Best Hosted Exchange Based on In-Depth Reviews
- 200+Hours of research
- 40+Sources used
- 14Companies vetted
- 4Features reviewed
- 6Top
Picks
- Hosted exchange reduces businesses' need for physical servers.
- Service organizes, sorts, and archives email communications.
- Software includes anti-spam and anti-virus email protections.
- Choose services that provide around-the-clock tech support.
How we analyzed the best Hosted Exchange Providers
Our Top Picks: Hosted Exchange Reviews
Not long ago, small and medium businesses relied on dedicated in-house servers to host email functions. Servers that managed Outlook integrations were costly and required specialized hardware and tech support to keep them functioning properly.
Nowadays, stronger and faster internet connections mean that services requiring physical tech can be transferred into the web. Startups and small companies opt to reduce their operating costs and optimize their footprint by outsourcing many of their data management needs to cloud and remote hosted services.
By hosting data-heavy operations with software-as-a-service providers, companies can operate with fewer resources, enhanced mobility, and save substantial money.
Office 365 Exchange review
Screenshot Microsoft.com, October 2020
Plans and Features
Microsoft offers four plan options for hosted exchange, all with annual commitments: the Exchange Online (Plan 1) for $4 per user/month, the Exchange Online (Plan 2) for $8 user/month, the Microsoft 365 Business Standard for $12.50 per user/month, and the Microsoft 365 Business Premium for $20 per user/month. Users may also choose to subscribe to Microsoft 365’s full set of applications for $8.25 per user/month. Both the Business Standard and Business Premium plans offer a 30-day free trial.
The Exchange Online (Plan 1) includes 50 GB of mailbox storage for each user and supports email attachments of up to 150MB. Users can choose to connect supported Outlook versions to Exchange Online or choose direct web-client access with Outlook through a browser-based version. A feature called “focused inbox” sorts your emails to show you what’s most important first. Old messages can be set to move to the archive automatically.
The hosted exchange software allows users to share and compare calendars with others to schedule meetings, create groups, conference rooms, and access address lists, external contacts, tasks, and delegation capabilities. All mailboxes are protected with anti-malware and anti-spam protection.
Other Plans
For those in need of further integration, Exchange Online (Plan 2) offers all the previous plan features plus full downloadable versions of the Office Suite apps, 1 TB of storage, file sharing, and video conferencing. Each user gets 100 GB of mailbox storage plus unlimited archive storage. A hosted Unified Messaging service is available, including an automated attendant to answer calls and a dial-in user interface. The plan includes built-in data loss prevention (DLP) policies to protect sensitive data through deep content analysis.
The Microsoft 365 Business Standard plan includes all the features on previous plans and email hosting with a 50 GB mailbox and a custom email domain address. This plan allows users to create chat-based workspaces, host unlimited online meetings, and video conferencing for up to 250 people through Microsoft Teams. Customers may also schedule appointments using Microsoft Bookings and communicate with up to 300 company members through Yammer.
The Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes all the Business Standard plan features plus Intune, for PC and mobile device management, and Azure Information Protection for advanced threat protection. Microsoft guarantees 99.9% uptime and offers 24/7 phone and web support.
Rackspace review
Screenshot Rackspace.com, October 2020
Plans and Features
Rackspace offers two plans: Hosted Exchange for $10.99 per user/month and Rackspace Email for $2.88 per user/month. Businesses may combine both plans to provide all their team members with a Rackspace hosted email account without incurring the higher cost of having full access to the Hosted Exchange plan's features. A short-term, six-month contract is available, although longer contracts will reduce the monthly cost. The service offers a 14-day free trial.
The Hosted Exchange plan includes 100GB Mailboxes (25GB on Rackspace Email); Instant Messaging (Webmail Only on Rackspace Email); shared calendaring, contacts and distribution lists; scheduling assistant; Outlook desktop app, mobile and webmail access; real-time Outlook, OWA & mobile synchronization; anti-spam and antivirus services; and server migration support.
Support
Rackspace is a Microsoft Gold partner that provides award-winning support and has been named hosting partner of the year five times. The service offers around the clock support through phone, email, or chat and has an SLA of 100% uptime guarantee. Subscribers have access to a dedicated hosting control panel from which to access chat support, knowledge base, as well as how-to videos. The service also offers an email setup wizard and help center, as well as migration assistance.
Customized Hosting
For larger companies, Rackspace offers Exchange hosting and design of custom-built single-tenant servers. Custom exchange hosting is compatible with Active Directory, Outlook plug-ins, and other business systems, including (CRM) software.
Sherweb review
Screenshot Sherweb.com, October 2020
Plans and Features
Sherweb offers four hosted exchange plans: Web Only, for $4.45 per user/month, Exchange for $8.95 per user/month, Exchange Plus for $9.85 per user/month, and Microsoft 365 Business for $21.95 per user/month. All of these are offered with no minimum number of mailboxes required for service.
