Sophos Email vs Barracuda Message Archiver

Sophos Email9.1Visit Barracuda Message Archiver8.8Visit

Higher score Sophos Email #3 in Secure Email Gateway Software 9.1/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Sophos

vs

Barracuda Message Archiver #6 in Secure Email Gateway Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Barracuda

• Sophos Email fits best

  Organizations using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace

• Barracuda Message Archiver fits best

  Organizations prioritizing email archiving and eDiscovery

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Side by side

Feature	Sophos Email 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Barracuda Message Archiver 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.8
Ranking	#3 in Secure Email Gateway Software	#6 in Secure Email Gateway Software
Best for	Organizations using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace	Organizations prioritizing email archiving and eDiscovery
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	—	Pricing on request
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud, Desktop
Platforms	Web	Web, Windows, macOS
Integrations	5 integrations	13 integrations
Features Sophos Email 0/5 · Barracuda Message Archiver 0/5
Malware sandboxing	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Outbound DLP	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Email encryption	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Continuity spooling	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Email archiving	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Hybrid
Our review
Pros	Detects phishing, malware, impersonation, and BEC threats Combines sandboxing, URL checks, and QR-code threat detection Adds DLP, encryption, and post-delivery email clawback	Captures sent and received messages through SMTP journaling Combines retention policies, legal holds, and eDiscovery workflows Searches messages, attachments, and metadata with Boolean and full-text queries
Cons	Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly listed No perpetual free plan Advanced protection and reporting are reserved for Email Plus	Focuses on archiving and discovery rather than gateway threat filtering Requires a customized quote rather than publishing a numeric price Standalone appliance licensing differs from cloud service per-user licensing
Our verdict	Sophos Email is a cloud-managed email security product for business, educational, and government organizations. It is aimed at teams that want protection against phishing, malware, spam, ransomware delivery, business email compromise, and… Read the review →	Barracuda Message Archiver stores and retrieves email from standards-compliant mail servers and cloud services. It is aimed at organizations that need policy-based retention, legal holds, audit trails, and eDiscovery workflows. SMTP… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Sophos Email — where it wins

  • Detects phishing, malware, impersonation, and BEC threats
  • Combines sandboxing, URL checks, and QR-code threat detection
  • Adds DLP, encryption, and post-delivery email clawback

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly listed
  • No perpetual free plan
  • Advanced protection and reporting are reserved for Email Plus

• Barracuda Message Archiver — where it wins

  • Captures sent and received messages through SMTP journaling
  • Combines retention policies, legal holds, and eDiscovery workflows
  • Searches messages, attachments, and metadata with Boolean and full-text queries

  Where it doesn't

  • Focuses on archiving and discovery rather than gateway threat filtering
  • Requires a customized quote rather than publishing a numeric price
  • Standalone appliance licensing differs from cloud service per-user licensing

• Sophos Email9.1/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

  Broad email protection for organizations that need threat detection and user controls.

  Visit SophosFull verdict →
• Barracuda Message Archiver8.8/10 · Pricing on request

  A focused archive for retention and legal discovery, not a gateway threat-filtering tool.

  Visit BarracudaFull verdict →