IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

IceWarp and Zimbra are both solutions in the Email Applications category. IceWarp is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.3, while Zimbra is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. IceWarp holds a 5.2% mindshare in EA, compared to Zimbra’s 8.5% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IceWarp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

IceWarp

Read 17 IceWarp reviews

2,512 Views
2,035 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 29 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

2,523 Views
2,397 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IceWarp

Zimbra Collaboration

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Zimbra Collaboration and IceWarp compete in the collaborative software market. IceWarp appeals with its extensive feature set, while Zimbra attracts those looking for competitive pricing and support.

Features: Zimbra Collaboration is known for its comprehensive email and calendaring features with effective platform integration. The system is designed with real-time control through its management console, offering premium features like mobile management and seamless synchronization. It's valued for its open-source nature and customizable options, facilitating robust collaboration features. IceWarp provides strong email capabilities and an all-encompassing suite boasting instant messaging and video conferencing, alongside tools for smart document management and team chat features that enable file sharing and real-time collaboration.

Room for Improvement: Zimbra could enhance ease of use for non-technical users, improve its two-factor authentication system, and offer better document collaboration tools compared to cloud giants like Microsoft and Google. IceWarp faces challenges with the advancement of its document management tools, needs more comprehensive smart document archiving features, and could benefit from providing more extensive customization options beyond current implementations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Zimbra stands out with its open-source platform that supports scalability and benefits from a community-driven support mechanism. Its deployment is straightforward with comprehensive documentation. IceWarp offers a flexible deployment process with typically faster setup periods, complemented by professional customer service that assists with configuration and troubleshooting needs.

Pricing and ROI: Zimbra offers lower initial setup costs, appealing to budget-conscious buyers seeking quick ROI while maintaining high functionality standards. It provides an affordable alternative for organizations mindful of software expenses. IceWarp may involve higher initial investments, yet its extensive feature set is designed to provide substantial long-term ROI for businesses that value integrated communication solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

July 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

IceWarp

Ranking in Email Applications

6th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zimbra Collaboration

Ranking in Email Applications

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of IceWarp is 5.2%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zimbra Collaboration is 8.5%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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.

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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

"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."

"IceWarp has multiple applications that are easy to use for many people."

"The product is used very extensively in my company since we have around 1,500 users using it. Also, there is no requirement for any administrators to manage the product by the people who own the solution."

"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."

"It's scalable and stable."

"An effective, functional, very good tool for controlling resources."

More IceWarp pros

"The configuration is simple."

"The most valuable feature is sending messages as well as text and documents. It's a big solution for us since internal communication is a must in our organization."

"Zimbra Collaboration's best feature is its compatibility with Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol, which allows users to use Outlook on Windows or MacOS."

"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."

"One of the premium features was customized rooms tailored to the collaboration needs. Many of the clients customize features such as organization logos and scanners."

"A lot of other products like Microsoft Exchange offer email or collaboration features, but they are not as fast as Zimbra."

"Zimbra Collaboration's sharing features are most valuable."

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

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

"With multiple databases for VOIP, chat and web IMAP, maintenance is cumbersome."

"The tool's configuration capabilities are not straightforward. Apart from that, if I want to archive emails into a vault so that they can be retrieved again later, the integration doesn't work, and IceWarp crashes."

"The solution needs improvements in security, particularly regarding document management."

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

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

"Our customers sometimes have problems receiving mail."

"The solution should improve the mailing list feature. Google has a similar feature where you can automate sending files to different people in a sequence, but that feature is no longer available in the current version of IceWarp. Other features may also have been removed in the current version."

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

More IceWarp cons

"The solution’s forums don't have much information or documentation on administration tasks."

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

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

"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."

"The installation is not straightforward, it can take two days for the full implementation."

"The tool should improve its multi-cloud feature."

"Some issues cause the solution not to function correctly or to cause downtime once a month."

"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."

More Zimbra Collaboration cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"It is definitely one of the lowest price solutions."

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

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

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

"The solution is priced well."

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

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

More IceWarp pricing and cost advice

"Zimbra Collaboration is expensive, and there is no perpetual license option."

"We do not pay for licenses to use this solution."

"It's very expensive. When we compare the cost with Google Workspace, it's so expensive."

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

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

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

"The price of the solution is low."

"We are using perpetual licenses. We have deployed it in our local data center, and we buy perpetual licenses on a per-user basis."

More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Insurance Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Energy/Utilities Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IceWarp?

It's scalable and stable.

See all answers

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...

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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...

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

Comparisons

Zoho Mail vs IceWarp

Compared 31% of the time

Google Workspace vs IceWarp

Compared 16% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs IceWarp

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs IceWarp

Compared 9% of the time

KerioConnect vs IceWarp

Compared 7% of the time

More IceWarp Competitors

Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 26% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 21% of the time

KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 8% of the time

Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 7% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IceWarp

August 2025

Download IceWarp product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

July 2025

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

Overview

IceWarp helps thousands of organizations streamline all areas of business communication and become more profitable by providing Mail Server complete with GroupWare, Calendaring and Document Management, accessible through an intuitive WebClient, simple to setup in WebAdmin. Customize with add-ons: spam and virus protection, Instant Messaging with video calls, mobile sync and more.

IceWarp

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

Marriott, Toyota, Sony, Wendy's, Canon

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

IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

July 2025

Free Report: IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration

Find out what your peers are saying about IceWarp vs. Zimbra Collaboration and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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