All the plans include Outlook web app, document, calendar and contact sharing, remote wipe for lost devices, mobile device sync (except on the Web Only plan), migration and onboarding by a specialized team, and year-round 24/7 support via phone, email, or chat. The hosted exchange plans are backed by a 99.999% guaranteed uptime SLA, antivirus, and configurable anti-spam filtering, as well as enterprise-grade infrastructure and security. Office apps are included only on the Microsoft 365 Business plan.
Additional Services
Users may choose to add Skype for Business for $4.95 for the standard service and $7.95 for Enterprise. Email archiving costs $3 per user/month, and email encryption costs $4.95 per user/month. If choosing the Microsoft 365 Business plan, all of these extras will be already included in the price.
Mailbox and Email Functionality
Regarding mailbox size, the Web Only plan offers 2GB per user, and the Microsoft 365 Business plan offers 50GB per user, while the Exchange and Exchange Plus plans offer unlimited storage. Sherweb supports MAPI, IMAP, and POP3 email formats on all its plans (except Web Only). The service caps individual email messages, including any attachments, at 50 MB.
Mail delivery times will depend on the attachments' size, meaning that attachments of less than 20 Mb should be delivered within 60 seconds or less. Sherweb’s service policy limits users to send or receive a maximum of 1,000 emails per 24 hours. If the user regularly surpasses this number of emails within a 24 hour period, the service provider reserves the right to increase the monthly subscription rate accordingly.
Apps4Rent review
Screenshot Apps4Rent.com, October 2020
Plans and Features
Apps4Rent offers three basic plans: Hosted Exchange, Hosted Exchange Plus, and Business Essentials. The Hosted Exchange plan costs $4.45 per user/month, with a 15 user minimum and an annual payment agreement. For 15 users or less, the same service will cost $6.95 per mailbox/month. Outlook download can be added to this plan for $1 per mailbox/month and email archiving for an extra $3 per mailbox/month.
Hosted Exchange Plus goes for $7.95/month, also with a 15 user minimum and an annual payment or $9.95 per mailbox/month for less than 15 users. The Business Essentials plan costs $5 per user/month. Lastly, a Dedicated Exchange service is available for $450/month, which can fit 20 users.
Besides Microsoft 365, Apps4Rent is the only other email hosting provider to support up to 150 MB attachments. All of App4Rent’s hosted exchange plans include unlimited mailbox space, as well as software licenses. The Hosted Exchange Plus plan has the same features plus an Outlook download and email archiving.
On the Business Essentials plan, users get all the previous features plus 50 GB of mailbox storage, email archiving, and an Office 365 Exchange download, which includes access to Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Web-based Outlook, and Word. For larger workgroups, the Dedicated Exchange plan provides full control over the program environment and a dedicated server with 8 GB RAM, 4 vCPU, and 500 GB Disk Space.
Additionally, the service offers free migration assistance with dedicated managers. Migrations can be completed from different email platforms such as Exchange, POP3/IMAP, G Suite, Yahoo Mail, SharePoint, Lotus Notes, Kerio, Mozilla Thunderbird, AWS Workmail, Groupwise, Zimbra, and more.
Security
Apps4Rent has over 16 years of experience hosting online services and is a Tier 1 Microsoft Certified Partner offering Microsoft endorsed Government Cloud Partnering for Office 365 Government licensing and services. All data is stored in U.S.-based data centers with a Service Level Agreement of 99.99% uptime. Tech support is available 24/7 by phone, chat, and email.
Intermedia review
Screenshot Intermedia.com, October 2020
Plans and Features
Intermedia offers four hosted exchange plans: Exchange Email for $7.49 per user/month, Exchange Email + Archiving for $9.99 per user/month, Exchange + SecuriSync Backup for $10.99 per user/month, Exchange Email + Microsoft 365 Apps for $14.99 per user/month, and Exchange + Compliance and Security for $16.99 per user/month. The company also offers customized cloud deployments for companies with more than 500 employees. Monthly plan subscriptions are available on all plans for an additional $1 per mailbox with a minimum of three mailboxes per account.
All plans include unlimited email storage and 24/7 phone and chat support with Microsoft Certified technicians. Intermedia’s hosting software complies with HIPPA and FINRA regulations and advertises a 99.999% uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Cloud Concierge™ onboarding for migration assistance. A full suite of Microsoft 365 applications and email encryption and archiving are only included on certain plans but can be added at additional cost to any plan.
Data Allotment
Intermedia’s Exchange Email plan, Exchange Email + Archiving, and Exchange Email + Microsoft 365 Apps offer 2 GB of storage for each user. On the other hand, Exchange + SecuriSync Backup and Exchange + Compliance and Security offer 10GB of storage per user. All plans allow users to send emails with attachments of up to 50 MB.
Mobility Features
Intermedia’s ActiveSync technology synchronizes user data, including email, calendars, and contacts for a 100% data capture across devices and platforms. In case a device is lost or stolen, administrators can remotely deactivate email functions on the phone or tablet and wipe out all the data from the device.
