OpenText GroupWise vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

OpenText and Zimbra are both solutions in the Email Applications category. OpenText is ranked #12, while Zimbra is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.0. OpenText holds a 1.8% mindshare in EA, compared to Zimbra’s 7.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of OpenText users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

OpenText GroupWise

Read 3 OpenText GroupWise reviews

551 Views
518 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 28 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

2,273 Views
2,159 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

OpenText GroupWise

Zimbra Collaboration

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Zimbra Collaboration and OpenText GroupWise are competing solutions in professional communication platforms. Zimbra is preferred for cost-effectiveness and responsive support, while GroupWise is recognized for superior features and a comprehensive experience.

Features: Zimbra Collaboration focuses on integrated email, calendar, and collaboration tools with easy integration and strong security. OpenText GroupWise provides advanced document management, workflow capabilities, and suits organizations with complex requirements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zimbra Collaboration is known for a straightforward deployment process and attentive customer support. OpenText GroupWise offers comprehensive deployment options for various environments with detailed guidance.

Pricing and ROI: Zimbra Collaboration is cost-effective, emphasizing low setup costs, and offers a strong ROI. OpenText GroupWise, although potentially more expensive, justifies the investment with an extensive feature set and higher initial costs.

To learn more, read our detailed OpenText GroupWise vs. Zimbra Collaboration Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

OpenText GroupWise vs. Zimbra Collaboration

December 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

OpenText GroupWise

Ranking in Email Applications

12th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Wireless Email (3rd)

Zimbra Collaboration

Ranking in Email Applications

6th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of OpenText GroupWise is 1.8%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zimbra Collaboration is 7.1%, down from 9.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Zimbra Collaboration	7.1%
OpenText GroupWise	1.8%
Other	91.1%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

John Novak

Consulting Manager at Technical Consulting Resources

Great security, stability, versatility expandability and low cost of ownership

About the only thing I don't like about GroupWise is the lack of a modern Linux client. Micro Focus stop their development of the Linux Client a long time because there wasn't enough demand for it. Most other solutions do not have the Linux client. I would really like to see OpenText add a modern GroupWise Linux Client back. But until they do there is the Web Client to be used in a browser.

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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

"Very secure with great storage capacity."

"The cost-effectiveness of the solution is most valuable."

"I like the ease of logging best in Micro Focus GroupWise. I also like its proxy capabilities from a user level. I also like how secure Micro Focus GroupWise is."

"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 solution is easy to implement."

"The Zimbra Collaboration's most valuable feature is web access."

"The most valuable feature of Zimbra for our team's productivity is its efficiency in handling email communication."

"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 most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is the cost."

"The web interface is powerful and easy to use."

"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."

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

"The WebAccess feature is somewhat lacking and could be improved."

"Their support can be improved. It is not as good as it used to be."

"What I don't like about Micro Focus GroupWise is the removal of the Unix client. Micro Focus took that function away about ten years ago because there wasn't enough demand for it."

"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."

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

"I can confidently say that Zimbra is good enough for 2,000 client users. But, at the same time, if my client needs more than that and we have two options—Zimbra or Microsoft—I'm going with Microsoft because many admins will speak to Microsoft's ability to handle that many."

"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."

"The antispam and antivirus features are hard to understand on mobile devices."

"Zimbra Collaboration's video conferencing could be improved."

"We have had an issue with security."

"The product must be more customizable."

More Zimbra Collaboration cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It was a part of the suite, so it was very cost-effective. There were no costs beyond the licensing fee."

"Micro Focus GroupWise is the most affordable solution on-premises. Versus Microsoft Exchange on-premises, pricing is 20:1, so there's no comparison. Micro Focus GroupWise is cheaper, though, for my clients, it's not about the cost but the stability and security of the solution."

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

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the price a four"

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

"The price of the solution is low."

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

"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."

"I use Zimbra Collaboration's community version. We may move to the enterprise version since prices are affordable."

More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

University

10%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

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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 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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Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange vs OpenText GroupWise

Compared 30% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs OpenText GroupWise

Compared 29% of the time

Google Workspace vs OpenText GroupWise

Compared 18% of the time

Open-Xchange vs OpenText GroupWise

Compared 12% of the time

More OpenText GroupWise Competitors

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 22% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 21% of the time

KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 10% of the time

Zarafa vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 2% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

January 2026

Download OpenText GroupWise product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

December 2025

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

Also Known As

Micro Focus GroupWise, GroupWise

No data available

Overview

Collaboration solution that offers support for any communication over intranets, extranets and the Internet.

OpenText

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

Heritage Oaks Bank

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

OpenText GroupWise vs. Zimbra Collaboration

December 2025

Free Report: OpenText GroupWise vs. Zimbra Collaboration

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