The Zimbra Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Zimbra in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Zimbra
The Insider’s Guide
Self-hosted email, calendar and file sharing for organizations
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from Zimbra’s own pages.
Made by Synacor · checked Nov 12, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Zimbra’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Zimbra’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 12, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
Zimbra is an email and collaboration suite by Synacor that covers mail, calendar, contacts, tasks and file sharing. Organizations run it on their own servers, in a cloud, or through a hosting partner. The server's source code is published under GPLv2, but current releases need a paid license.
To get you started, here are 5 things to know about Zimbra, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 2
Mail, calendar and contacts
A web client with advanced and attachment search, personal and global address lists, group and resource scheduling, and tasks.
- 3
Two editions
Zimbra Daffodil (v10) needs a license, sold as Professional or Standard. Professional has additional features over Standard.
- 4
Desktop and mobile access
Zimbra Desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux, a Connector for Outlook on Windows, and ActiveSync on iOS and Android.
- 5
Keep it
To replace Zimbra you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Zimbra at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Synacor
- Category
- Email Apps
Good to know
Good for
- Companies and schools that need to keep email on servers they control
- Hosting providers offering white-labeled email to customers
- Teams moving off Microsoft Exchange who want Outlook compatibility
Worth knowing
- Pricing is not published; Zimbra is licensed, and renewals go through an account manager.
- The FAQ calls the Open Source Edition end of life, with no updates or support.
- Features such as backup and restore, Zimbra Office and large-scale mobile sync need the commercial license.
- Chat and real-time collaboration are protected in transit only, not end-to-end encrypted.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Zimbra's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
We could not confirm Zimbra’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. zimbra.com has them.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Self-hosted email, calendar and file sharing for organizations. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: open source, self-hostable, tasks, calendar, email client.
- Mail, calendar and contacts
- A web client with advanced and attachment search, personal and global address lists, group and resource scheduling, and tasks.
- Two editions
- Zimbra Daffodil (v10) needs a license, sold as Professional or Standard. Professional has additional features over Standard.
- Desktop and mobile access
- Zimbra Desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux, a Connector for Outlook on Windows, and ActiveSync on iOS and Android.
- Standards-based clients
- Works with IMAP, POP, CalDAV and CardDAV, so Thunderbird, Apple Mail and similar clients can connect.
- Security and admin controls
- Built-in anti-spam and antivirus, two-factor sign-in, LDAP or Active Directory, SAML sign-in and delegated administration.
- Deployment options
- Install on your own servers, run it in the cloud on AWS or OCI, or use a hosting partner, with multiple domains per install.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- Microsoft Outlook
- Thunderbird
- Slack
- Zoom
- Google Drive
- OneDrive
- Dropbox
Zimbra is made by Synacor.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
We do not grade enough email apps yet to say where Zimbra stands among them.
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Zimbra you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Zimbra is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
What you could make
- Calendar and tasks: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird and Slack among them.
- What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: single sign-on.
- Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
What this rests on. Zimbra’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Roundcube, mailbox, Zoho Mail, Fastmail and Microsoft Outlook
The 5 tools Zimbra is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.0GPA
Roundcube
Free
Free open-source webmail client you host yourself.
- Roundcube has a free plan. Zimbra does not.
- Only Zimbra lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Zimbra also covers tasks and calendar.
- 2.6GPA
mailbox
Free trial · from €1/mo
Paid, ad-free email with cloud storage and office tools from Germany.
- Only Zimbra lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- Zimbra is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- mailbox is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 3.2GPA
Zoho Mail
Free plan · from $1/mo
Ad-free business email hosting with calendar, tasks and notes.
- Zoho Mail has a free plan. Zimbra does not.
- Zimbra is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- 2.8GPA
Fastmail
Free trial · from $3/mo
Paid, ad-free email with calendar, contacts and custom domains.
- Zimbra is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Zimbra also covers tasks.
- 3.6GPA
Microsoft Outlook
Free plan · from $1.99/mo
Microsoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web.
- Microsoft Outlook has a free plan. Zimbra does not.
- Only Zimbra lists a Linux app.
- Zimbra is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
7
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Zimbra free?
No. Zimbra is a paid product.
What platforms does Zimbra work on?
Zimbra is available on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
Is Zimbra open source?
Yes. Zimbra is open source, according to its own site.
What does Zimbra integrate with?
Zimbra's listing names Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, Slack, Zoom, Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox.
Who makes Zimbra?
Zimbra is made by Synacor.
What are the alternatives to Zimbra?
The closest alternatives to Zimbra in our directory are Roundcube, mailbox, Zoho Mail, Fastmail and Microsoft Outlook.
Could I make my own version of Zimbra?
To replace Zimbra you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Zimbra’s own pages on Nov 12, 2026.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Synacor. Prices change, so check zimbra.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Zimbra, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/zimbra
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Zimbra: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 12, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/zimbra
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/zimbra/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after Zimbra, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 126 email apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft Outlook Insider's GuideMicrosoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web3.6 GPA
- AOL Mail Insider's GuideFree webmail with news and weather in a companion mobile app3.2 GPA
- BlueMail Insider's GuideCross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Zimbra’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Zimbra is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Synacor. Prices and plans change: check zimbra.com before you buy.