We use the solution in our company for emails, calendars, requests, and tasks.
CTO at Numo Capital Holdings
A highly scalable solution that offers multiple functionalities to its users
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very stable tool...It is a very scalable tool."
- "In terms of Microsoft Exchange, I think maybe what can be done is to make it more user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The exchange of emails is its most valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
I'm a user for the time being. I'm not an administrator who is managing the server. I was an administrator fifteen years ago. But today, I'm just a simple user using the solution for emails.
We had an antivirus like Sophos to secure our network. In terms of Microsoft Exchange, I think maybe what can be done is to make it more user-friendly. Also, Microsoft should make it more like a web version.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Exchange for a very long time. Currently, we are on the cloud version.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very stable tool.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a very scalable tool. In my last company, the solution had more than five thousand users. Now, thirty users use the solution. Considering the upcoming year, there are no plans to increase its usage.
How are customer service and support?
I am not seeking any help from technical support because we speak with our own technical staff.
How was the initial setup?
As a user, we don't get involved in the setup process. We need to connect it using the email address. It takes a minute to deploy it. I can do the deployment by myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Since my company is on Microsoft Cloud, we pay for the licenses per user. Compared to volume licensing, I would say the present licensing cost is not expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend others planning to use the solution to use it. I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

IT-Manager / Finanzbuchhaltung / Personalwesen at a manufacturing company with 1-10 employees
Offers stability and easy integration with other Microsoft products, but needs to use less resources and be more reasonably priced
Pros and Cons
- "It's user-friendly."
What is our primary use case?
I use this solution for my email and calendar.
How has it helped my organization?
Because of this solution we have better integration with other Microsoft Office solutions.
What is most valuable?
It's user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The solution needs a lot of resources to run efficiently. It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for about five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have not had any problems with the stability of the solution. I would give it a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. There are about 70 users working with it on a daily basis in our organization.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used Scalix. We switched to Microsoft Exchange for easier integration and better stability.
How was the initial setup?
It was a little bit complex to set up, so we had to get external help.
What about the implementation team?
A third-party did the deployment, and it took about two days.
What was our ROI?
This is a time-saving solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This solution is expensive. On a scale of one to ten, where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate it a four.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate this solution as a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
August 2025

Learn what your peers think about Microsoft Exchange. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
867,676 professionals have used our research since 2012.
IT Cordinator at a pharma/biotech company with 10,001+ employees
Provides unlimited storage and the integration with OneDrive comes in very handy
Pros and Cons
- "Provides unlimited storage for our mailbox."
- "The licensing model could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use this product for emails and for meetings. I'm the IT coordinator.
What is most valuable?
The biggest advantage of this product is that it provides us with unlimited storage for our mailbox. The availability and simplicity of getting emails is great. There's an accessible online version and you have the full Office package available at any moment beyond Outlook. The integration with OneDrive comes in very handy. The Outlook Exchange server becomes your go-to place for storing conversations and correspondence.
What needs improvement?
The licensing could be better. There are several levels of licensing depending on the number of users and features but it lacks the breakdown of what's included in the license, and the possibility to customize what you really need. There are likely to be features included that you don't need but there's no opt out option for those.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability has improved tremendously. These days it requires an extraordinary set of circumstances to not be able to access your emails, to send or receive emails, or to access the Exchange server.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is quite scalable. We have over 1,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
We've contacted technical support several times and they've been responsive. They're pretty good, in general.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. There's really no problem with the setup of the latest Exchange servers and Exchange in general. We deployed in-house and didn't need any external partner to handle it.
What other advice do I have?
Microsoft provides you with an ease of control, and management, and sets certain expectations from the software that you can't have if you implement other, cheaper solutions that are likely to be more difficult to manage or that are unable to adapt to new demands. It has a really nice scalable environment. You can start with the smallest Windows license and then just continue scaling up and upgrading, without the need to completely change and start over as your organization grows. The backbone is there on Microsoft.
I like this product and rate it nine out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT network admin at GASCO
Secure, scalable, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange is its security."
- "Microsoft Exchange is highly stable. However, after receiving some updates it can be unstable."
What is our primary use case?
We are using Microsoft Exchange mainly for the email system for my company and other companies I work for.
What is most valuable?
One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange is its security.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Exchange for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Exchange is highly stable. However, after receiving some updates it can be unstable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Microsoft Exchange is good but it depends on the license.
We have approximately 4,000 users using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
We had to contact support from Microsoft when there was a critical update that we needed to have which fixed some issues we were having.
I rate the support from Microsoft Exchange a five out of five.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Microsoft Exchange is complex. It contains a lot of components that have to be configured perfectly together. After the installation, it works well. It took us two weeks to migrate from one release to another.
What about the implementation team?
I did the implementation of Microsoft Exchange in my company. We have a team of three people that do the maintenance and support for the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
What other advice do I have?
Many people when they upgrade their mailing system choose Microsoft Exchange.
I rate Microsoft Exchange a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Lean manager at Gazprombank
Scalable mail server solution that handles primary functionality including message delivery, archiving and calendars
Pros and Cons
- "This solution handles all of our primary functionality including email, message delivery, message archiving and calendars."
- "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."
What is our primary use case?
This solution handles all of our primary functionality including email, message delivery, message archiving and calendars.