Email encryption is done on messages, both in-transit, and at-rest. Additionally, companies may opt to add user-specific security policies and enforce passcodes. Users can choose to install Outlook on their devices or manage and sync emails, calendars, and contacts directly through a web-based application. Intermedia’s software complies with regulations, including FRCP, SEC, GLBA, HIPPA, HITECH, and SOC.
Further Insight Into Our Methodology
There seems to be a general misconception among consumers that Exchange, Outlook, and Microsoft 365 are all the same—or at the very least interchangeable—services. For this reason, we decided to use our Helpful Information section to explain what these programs are, what they do, and how to choose the level of hosting you’ll need.
While some companies have opted to migrate their Exchange hosting to Microsoft 365, others still host just the application's Exchange portion, obtaining their domain through other email providers. We focused our selections on these services and included the best companies offering Microsoft 365 hosting options for those looking for more advanced integrations requiring the whole suite of tools.
Features
Services offering email attachments of less than 50 MB have not made our cut. We instead feature services that offer an unlimited mailbox, storage, or sent email amounts, or that at the very least offer high enough data and usage thresholds to fit regular business use. Companies offering basic plans with advanced integration capabilities, software downloads or web-based apps, server migration assistance, and other features regularly reserved for premium plan options ranked high on our list.
Integrations
We looked for supported email formats such as Webmail, MAPI, POP3, and IMAP and hosting compatibility with popular platforms such as GSuite, Yahoo Mail, SharePoint, and Lotus Notes. Additionally, we evaluated service mobility and synchronization capabilities across multiple devices and programs, favoring services that clearly outline their integrations and compatibility.
Pricing
A hosted exchange service's starting price is a pre-set monthly fee, which may either be based on a 'per user' or 'per mailbox' basis. The true cost of hosted exchange services, however, may be affected by additional feature costs. These fees relate to services that influence security, collaboration, productivity, and storage space. We compared the number of devices and mailboxes supported on each account and the additional costs for features such as Microsoft app downloads, email encryption, cloud storage, and archiving.
Support
Business doesn’t stop, and neither should your hosting software. We looked for companies that clearly state their Service Level Agreement (SLA) and guarantee no less than 99.9% uptime. Furthermore, we ensured that all our recommendations include server migration assistance and around the clock tech support via phone, chat, and email.
Helpful Information About Hosted Exchange
Hosted Exchange is a service in which a provider hosts and manages a given business's Microsoft Exchange email and calendaring server in the cloud instead of on-premises. In the past, traditional Microsoft Exchange servers needed to be physically housed at the business location, requiring space, licenses, and IT personnel. A hosted exchange, however, can minimize costs, streamline processes, and is much more scalable than hosting your own servers.
| What's the difference between Office 365 and Hosted Exchange? | |
| Office 365 | Hosted Exchange |
| ➢ Office 365 includes the Microsoft Office suite of productivity tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). | ✓ On the other hand, Hosted Exchange manages and syncs email, contacts and calendar services of individuals and small organizations. |
| ➢ The information shared between the programs is continuously and automatically updated. | ✓ The software is not updated automatically. |
| ➢ Mailbox is provided by Microsoft. | ✓ Can choose any domain host. |
| ➢ Cloud Based. | ✓ Server Hosting in Remote Physical Facilities. |
What to Watch Out for with Hosted Exchanges
Avoiding IP and Email Blacklists
If you regularly send out bulk emails, you might get flagged as a spammer and included on IP blacklists, keeping your messages from being delivered. You can verify if your domain has been blacklisted at sites like MXToolBox. The company regularly refreshes the information on over 100 DNS-based blacklists to cross-check if your IP or domain has been banned.
Bandwidth requirements
Keep in mind that a slow internet connection can affect how your computer performs tasks with Outlook and Exchange. Although email requires relatively low bandwidth, integrations with apps and sync functionality can be impaired.
FAQs about Hosted Exchange
What's the difference between Outlook and Exchange?
Microsoft Exchange is the server-side program that facilitates an organization’s email and calendaring applications. One of those applications is Microsoft Outlook, which proves the client-side interface that members of the organization use to send emails and maintain their calendars across a variety of devices.
Are there size limitations for email attachments?
Hosted exchange companies impose different attachment size limits. Most offer a 50 MB limit, with others like Microsoft and Apps4Rent, providing a capacity of up to 150 MB.
What does POP3 and IMAP mean?
POP3 and IMAP are both email protocols. POP3 stands for Post Office Protocol (third iteration), and with POP3, servers deliver messages but don’t store them. The messages are sent to a computer and downloaded, keeping no status information after the message is sent. IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. With this format, messages are stored in the mail server which syncs the message’s status information across multiple devices.
How long does Hosted Exchange store emails?
Stored emails depend on the mailbox size and storage settings. Most Hosted Exchange services offer email storage or archiving features in which to keep and organize important communications. By default, Exchange mailboxes keep deleted messages for 14 days. However, users can select to increase the storage period for up to 30 days.