IceWarp vs Open-Xchange (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, IceWarp grades higher than Open-Xchange: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
IceWarp grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
IceWarp
Business email, chat, files and meetings, cloud or self-hosted
Which one is for you
Pick IceWarp if
- Fits if you want mail, chat and files for a small team at a few dollars a head
- Works for teams who might want to host it themselves later
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan, as there is only a 30-day trial
- Tight if you need ActiveSync or document editing, as Core doesn't include them
- Skip it if you need booking or webinar mode, which are Business only
- Watch out: self-hosted licence prices were not readable, so only cloud prices are listed
- Watch out: the pricing page offers a trial and sales contact, not a card checkout
Pick Open-Xchange if
- Fits if you are a hosting provider that wants a branded mail platform
- Works for a public body that wants to run mail on its own servers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you are one person or a small team, as the site is aimed at providers and the public sector
- Skip it if you want a price before talking to someone
- Not for you if you want a free plan or a trial
- Watch out: the public-sector page says it's most often installed on-premise
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAIceWarpGood | 1.8GPAOpen-XchangeWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BCore is $1.35 a user a month billed yearly, below 60% of the cheapest paid email quarter. But 2 GB of mail and no ActiveSync; Essential is $2.25 and Business $4.05, so a B. | CNo prices are published, so there is nothing to compare. The site sends buyers to a demo. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free 30-day trial with no credit card, and no free plan after it. | FNothing free is listed. Buyers book a demo or contact sales. |
| Features | BMail, calendar, chat, conferencing, documents and mobile sync across the tiers. Booking and webinar mode need Business. | BEmail, calendar, documents, drive, tasks, encryption and an AI agent, all in one suite, with nothing missing from the mail and calendar job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It needs accounts and users set up, and a self-hosted route exists, which keeps it at C. | CNo store rating on record. A provider sets it up for you, and what you get depends on who that is. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android apps, plus ActiveSync. The only integration listed is ChatGPT. | CWeb only on record, with Dovecot Pro, PowerDNS and openDesk as connections. No apps of its own listed. |
| Best for | business email with chat, files and video at $1.35 a user | email platforms sold through providers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: IceWarp and Open-Xchange. How we grade
Where they differ
- Open-Xchange is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- IceWarp also covers team chat, video calls and file sharing.
At a glance
| IceWarp | Open-Xchange | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $1.50 per user / month, billed monthly ($1.35 billed annually) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | Free 30-day trial, no credit card needed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | IceWarp | Open-Xchange |
| Price read from | icewarp.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
IceWarp
- Self-hosted licenses are priced per user per year; those amounts were not readable, so only cloud prices are listed.
- Booking and webinar mode require the Business tier.
- The pricing page offers the free trial and sales contact, not a self-serve card checkout.
Open-Xchange
- No prices are published; the site directs buyers to book a demo or contact sales.
- The site markets to service providers and the public sector, not individuals or small teams.
- The public-sector page says it is most commonly deployed on-premise.
- OX App Suite is described as open source, but Dovecot Pro, a related product, is a commercial edition.
Key features
IceWarp
- Email and calendar
- Email server with calendar, contacts, notes and tasks, plus anti-virus and anti-spam.
- Chat and TeamChat
- Chat is in every tier, and Essential adds TeamChat for real-time team messaging.
- Conferencing
- Essential adds video conferencing with recording; Business adds webinar mode.
- Documents
- Collaborative document editing arrives in Essential.
- Mobile sync
- Mobile app on every tier and Exchange ActiveSync sync starting with Essential.
- Desktop and mobile apps
- The site lists Windows and Mac desktop apps and iOS and Android apps.
Open-Xchange
- Email and calendar
- A browser interface for email and calendar that the vendor says works the same on desktop, tablet and mobile.
- Documents, drive and tasks
- Text documents, spreadsheets and presentations in the browser, cloud storage tied to email, and personal and shared tasks.
- AI agent
- An integrated agent can write emails, schedule appointments, and search, summarize and organize messages, contacts and files.
- White-label for providers
- Service providers can brand the platform, bundle features and sell tiers, add-ons and upgrades to their own customers.
- Deployment choices
- Install on-premise, in a public cloud, or use the managed OX Cloud service.
- OX Guard encryption
- OX Guard provides encrypted email for sensitive communication, which the vendor pitches to regulated professions.
Plans
IceWarp
Core$1.35
per user / month, billed annually ($1.50 billed monthly)
2 GB email and 4 GB total storage per user, calendar, chat, files, notes and tasks.
Essential$2.25
per user / month, billed annually ($2.50 billed monthly)
Adds 50 GB mail and 1 TB storage, document editing, conferencing and ActiveSync.
Business$4.05
per user / month, billed annually ($4.50 billed monthly)
Adds 200 GB mail storage, booking and webinar mode.
Open-Xchange
Pricing could not be confirmed. See ox.io.
Ways to pay less
IceWarp
- Annual discount
Annual billing lowers the per-user price
Core is $1.35 per user / month billed annually versus $1.50 monthly, Essential $2.25 versus $2.50, Business $4.05 versus $4.50.
Open-Xchange
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, IceWarp or Open-Xchange?
As of Nov 13, 2026, IceWarp starts at $1.50 per user / month, billed monthly ($1.35 billed annually), and Open-Xchange has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, IceWarp or Open-Xchange?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither IceWarp nor Open-Xchange has a free plan. IceWarp has a free trial.
Which platforms do IceWarp and Open-Xchange run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only IceWarp lists macOS, Windows, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.