What is most valuable?
The primary features I use are email and calendar.
What needs improvement?
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.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution. We already have over 10,000 users in Microsoft Exchange and the total size of the databases exceeds several hundred terabytes.
How are customer service and support?
In all large corporate installations, the first level of tech support is always the local support team. Only if they aren't able to handle the case, we contact tech support in Microsoft. For now, because of sanctions, this option is quite limited.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We had used IBM Notes before but it is an inferior product compared to Exchange.
How was the initial setup?
I barely had any issues with initial setup of Microsoft Exchange. It involves a few clicks on the initial setup dialogue and that's it.
What other advice do I have?
This solution is used by many large organizations and I don't know of any viable alternatives. If there are a large amount of users in an organization, Exchange is probably the best option. If there are less than 1000 users, opensource software may be a better alternative.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Client Relationship Manager at Capgemini
Reliable, scalable, and easy implementation
Pros and Cons
- "Microsoft Exchange is stable."
- "The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve, it is priced high."
What is our primary use case?
I use Microsoft Exchange for their email service for my personal use.
What needs improvement?
The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve, it is priced high.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Microsoft Exchange for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Exchange is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found Microsoft Exchange to be scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I have not contacted Microsofts technical support.
How was the initial setup?
The installation of Microsoft Exchange is easy.
What about the implementation team?
Our technical team did the implementation of the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is an annual cost to use Microsoft Exchange, and the price could be less expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Microsoft Exchange to others.
I rate Microsoft Exchange an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
General Manager - IT at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
It's a robust system that's suitable for a large enterprise environment
Pros and Cons
- "Exchange is a robust system that is well suited for an enterprise environment. It's always up, and we hardly face any technical issues. Exchange has a web interface and integrates perfectly with Microsoft Outlook. This web interface can be easily used to change the passwords from the domain controllers."
- "Microsoft needs to make some modifications to meet the current needs of the environment. For example, they need to add more cell service features because people work from home during the pandemic, and certain elements should be available as a mobile service."
What is our primary use case?
Exchange is an email solution. It is widely used in our organization.
What is most valuable?
Exchange is a robust system that is well suited for an enterprise environment. It's always up, and we hardly face any technical issues. Exchange has a web interface and integrates perfectly with Microsoft Outlook. This web interface can be easily used to change the passwords from the domain controllers.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft needs to make some modifications to meet the current needs of the environment. For example, they need to add more cell service features because people work from home during the pandemic, and certain elements should be available as a mobile service.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Exchange for many years now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Microsoft Exchange is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can scale it horizontally by adding several servers behind the load balancer if you want. We have more than 20,000 users.
How are customer service and support?
We contacted Microsoft about an issue a while back, but it was so long ago, I can't remember what the problem was.
How was the initial setup?
Installing Microsoft Exchange is straightforward. The conversion takes time, but the installation itself takes less than two hours. The total deployment time depends on what you want to do, i.e., how many servers you want to configure, the structure of your domain controllers, etc. We have four team members for deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have an enterprise agreement with a five-year contract.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Microsoft Exchange eight out of 10. Exchange has a cloud solution also, so depending on the count of users, you can decide whether to use the on-premise or cloud version.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Pleasant desktop interface, great support, and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "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"
- "The desktop version of Microsoft Exchange receives emails a little slower than the online version."
What is our primary use case?
I am using Microsoft Exchange for emails. For example, here's my email address, call me, or email me and I'll email you. I don't use it for any marketing emails.
What is most valuable?
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
What needs improvement?
The desktop version of Microsoft Exchange receives emails a little slower than the online version.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Microsoft Exchange within the last 12 months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I haven't run into any scalability problems. However, I've run into several large multinational companies that I know do run into issues, and they have to merge two separate something together.
How are customer service and support?
Microsoft support is very good. I did recently have an issue the other day. The solution was asking me for my password, and I put it in and it didn't recognize it, and I was getting really frustrated. I called Microsoft support, spoke to a person, they had me download a tool,- for data checking, and it fixed it. Whatever it did, it fixed the problem. I had a good experience.
They are responsive and helpful, if you're only one user and not their biggest customer, they still give you good support.
How was the initial setup?
I have implemented the solution for my system and it is easy. I have not done so for a company. I just download it and run it, that is all.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I have Outlook 365 Professional, and Exchange comes in the bundle with other solutions, such as Word and OneDrive. I pay for the use of the bundle monthly and I can imagine if you are a company with many licenses the pricing model would be a lot different.
What other advice do I have?
I do not see Microsoft having any competition in the market. They appear to be dominating.
I rate Microsoft Exchange a ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: August 2025
Popular Comparisons
Google Workspace
Microsoft Exchange Online
Zimbra Collaboration
Open-Xchange
KerioConnect
ProtonMail
Zoho Mail
HCL Notes
HCL Verse
OpenText GroupWise
Superhuman
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Microsoft Exchange Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- How does Zimbra Collaboration compare with Microsoft Exchange?
- When evaluating Email Applications, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?
- What should I look for when choosing an email solution for my company?
- What is the best choice for email?
- Which solution should we choose? - IceWarp, Zentyal, UCS, Collax, Scalix, Zimbra or Kollab?
- Why is Email Applications important for companies?