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KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

GFI and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. GFI is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.5, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.2. GFI holds a 4.7% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 11.4% mindshare. Additionally, 57% of GFI users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
KerioConnect
Read 10 KerioConnect reviews
  • 1,844 Views
  • 982 Comparison Views
57% willing to recommend
Microsoft Exchange
Read 92 Microsoft Exchange reviews
  • 3,160 Views
  • 2,736 Comparison Views
93% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between KerioConnect and Microsoft Exchange based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Email Applications solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange
April 2025
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Helped 851,604 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

KerioConnect
Ranking in Email Applications
9th
Average Rating
6.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Email Archiving (8th)
Microsoft Exchange
Ranking in Email Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
92
Ranking in other categories
Wireless Email (1st), File Archiving (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of KerioConnect is 4.7%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.4%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

David Bloomer - PeerSpot reviewer
Lightweight, simple, and robust; easy to maintain and doesn't require a lot of system resources to run
Kerio Connect does as advertised, so there are no real issues with the product itself. It's developed regularly, so there are constant updates. Possibly, the support and development have lessened since they've sold the company, but as far as the product itself is concerned, there isn't anything that I would suggest needs improvement. If I'm being picky, Kerio Connect uses a proprietary, mappy atom for Outlook, and it would be nice if they used a native mappy connection instead, but that's the only additional feature that I would like to see in its next release. If they have native Outlook map integration, that would be great, but other than that, it's got all the functions that I think a mail server should have.
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Hesham Hussain - PeerSpot reviewer
A good solution for large enterprises, but is expensive when compared to other solutions
Regarding the decision of increasing the number of users, it depends on the organization's choice, whether to opt for CapEx or OpEx. Both options involve expenses over the years. Building an in-house Exchange solution requires investing in hardware, storage, connectivity, and administrative resources. Office 365 shifts the budget solely to OpEx as a subscription service. Scalability is another factor. Starting a new company favors Office 365 due to cost efficiency. As the organization grows, the choice depends on available resources and technical expertise. An internal Exchange setup is feasible with skilled engineers, while Office 365 suits those lacking in-house resources.
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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 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."
"Kerio Connect is secure, flexible, and easy to control from the user interface. It has many security features able to be controlled from one place, such as anti-spam. I have found it very convenient. Additionally, you can analyze log files and share folders which is helpful."
"What I like most about Kerio Connect is that it supports ActiveSync, and that is its most critical feature. The solution is also a nice, simple, robust, and stable mail server."
"KerioConnect has integration with 365. We can use Outlook, which has its client and can be used with Apple devices. It integrates with the App Store and Microsoft Office. It has a smart router. The spam filtering and antivirus are good."
"We have contacted technical support a handful of times and received some assistance."
"It's relatively simple to use."
"The most valuable features are its ease of use, excellent pricing, and it is platform agnostic."
"We use the solution as a mail server. It connects with Outlook and is used for calendaring and similar tasks."
More KerioConnect pros
"All of Exchange's features are valuable. For example, we can configure the MAPI profile, IM profile, or mobile profile."
"Exchange's best feature is single sign-on access using the Microsoft Identity framework."
"Microsoft Exchange has good performance and is user-friendly."
"The functionality on the user side is quite good. Exchange provides an excellent platform for collaboration between users."
"Microsoft Exchange is stable."
"Exchange has helped us with encryption."
"Microsoft Exchange is highly stable for the end-user systems. When we move to Office 365, it will be even more stable even. There's less administration required and it's very robust. We are really quite happy in using that."
"The setup was straightforward."
More Microsoft Exchange pros
 

Cons

"I would like to see better support from their support team."
"The search and archiving documentation capabilities need to be stronger."
"You cannot integrate with other services like Google Docs, Google Assistant, Google Calendar, etc."
"We are considering switching to Microsoft Exchange. One reason is that it doesn't improve our workflow and doesn't integrate well with Microsoft 365 applications."
"KerioConnect continues to improve with regular updates throughout the year. They must be added to the roadmap, which requires approval."
"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"
"KerioConnect is stable as long as you use a strong password."
"Having a native Outlook map integration would make Kerio Connect better."
More KerioConnect cons
"Microsoft Exchange is highly stable. However, after receiving some updates it can be unstable."
"The solution should be easier to deploy."
"Microsoft could improve on Exchange's hybrid deployment or HCW. They need to improve on that because I was having many issues with HCW in our environment at times."
"In terms of Microsoft Exchange, I think maybe what can be done is to make it more user-friendly."
"Microsoft Exchange could improve the price."
"They could offer simultaneous features for Exchange Online and on-premises versions. Specific features such as litigation hold and audit setups should be available on-premises."
"The security features could be improved. There should be a better policy management system."
"If it was the same product, and slightly cheaper, that would be amazing."
More Microsoft Exchange cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is about $3 per mailbox per month."
"The price of Kerio Connect is better when comparing it to others solutions."
"KerioConnect has a first-time cost and yearly subscription. It is not expensive."
"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."
"The product is quite cheap."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve. In Egypt, the price keeps increasing."
"It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise."
"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."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange is reasonable."
"There is an annual cost to use Microsoft Exchange, and the price could be less expensive."
"Licensing fees are paid monthly."
"Microsoft's licensing structure is too complex, but its prices are affordable, though not cheap."
More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Government
8%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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?
KerioConnect has a first-time cost and yearly subscription. It is not expensive.
See all answers
What needs improvement with KerioConnect?
KerioConnect continues to improve with regular updates throughout the year. They must be added to the roadmap, which requires approval. In larger organizations, the server's capabilities and the da...
See all answers
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 Microsoft Exchange?
The initial setup was straightforward and fast.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?
The licensing and pricing are quite costly, which can demotivate customers from opting for features and upgrades. However, the solution provides value for money if one is well-acquainted with Excha...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect Logo
Zimbra Collaboration vs KerioConnect
Compared 31% of the time
IceWarp vs KerioConnect Logo
IceWarp vs KerioConnect
Compared 7% of the time
Microsoft Exchange Online vs KerioConnect Logo
Microsoft Exchange Online vs KerioConnect
Compared 6% of the time
Google Workspace vs KerioConnect Logo
Google Workspace vs KerioConnect
Compared 4% of the time
More KerioConnect Competitors
Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 19% of the time
Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 13% of the time
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 12% of the time
HCL Notes vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
HCL Notes vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 9% of the time
Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange Logo
Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange
Compared 6% of the time
More Microsoft Exchange Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
KerioConnect
May 2025
KerioConnect reportDownload KerioConnect product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Exchange
May 2025
Microsoft Exchange reportDownload Microsoft Exchange product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Exchange, MS Exchange
 

Overview

Kerio Connect, a messaging and collaboration solution, meets the needs of small and mid-sized businesses while offering a robust feature lineup. Business users enjoy support for their favorite email client and easy web-based access. Kerio Connect is highly stable—so you can focus on business rather than unexpected downtime and recovery.

GFI
Built to deliver the enterprise-grade security and reliability that businesses require, Microsoft Exchange provides email, calendar and contacts on your PC, phone and web browser.
Microsoft
 

Sample Customers

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Innotta, Baustoff + Metall, Hamifleurs, Chanson TV, Ryman Stationery
Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Buyer's Guide
KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange
April 2025
Free Report: KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange
Find out what your peers are saying about KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
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See our KerioConnect vs. Microsoft Exchange report.
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