

"The solution is not expensive compared to other products."

More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

19%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?

The licensing and pricing are quite costly, which can demotivate customers from opting for features and upgrades. However, the solution provides value for money if one is well-acquainted with Excha...

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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.

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

The solution is competitively priced.

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What needs improvement with Zimbra Collaboration?

When it comes to administration tasks like configuring specific filters or group signatures, I have to dig into the configuration since there's nothing in the graphical or web interface. The soluti...

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Comparisons

KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 18% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 13% of the time

HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 12% of the time

HCL Notes vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 9% of the time

Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 6% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Competitors

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 20% of the time

KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 16% of the time

IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 7% of the time

Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 6% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange

April 2025

Download Microsoft Exchange product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

April 2025

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

Also Known As

Exchange, MS Exchange

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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

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

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

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

Microsoft Exchange vs. Zimbra Collaboration

April 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Exchange vs. Zimbra Collaboration

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Exchange vs. Zimbra Collaboration and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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