Microsoft Exchange vs ProtonMail comparison

Microsoft and Proton Technologies are both solutions in the Email Applications category. Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.9, while Proton Technologies is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.5. Microsoft holds a 10.2% mindshare in EA, compared to Proton Technologies’s 7.5% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Proton Technologies users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Exchange

Read 95 Microsoft Exchange reviews

3,631 Views
2,977 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

ProtonMail

Read 2 ProtonMail reviews

1,418 Views
1,418 Comparison Views

66% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange

ProtonMail

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Microsoft Exchange and ProtonMail 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.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail

February 2026

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Helped 881,665 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

Microsoft Exchange

Ranking in Email Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Wireless Email (2nd)

ProtonMail

Ranking in Email Applications

10th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 10.2%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ProtonMail is 7.5%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange	10.2%
ProtonMail	7.5%
Other	82.3%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

SaqibJavaid

Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan

Efficient email management with seamless integration

We previously used Microsoft Exchange but have moved to an MDN email solution due to cost and user growth Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy solution, which is beneficial for handling emails even without professional support. It is effective in managing email integration…

Read full review

reviewer68329471

Media Content Creator Intern

Trust and anonymity play a key role in secure communications

I am uncertain about the two-factor authentication feature. I have had integrations with other Proton services and have used Proton VPN once, though it has limited features. Simple Mail, which was acquired by ProtonMail, has been very useful for me. The pricing is moderate. I have not used any paid services from ProtonMail. It is not very costly, but I have not used any premium services. I am a customer of ProtonMail. I would rate ProtonMail an eight out of ten due to their transparency and the utility of their simple login feature. My job and company name should remain hidden.

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

"Internal communication stability within Exchange is ensured by the stability of the internal network which is guaranteed by default."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is its ease of use."

"The search tools are good."

"The email management system is very easy to set up, configure, and use."

"The tool's most valuable feature is associated with the fact that it stands out for being beneficial for managing emails."

"Microsoft has a very good support team."

"The initial setup is very simple."

"The availability group settings are better, so it has inherent scalability. In 2010, they added several sensible rules."

More Microsoft Exchange pros

"The auto encryption of attachments is valuable."

"What I appreciate most about ProtonMail is that they are trusted, which is why I choose them."

Cons

"I would like to see Microsoft Exchange improve their documentation."

"Microsoft Exchange could improve the archiving of emails and the performance."

"The platform could be more user-friendly."

"They could improve on the search function, it takes too much time."

"In terms of Microsoft Exchange, I think maybe what can be done is to make it more user-friendly."

"The calendar integration in Exchange is not that great. The email features are okay, but it doesn't integrate well with the calendar and appointments, especially Zoom appointments. It integrates fine with Microsoft Teams, but Zoom is a challenge."

"In terms of configuring the product, that's definitely an area in which they can make some improvements on."

"The product or service could be improved in terms of Microsoft Outlook client compatibility."

More Microsoft Exchange cons

"I think it is good but I feel that only tech-savvy people use ProtonMail. It is not that popular among other people."

"One improvement could be the integration between ProtonMail and Proton Pass, allowing sharing of specific secrets via email."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is expensive."

"We are currently using enterprise licenses for the solution. They are different pricing models available. There are individual, cloud-based, and enterprise licenses all with different pricing models. The larger the number of users, the lesser the price. For small to medium companies like us, we feel it is expensive."

"It would be nice if it used less resources to run on-premise."

"The solution's pricing is fine...I do think the tool offers value for money."

"Its price is fair."

"The platform has a reasonable price."

"Licensing fees are paid monthly."

"There are different prices depending on the customer's use cases and amount of users. The price of the solution could improve."

More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Comms Service Provider

22%

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	28
Large Enterprise	35

No data available

Questions from the Community

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...

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What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange?

The initial setup was straightforward and fast.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?

I am aware of pricing aspects, and I would say it is affordable for what it is.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ProtonMail?

The pricing is competitive, offering good value on the average plan. It’s approximately $100 for annual billing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with ProtonMail?

In terms of what can be improved in ProtonMail, I think it is good but I feel that only tech-savvy people use ProtonMail. It is not that popular among other people. Therefore, we do not use it for ...

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What is your primary use case for ProtonMail?

My use cases include using ProtonMail for Drive occasionally for storing files. After some time, I stopped using that feature. Primarily, I use it for sending emails when I want to maintain anonymi...

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Comparisons

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 21% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 13% of the time

KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 12% of the time

HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 6% of the time

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Google Workspace vs ProtonMail

Compared 27% of the time

Atomic Mail vs ProtonMail

Compared 19% of the time

Zoho Mail vs ProtonMail

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs ProtonMail

Compared 8% of the time

Superhuman vs ProtonMail

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange

January 2026

Download Microsoft Exchange product report

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

January 2026

Download ProtonMail product report

Also Known As

Exchange, MS Exchange

No data available

Overview

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

ProtonMail is the world‘s largest encrypted email provider, with over 11 million users trusting us to secure their data every day. We are the email service of choice for security-conscious enterprises.

Proton Technologies

Sample Customers

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting

Wall street journal,The New york times, The Gurdian, Forbes, Fox News

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail

February 2026

Free Report: Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Exchange vs. ProtonMail and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

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