IceWarp vs KerioConnect comparison

IceWarp and GFI are both solutions in the Email Applications category. IceWarp is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0, while GFI is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.7. IceWarp holds a 5.1% mindshare in EA, compared to GFI’s 4.0% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IceWarp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 62% of GFI users who would recommend it.

IceWarp

Read 17 IceWarp reviews

2,479 Views
1,711 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

KerioConnect

Read 11 KerioConnect reviews

1,960 Views
1,666 Comparison Views

62% willing to recommend

IceWarp

KerioConnect

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

IceWarp and KerioConnect are competing in the email and collaboration software space. While IceWarp has the upper hand in pricing and deployment, KerioConnect is seen as a more complete solution due to its robust features.

Features: IceWarp is known for its suite that offers document management, chat, and video conferencing. It supports Outlook Sync important for email synchronization, and provides good communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences. IceWarp's applications are designed to be easy for many users. KerioConnect stands out with strong security features like anti-spam and antivirus, supports ActiveSync, and can be installed on-premise for secure, private communication. It integrates with Microsoft Office and Apple devices, offering a smart router for efficient use.

Room for Improvement: IceWarp could enhance its document collaboration tools, as its Word, Excel, and PowerPoint features lag behind Microsoft and Google. It also needs to simplify its deployment process and extend archiving capabilities beyond emails. KerioConnect could improve by offering more advanced collaboration features, expanding on cloud integration, and simplifying its setup for non-technical users. Enhancements in its management interface would also be beneficial.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: KerioConnect offers an easy, straightforward deployment process backed by strong customer support, making it simple for new implementations. IceWarp, while offering a range of support options, presents a more complex deployment, which might require more time and expertise to implement effectively.

Pricing and ROI: IceWarp is attractive for its competitive pricing and long-term ROI, resulting from its cost-effective, all-in-one suite. KerioConnect, despite requiring a higher initial investment, provides value through its reliable email and security capabilities, leading to a strong ROI for those seeking a secure, stable mail server.

To learn more, read our detailed IceWarp vs. KerioConnect Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. KerioConnect

April 2026

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Helped 893,221 peers since 2012

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

IceWarp

Ranking in Email Applications

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

KerioConnect

Ranking in Email Applications

9th

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Archiving (7th)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.1%, down from 5.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KerioConnect is 4.0%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
KerioConnect	4.0%
IceWarp	5.1%
Other	90.9%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

AvinashLotke

Delivery Head at Team Computers

Useful for collaboration and storage but improvement is needed in API integration

The solution has traditional SSL integration, SAML, and Federation Services. In its latest version, it added SAML integration. However, it needs to work on API integration, especially for dashboards or integration with SAP for log and data system management. It doesn't yet have the kind of API that Google and Microsoft provide for synchronizing users with Active Directory. I think IceWarp needs to improve in a few areas. They have two types of admin consoles - a web-based one and a remote one. I'd like to see these combined into a single web-based admin console. The log reading and information system also needs improvement. The current way of showing incoming and outgoing logs isn't very clear. For new users, it's hard to understand these logs, especially compared to Office 365 and other systems with easier-to-read logs. They should also add an export option to get all logs with a single click whenever we need them.

Read full review

Marcelino Mongcal

Senior Systems Tech/Admin at Samco Software Inc.

A seamless setup ensures smooth communication with comprehensive support

We remain a partner with Sophos and use XG S Firewalls without AWS implementation. We only use Sophos endpoint and Sophos Central. We host some clients on-premise while others we host remotely. The VPN connection is easy and proprietary, so it's not open to any other VPN clients. Communication with other mail servers is seamless. It can communicate with Gmail and Outlook without issues, provided the DNS settings are correct. We monitor our servers and security logs, implementing GeoIP blocking. We frequently block China and India IPs due to brute force attacks on our servers. We have extensive experience with KerioConnect. Backing up and maintaining it is straightforward compared to Microsoft Exchange, making it administrator-friendly. On a scale of 1-10, this solution rates an 8.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has great communication capabilities for team chatting and web conferences."

"The TeamChat feature has been really good for our email management. It lets us collaborate, share files, and invite guests like Google Spaces or Microsoft Teams. I like the two-factor authentication for security. However, they need to improve their document collaboration tools, as their Word, Excel, and PowerPoint features are basic compared to Microsoft and Google."

"The most valuable feature of IceWarp is the chat rooms and file-sharing, they are useful. It is convenient that everything is in one place. You can easily share and collaborate documents, making the program's unity a significant advantage."

