Open-Xchange vs SOGo (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SOGo grades higher than Open-Xchange: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Open-Xchange grades higher on ease of use. SOGo grades higher on the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
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
Pick SOGo if
- Fits if you run mail for an organisation and want webmail with shared calendars
- Works for admins who already run IMAP and database servers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to run a server, as it gives you no hosted mailbox
- Skip it if you want production builds without paying, since those need a support contract
- Watch out: support contracts are priced in euros, 500 to 7,500 a year
- Watch out: the price list is dated September 2024
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAOpen-XchangeWeak | 2.2GPASOGoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo prices are published, so there is nothing to compare. The site sends buyers to a demo. | CFree only if you host it yourself, which needs a mail server and a database. Production builds need a support contract from 500 euros a year. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free is listed. Buyers book a demo or contact sales. | CThe software is free to download, but the free route is nightly builds that the project calls untested. |
| Features | BEmail, calendar, documents, drive, tasks, encryption and an AI agent, all in one suite, with nothing missing from the mail and calendar job. | BWebmail, calendars, contacts, ActiveSync and Outlook and Thunderbird support, and the listing shows no gap in the groupware job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A provider sets it up for you, and what you get depends on who that is. | DYou install it and wire it to your own mail and database servers. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only on record, with Dovecot Pro, PowerDNS and openDesk as connections. No apps of its own listed. | BA web interface, plus ActiveSync, Outlook, Thunderbird and Apple Calendar connections. There's no desktop app of its own. |
| Best for | email platforms sold through providers | groupware you run yourself |
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: Open-Xchange and SOGo. How we grade
Where they differ
In commonWebOpen sourceSelf-hostableCalendarEmail client
At a glance
| Open-Xchange | SOGo | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Starts at | Not published | Free |
| Free plan | None | The software is free to download and run yourself, with community support through a mailing list. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Open-Xchange | Alinto |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | sogo.nu |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
SOGo
- It is software to install: you supply the mail and database servers, and it provides no hosted mailbox.
- Production-build package repositories require a paid support contract from Alinto; free users get nightly builds.
- Nightly builds are described as untested and not recommended for production use.
- Support contracts are priced in euros per year: 500, 1,500, 5,000 or 7,500, per a price list dated September 2024.
Key features
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.
SOGo
- Web interface for mail and groupware
- An AJAX-based interface for email, shared calendars and address books across an organization.
- Standards-based sync
- Supports CalDAV, CardDAV and GroupDAV, with IMAP and SMTP for mail, so many native clients can connect.
- ActiveSync for phones
- iPhone, Android and Windows Phone devices can sync email, contacts, events and tasks through Microsoft ActiveSync.
- Outlook and Thunderbird support
- Outlook works through the free CalDAV Synchronizer plugin. Thunderbird has SOGo Connector and Integrator extensions.
- Built for large deployments
- The site says SOGo has run in production with thousands of users and focuses on scalability and open standards.
- Paid support tiers
- Yearly Alinto contracts cost 500 to 7,500 euros and add production repositories, incident tickets and response times.
Plans
Open-Xchange
Pricing could not be confirmed. See ox.io.
SOGo
Community$0
Free software you host yourself, with nightly builds, mailing-list help and documentation. No official releases or bug fixes.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Open-Xchange or SOGo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Open-Xchange has no price we could confirm, and SOGo is free.
Which has a free plan, Open-Xchange or SOGo?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only SOGo has a free plan. Open-Xchange does not.
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.