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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 7.8, while Zimbra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 11.3% mindshare in EA, compared to Zimbra’s 7.9% 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 94 Microsoft Exchange reviews
  • 3,399 Views
  • 2,821 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
Zimbra Collaboration
Read 28 Zimbra Collaboration reviews
  • 2,311 Views
  • 2,195 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 2025

Zimbra Collaboration and Microsoft Exchange are products competing in the communication and collaboration category. Zimbra offers competitive pricing and support, while Microsoft Exchange is favored for its comprehensive features justifying its cost.

Features: Zimbra Collaboration includes open-source integrations, flexible customization, and compatibility with multiple platforms, enhancing innovation. Microsoft Exchange provides advanced calendaring, seamless email hosting, and strong integration with other Microsoft services enhancing the business ecosystem.

Room for Improvement: Zimbra could improve its security modules, enhance mobile application functionality, and expand premium features like two-factor authentication. Microsoft Exchange could offer a more straightforward licensing process, reduce reliance on external security solutions, and provide more customization options for users.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zimbra's open-source approach allows for simple deployment with extensive community support. Microsoft Exchange offers seamless integration, consistent updates, and professional resources for installation, making its extensive service network advantageous.

Pricing and ROI: Zimbra is cost-effective with low initial costs and high ROI, appealing to budget-conscious organizations. Microsoft Exchange involves higher initial investment but offers comprehensive features that provide long-term ROI through productivity gains.

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To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Exchange vs. Zimbra Collaboration Report (Updated: November 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange vs. Zimbra Collaboration
November 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
6.6
Number of Reviews
94
Ranking in other categories
Wireless Email (2nd)
Zimbra Collaboration
Ranking in Email Applications
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
28
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.3%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zimbra Collaboration is 7.9%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange11.3%
Zimbra Collaboration7.9%
Other80.8%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

ImranShaikh - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
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Muhammad Talha Baig - PeerSpot reviewer
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

"Exchange's interface is good. All of our engineers like it and are accustomed to using it."
"The product works very well."
"It gives me benefit in terms of integration with other services such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and OneDrive. It makes my work much easier."
"It's so much of a part of what I do every day that I don't give it a lot of thought. It just works, for the most part, until it doesn't, in which case I call tech support."
"The initial setup is quite a straightforward process. I don't think it is a very complicated solution. Plenty of things could be more complex, but the ordinary, general settings are quite simple."
"Exchange is easy to use. It also has a built-in calendar for all the stuff I'm supposed to be looking at and doing. Exchange tells you if you have a doctor's appointment or a scheduled call. It also has a place to store and manage your contacts. If I want to add a new contact, it will put in information about that contact stored anywhere within the Microsoft Suite."
"The interface is user-friendly."
"The product can scale."
More Microsoft Exchange pros
"The Zimbra Collaboration's most valuable feature is web access."
"The backup and storage management features of Zimbra Collaboration are valuable."
"Zimbra Collaboration is a good tool for video calls...Zimbra Collaboration's initial setup phase was easy."
"One of the most valuable features involves the solution's automatic backup, which I find to be pretty simple and straightforward, and obviates the need for additional software."
"The logs, troubleshooting, and tracking we have found to be the most valuable features. We have any issues with lost messages the features are useful. It is very easy to track and log."
"The product is easy to set up."
"Zimbra Collaboration has a good web interface."
"It has all collaboration features, such as document sharing, video conferencing, chatting, task sharing, and calendar sharing."
More Zimbra Collaboration pros
 

Cons

"In our current situation, the disappearance of sanctions would be a tangible improvement. We are basically cut off from technical support and it's very difficult to obtain any updates."
"The solution should be easier to deploy."
"The solution's hybrid deployment process could be improved, particularly for customers who initially started in the cloud and may want to return to an on-premises setup. Microsoft could make this transition more flexible."
"Microsoft Exchange's customer support could be faster and more knowledgeable."
"The management of .pst files and archiving need improvement."
"Load balancing is lacking."
"I think that improvements should be made in creating greater abilities for Microsoft Exchange in terms of Reasearch and Development."
"We would prefer to be able to manage the solution on the cloud."
More Microsoft Exchange cons
"The installation is not straightforward, it can take two days for the full implementation."
"Zimbra Collaboration could improve the migration from a basic solution to a more containerized solution. For example, the installation should be able to extend to the containers and manage them with some solution, such as OpenShift or Kubernetes."
"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."
"We have had an issue with security."
"It would be great if a group chat feature were created to allow for a team environment."
"There are some security issues."
"The new patches are, at times, not so good, so we don't install them, causing the tool to be not so stable overall."
"The product must be more customizable."
More Zimbra Collaboration cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate Microsoft Exchange's pricing a six out of ten."
"There is an annual cost to use Microsoft Exchange, and the price could be less expensive."
"Microsoft Exchange is an inexpensive application."
"Microsoft's licensing structure is too complex, but its prices are affordable, though not cheap."
"Its price is okay."
"They are flexible when it comes to pricing, unlike most of the other vendors I have dealt with."
"It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise."
"We can get Exchange in the cloud along with the Microsoft 365 license."
More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice
"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."
"Zimbra Collaboration offers a good price-to-feature ratio."
"Zimbra Collaboration is expensive, and there is no perpetual license option."
"If you choose the network edition, it is a little pricier. They have the open-source edition too which is only community supported."
"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 not expensive compared to other products."
"We pay yearly licenses for Zimbra Collaboration."
"We do not pay for licenses to use this solution."
More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Government
8%
Outsourcing Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise35
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise7
 

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?
Microsoft Exchange is costly, and its licensing model can be expensive over time as more users require licenses.
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
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...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
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Compared 8% of the time
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Compared 7% of the time
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Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration Logo
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Compared 24% of the time
KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration Logo
KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration
Compared 12% of the time
Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration Logo
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Compared 8% of the time
Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration Logo
Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration
Compared 8% of the time
IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration Logo
IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration
Compared 8% of the time
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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
October 2025
Microsoft Exchange reportDownload Microsoft Exchange product report
Buyer's Guide
Zimbra Collaboration
October 2025
Zimbra Collaboration reportDownload Zimbra Collaboration 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
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
November 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: November 2025.
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