"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."

"Its price is the most valuable. It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."

"The solution is inexpensive which is its main benefit."

"The solution's voice services work well for our company."

"The solution has a very good log-in to the UI when compared to other solutions."

More IceWarp pros

"Kerio Connect is secure, flexible, and easy to control from the user interface."

"Backing up and maintaining it is straightforward compared to Microsoft Exchange, making it administrator-friendly."

"We have contacted technical support a handful of times and received some assistance."

"The most valuable features are security and privacy because you installed it on your server, within your company premises, not in the cloud."

"This solution is our SMB alternative to Exchange, installed for more than forty SMB customers in a Linux environment with all of the collaboration features."

"It's relatively simple to use."

"We have contacted technical support a handful of times and received some assistance."

"The solution is easy to maintain, unlike Exchange. It's easy to create multiple domains and back up and restore if needed. It also has good security features like anti-spam and antivirus."

More KerioConnect pros

Cons

"The Exchange compatibility mode is rather limited."

"The exchange compatibility mode is rather limited. Their technical support can also be better. They only provide online support, and there should be some option for escalating."

"Although the documentation is extensive and in depth, you must familiarize yourself with it before taking full advantage of the product."

"It is difficult to disable user rights on the console so some users accidentally delete their documents or user details."

"I would like to have a trial for mobile applications and more documentation similar to Google Drive with mobile applications."

"Support should be improved. Most of the time, the queries are not resolved within the SLA."

"There are some feature improvements possible the way we use it as a hosting provider, but for most we currently have workarounds."

More IceWarp cons

"Most of our clients use Outlook and Kerio Connect. Occasionally, Kerio can be a bit slow."

"Having a native Outlook map integration would make Kerio Connect better."

"The solution could improve the redundancy because we only have one copy of the Kerio Connect server on our hardware."

"The solution could improve the redundancy because we only have one copy of the Kerio Connect server on our hardware. The next step for us is to move to the cloud and if Kerio does not have a cloud version available they should release one"

"Most of our clients use Outlook and Kerio Connect. Occasionally, Kerio can be a bit slow."

"You cannot integrate with other services like Google Docs, Google Assistant, Google Calendar, etc."

"KerioConnect continues to improve with regular updates throughout the year. They must be added to the roadmap, which requires approval."

"KerioConnect is stable as long as you use a strong password."

More KerioConnect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the pricing and eight out of ten."

"Price-wise, it's a cheaper solution, without a doubt. Price is the reason we are still using the tool."

"The solution is priced well."

"The license is based on the number of users."

"There are various licensing plans available based on geographic zone."

"I don't see any challenges for the Indian market. For example, 1 GB is available for around 399 INR, and 2 GB for 499 INR. They offer a range of plans, from basic to professional and enterprise, with multiple features. IceWarp's aggressive pricing is competitive compared to other market solutions like Zoho and Microsoft. One significant advantage is that IceWarp does not impose user capping like Google and Microsoft, which allows for substantial cost savings and flexibility in user conversion."

"Pricing and licensing is very competitive and in some cases, cheap."

"Our licensing is on a yearly basis. There were no additional costs."

More IceWarp pricing and cost advice

"The price of Kerio Connect is better when comparing it to others solutions."

"The pricing is about $3 per mailbox per month."

"The solution's pricing depends on how long you plan to keep it because you pay on a per-year basis. You might have a one-time setup cost for something like Microsoft Exchange or a Linux mail server. I'd say this solution is expensive on a per-year basis, almost 2000-3000 dollars annually. It doesn't seem to pay off yet, so we're considering switching to another product."

"KerioConnect has a first-time cost and yearly subscription. It is not expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

14%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Performing Arts

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IceWarp?

IceWarp was very cost-effective, offering services at a significantly lower cost than Google, which was appealing for our organization.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IceWarp?

The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management. Users currently have the rights to delete smart documents, which poses a challenge for administrators. A mor...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IceWarp?

We managed approximately one thousand user accounts with IceWarp for company communications. We utilized features such as smart attachments and document solutions. Our setup was primarily on-premis...

See all answers

What do you like most about KerioConnect?

The most valuable features are security and privacy because you installed it on your server, within your company premises, not in the cloud.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for KerioConnect?

The pricing is very easy to understand. As a partner, we have a monitoring system that informs us when subscriptions expire, allowing us to handle renewals. The pricing is very competitive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with KerioConnect?

