Zimbra Mail is an email server and web client developed by Zimbra, Inc., which was later acquired by Synacor. It provides email, calendar, contacts, and other collaboration features. Zimbra Mail offers both an open-source version (Zimbra Open Source Edition) and a commercial version (Zimbra Network Edition) tailored for businesses, organizations, and service providers.
Overall, Zimbra Mail aims to provide a comprehensive and user-friendly email and collaboration platform suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Zimbra vs Microsoft Exchange:
Zimbra and Microsoft Exchange are both popular email and collaboration platforms used by businesses and organizations, but they have some differences in terms of features, licensing models, and target markets
In general, Zimbra is a product with open-source support, it has the ability to integrate with third-party APIs allowing for scalability and customization. Meanwhile, Microsoft Exchange is a product closely tied to the Microsoft ecosystem, providing seamless integration with Microsoft products.
Have fun with zimbra !
Zimbra Mail seems like a versatile and practical solution for businesses of all sizes. The fact that it offers both open-source and commercial versions is impressive—it caters to a wide range of needs. I wonder if the open-source version has any significant limitations compared to the commercial one. The inclusion of calendar and contact features makes it a one-stop platform for collaboration, which is super convenient. It’s great to see a tool that focuses on being user-friendly while still being comprehensive. How does Zimbra Mail compare to other email servers like Microsoft Exchange or Google Workspace? I’d love to hear more about its specific advantages for small businesses versus large enterprises. What’s your experience with it?
Zimbra Open Source Edition
✅ Free.
✅ Includes email, contacts, calendar, IMAP/POP3/SMTP, webmail.
❌ No official Zimbra technical support (community only).
❌ Missing some advanced features: ActiveSync (mobile sync), integrated backup/restore, advanced spam protection, and multi-domain LDAP integration.
🔸 Zimbra Network Edition (Commercial):
✅ Includes all the features of the open-source version.
✅ Adds ActiveSync, Outlook support, real-time backup/restore, better administrative permissions.
✅ Genuine technical support.
❗ License fee per mailbox (usually calculated annually).
I find Zimbra is very suitable for:
Organizations that want to control their own email data (such as banks, government agencies).
Small and medium-sized businesses with basic technical staff.
Teams that need email + calendar + contacts + file storage but do not need Google Drive or Microsoft Teams.
However:
Zimbra can be more complicated to maintain and secure, especially if not using the commercial version.
If you want tight integration with Office (Outlook, Teams, OneDrive), Exchange Online has the advantage.
If you prioritize simplicity, cloud, low maintenance → Google Workspace is a good choice.