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AppRiver Email Security vs Cisco Secure Email comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 3, 2024

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

AppRiver Email Security
Ranking in Email Security
38th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Cisco Secure Email
Ranking in Email Security
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
63
Ranking in other categories
Cisco Security Portfolio (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Email Security category, the mindshare of AppRiver Email Security is 0.7%, down from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cisco Secure Email is 4.5%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Security Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Cisco Secure Email4.5%
AppRiver Email Security0.7%
Other94.8%
Email Security
 

Featured Reviews

John Zupancic - PeerSpot reviewer
Vice President / Branch Manager / Senior Technician at Aperion Information Technologies, Inc.
Pricing that is competitive, excellent technical support, and email security
They do a better job of distinguishing between what's real and what's not than most of the other solutions we've tried. They are very easy to use. We don't have as many problems with email security. They have some areas that could be improved. For example, we also use Zix email Encryption for email encryption, which was clunky and could be improved, but the email security itself has been excellent.
KS
Technical Associate Network Security at Valuepoint Systems
Email security has protected financial data and provides clear tracking for every branch message
The areas of Cisco Secure Email that could be improved or enhanced are the slowness in the console. I don't think it was a database error or something, but we feel some slowness in configuring DLP and other content filters compared to other consoles. It may have been due to on-premises, but it was much noisy at some times while configuring DLP. When we tried to configure a DLP policy, the console became much slower. In that case, we cannot see what had happened in the mail which was blocked at that time. It may take nearly an hour to get back to normal while configuring policies. That is the major issue in the product.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"They are very easy to use."
"It's easy to use and user-friendly. Users can also easily release spam emails."
"They do a better job of distinguishing between what's real and what's not than most of the other solutions we've tried."
"From a functionality perspective, the platform is great."
"It's definitely worth looking at Cisco's cloud email security offering; it's surprisingly simple to get going with, it really is easier to use than the on-prem because of everything they have built into it, and it is surprisingly cost-effective."
"You are never secure without some solution from Cisco."
"This solution provides some benefits, like comfortable access to TAC support. You get prompt support when working directly with Cisco."
"The system enables end users to manage their own whitelists/blacklists."
"Cisco's Secure Email integrates with Cisco Firewalls, utilizing the AMP as their anti-malware engine, which allows for information sharing between devices."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"The most valuable features of the Cisco ESA have to do with the intelligence they provide us, as they respond quickly to any phishing attacks and threats on the system."
 

Cons

"Technical support is no longer as good as it once was."
"Email security checks contain a small number of false positives."
"It needs to make sure that the application is up to date with new attacks. They should also send us the demo or introductions for their new incoming features."
"Licensing is quite complicated for a number of customers, including ourselves."
"Having Cisco Email Security as a standalone solution is not good enough. It needs to be combined with another solution."
"The graphical user interface is not user-friendly like other vendors. I find it very difficult at times to find some options on the UI."
"One of the things that Cisco could improve on with IronPort is the support."
"The hardware is not up to the mark. Two to three times a year we have complete downtime."
"We didn't get any malware, but a few phishing emails, maybe one or two, slipped in."
"I am not satisfied with the solution's reporting and logging."
"It is not user-friendly, and it is quite complicated. So, it should be more user-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They're fairly inexpensive, but they're right in the ballpark of most of the other online products like that."
"I can rate it five out of ten because there are different platforms that also offer the same services for lower prices. But AppRiver is more flexible."
"Cisco Secure Email is more expensive than other products. I rate it a five out of ten. There are no additional costs. You only need to pay the subscription amounts."
"The pricing is good."
"In my previous organization, avoiding four instances of CryptoLocker within an estimated six month period is approximately $600,000 in lost time and effort. Our five year cost was about a million dollars, and the four outages that we had equated to 65 percent of that five year cost."
"It is expensive. I would rate it 2 out of 10, where 1 is the most expensive and 10 is the cheapest."
"As per market availability, this solution is more expensive than other vendors."
"It is a relatively expensive option compared to other alternatives."
"Licensing costs depend on how many users there are. It could range between $5 and $7 per month, per user."
"I would rate the pricing a ten out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Retailer
9%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise27
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco Secure Email?
The pricing structure is good as it is user-based or email client-based, which is positive for clients.
What needs improvement with Cisco Secure Email?
The areas of Cisco Secure Email that could be improved or enhanced are the slowness in the console. I don't think it was a database error or something, but we feel some slowness in configuring DLP ...
What is your primary use case for Cisco Secure Email?
We are using Cisco Secure Email to monitor the outgoing and incoming mail traffic in our financial institute. We have nearly 900 branches all over India. We have an on-premises mail server in which...
 

Also Known As

AppRiver Advanced Email Security
Cisco Email Security, IronPort, Cisco Email Security, ESA, Email Security Appliances
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

IHMC
SUNY Old Westbury, CoxHealth, City of Fullerton, Indra
Find out what your peers are saying about AppRiver Email Security vs. Cisco Secure Email and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.