Since KerioConnect is a setup and go solution, everything works on its own. The only administrative tasks required are keeping it up to date, monitoring security logs, and ensuring protection from ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Zoho Mail vs IceWarp

Compared 12% of the time

Google Workspace vs IceWarp

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs IceWarp

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs IceWarp

Compared 8% of the time

Fortra's Clearswift Secure Email Gateway vs IceWarp

Compared 5% of the time

More IceWarp Competitors

Microsoft Exchange vs KerioConnect

Compared 25% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect

Compared 14% of the time

Open-Xchange vs KerioConnect

Compared 9% of the time

ProtonMail vs KerioConnect

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs KerioConnect

Compared 7% of the time

More KerioConnect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp

April 2026

Download IceWarp product report

Buyer's Guide

KerioConnect

April 2026

Download KerioConnect product report

Overview

IceWarp is a comprehensive communication platform featuring email server capabilities, cross-platform communication, conferencing, and collaboration to enhance team productivity.

Effective for managing substantial user accounts, IceWarp combines a unified interface with features such as chat rooms and file-sharing to optimize email communications and collaboration on both on-premises and cloud setups. Integrated with platforms like AWS and Outlook, its flexible plans cater to diverse storage needs, particularly in regions where space management is critical. IceWarp's strengths lie in TeamChat for enhanced email management, task assignment, and security via two-factor authentication with significant benefits in cost savings and smart document management.

What are IceWarp's most important features?

Email Server Capabilities: Provides reliable, secure email services.
Cross-platform Communication: Facilitates seamless interaction across devices.
Unified Interface: Offers a cohesive platform for chat rooms and file-sharing.
Outlook Sync: Ensures seamless integration with Outlook for convenient access.
TeamChat: Enhances email management and adds task assignment features.
Conferencing: Enables effective collaboration through audio and video conferencing.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Cost Savings: Reduces expenses with streamlined communication tools.
Ease of Management: Simplifies administration with a unified interface.
Enhanced Collaboration: Improves teamwork with real-time document sharing.
Security: Offers two-factor authentication for added data protection.

In industries like customer service and communications, IceWarp is often implemented to handle large-scale email management and collaboration. Its ability to integrate well with on-premises and cloud infrastructures, including major platforms like AWS and Outlook, makes it suitable for organizations with diverse storage requirements. Companies utilize IceWarp's conferencing and file-sharing capabilities to enhance remote communications and collaboration.

IceWarp

KerioConnect delivers easy-to-use and secure email, calendar, and collaboration tools compatible with Office, Apple, and ActiveSync. Cost-effective and flexible, it suits on-premise installations, especially for SMBs seeking privacy and security.

KerioConnect offers a comprehensive email server experience with minimal resource needs and effective spam filtering. Compatible across platforms, it supports Outlook, enabling organizations to manage corporate communications efficiently. Its ability to host multiple domains makes it suitable for sectors like warehouse distribution and retail, with installation options that enhance security and privacy. However, faster Outlook integration, improved MS Teams and CRM system integration, and AI functionalities are sought after by users. Some demand a cloud version, Linux support, and better documentation. Still, KerioConnect remains a reliable choice for those needing on-premise capabilities.

What are KerioConnect's Key Features?

Ease of Use: Simplified interface for seamless navigation.
Robust Security: Advanced protection measures to safeguard data.
Spam Filtering: Efficiently reduces unwanted emails.
Platform Compatibility: Integrates with Office, Apple, and ActiveSync.
Log Analysis: Offers detailed insights for server management.
Multiple Domain Support: Manages diverse domains with ease.

What Benefits Should Users Expect?

Cost Efficiency: Lowers operational costs compared to alternatives.
Resource Minimization: Requires minimal system resources.
Deployment Flexibility: Allows tailored on-premise installations.
Enhanced Security: Provides privacy through internal hosting options.
Reliable Support: Access to reseller services from Sophos.

KerioConnect is widely utilized in SMBs across sectors like retail and warehouse distribution for its capability to handle multiple domains and integrate with Outlook for communication management. Resellers offer it as a dependable on-site email management solution, letting businesses maintain oversight and security control.

GFI

Sample Customers

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Innotta, Baustoff + Metall, Hamifleurs, Chanson TV, Ryman Stationery

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. KerioConnect

April 2026

Free Report: IceWarp vs. KerioConnect

Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. KerioConnect and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.

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