Microsoft Exchange Online vs Synology MailPlus Server

Microsoft Exchange Online9.3Visit SMSynology MailPlus Server8.6Visit

Higher score Microsoft Exchange Online #1 in Email Server Software 9.3/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Microsoft

vs

SM Synology MailPlus Server #6 in Email Server Software 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Synology

• Microsoft Exchange Online fits best

  Businesses wanting managed Exchange email

• Synology MailPlus Server fits best

  Synology NAS users hosting organizational email

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Side by side

Feature	Microsoft Exchange Online 9.3/10 Visit ↗	SMSynology MailPlus Server 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.6
Ranking	#1 in Email Server Software	#6 in Email Server Software
Best for	Businesses wanting managed Exchange email	Synology NAS users hosting organizational email
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Browser extension	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	2 integrations	7 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Microsoft Exchange Online 0/4 · Synology MailPlus Server 4/4
Mail transfer agent	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Mailbox server	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Integrated mail server	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Directory integration	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Self-hosted
Email protocols	Not checked yet	SMTP, IMAP, POP3
Our review
Pros	Custom-domain email with Outlook and browser access Spam and malware filtering plus message policy features Migration tools for Exchange, IMAP, PST, and other systems	Supports SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 for mail-client access Migration from Microsoft Exchange and Google Workspace Directory integration, policy controls, filtering, and clustering
Cons	No free plan Plan 1 and Plan 2 have different storage and archive limits Some archive capabilities depend on licensing and admin enablement	Requires compatible Synology NAS hardware and self-hosted administration Only five email-account licenses are included with compatible NAS hardware License packs add cost, and pricing is not published on the official page
Our verdict	Microsoft Exchange Online provides cloud-hosted business email, calendaring, and contacts for organizations that want managed Exchange mailboxes. Users can access mail through Outlook and browsers, while administrators manage users and… Read the review →	Synology MailPlus Server turns compatible Synology NAS hardware into a self-hosted organizational email system. It suits small, mid-market, and enterprise teams that want to host custom or multiple domains and administer mail on their own… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Microsoft Exchange Online — where it wins

  • Custom-domain email with Outlook and browser access
  • Spam and malware filtering plus message policy features
  • Migration tools for Exchange, IMAP, PST, and other systems

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan
  • Plan 1 and Plan 2 have different storage and archive limits
  • Some archive capabilities depend on licensing and admin enablement

• Synology MailPlus Server — where it wins

  • Supports SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 for mail-client access
  • Migration from Microsoft Exchange and Google Workspace
  • Directory integration, policy controls, filtering, and clustering

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires compatible Synology NAS hardware and self-hosted administration
  • Only five email-account licenses are included with compatible NAS hardware
  • License packs add cost, and pricing is not published on the official page

• Microsoft Exchange Online9.3/10 · Paid

  Managed Exchange email with Outlook access, filtering, archiving, and migration tools.

  Visit MicrosoftFull verdict →
• SMSynology MailPlus Server8.6/10 · Free plan

  A full-featured mail server for organizations already running compatible Synology NAS hardware.

  Visit SynologyFull verdict →