How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
Key takeaways
- MailStore is the pragmatic pick for small and mid-size businesses that need email archiving without enterprise complexity or pricing.
- Barracuda, Proofpoint, Mimecast and Enterprise Vault target regulated industries where retention policies, legal hold and eDiscovery are non-negotiable.
- Global Relay and Smarsh specialize in financial services compliance, including capture of chat, voice and social media alongside email.
- Google Vault is the obvious choice for organizations already on Google Workspace, since it is built in rather than bolted on.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 MailStore Server | small and mid-size businesses that need email archiving | See website | Free trial (30 days) |
 Barracuda Cloud Archive | regulated businesses that want cloud archiving without infrastructure | See website | No |
 Enterprise Vault | large enterprises with complex, long-term retention requirements | See website | No |
 Proofpoint Enterprise Archive | security-conscious enterprises that want archiving tied to threat protection | See website | No |
 Mimecast Cloud Archive | email-centric organizations that need resilience and continuity | See website | No |
 Global Relay | financial services firms with strict communications compliance | See website | No |
 Smarsh | regulated firms that need multi-channel capture beyond email | See website | No |
 Google Vault | organizations already running on Google Workspace | See website | No |
 Jatheon | cost-conscious organizations that want straightforward email archiving | See website | Free trial |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Why archiving software still matters
Email is where business happens, and regulators know it. Financial firms, healthcare providers, government agencies and listed companies all face rules that require them to retain communications, produce them on demand during litigation, and prove nothing was altered. Even unregulated businesses discover the value of an archive the first time a contract dispute turns on a three-year-old email thread. The tools below range from affordable email archiving for smaller firms to enterprise platforms that capture every channel your employees use.
#1
MailStore Server
Best for: small and mid-size businesses that need email archiving
Visit mailstore.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial (30 days)
MailStore is the rare archiving product that a small IT team can deploy in an afternoon. It archives email from Exchange, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and any IMAP server, stores it in a tamper-proof archive, and gives users fast full-text search through Outlook, web access or mobile apps. The 30-day free trial is fully functional, and MailStore Cloud, provided by OpenText, offers the same idea as a hosted service for businesses that do not want another server.
The limits are honest ones. This is email archiving, not a multi-channel compliance platform: chat, voice and social capture are outside its scope. Legal hold and eDiscovery features exist but are simpler than what Proofpoint or Enterprise Vault offer. For an SMB that needs reliable, searchable, legally sound email retention without hiring a compliance team, MailStore is the sensible default.
What we like- Fast to deploy and genuinely easy to administer
- Archives from any mail server
- One-time licensing option keeps long-term costs down
Watch out for- Email-focused rather than multi-channel
- Lacks the advanced eDiscovery workflows of enterprise platforms
#2
Barracuda Cloud Archive
Best for: regulated businesses that want cloud archiving without infrastructure
Visit barracuda.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Barracuda Message Archiver began as an appliance and has grown into a cloud archive service aimed at organizations that want retention, legal hold and eDiscovery without running infrastructure. Policies handle retention schedules automatically, the search interface is fast across large archives, and integration with Barracuda's email security products means journaling and threat data live in one ecosystem.
As a standalone purchase it competes directly with Mimecast and Proofpoint on features, and the choice often comes down to existing vendor relationships and pricing. Barracuda does not publish list prices, so expect a quote process. For mid-market companies in regulated sectors that already trust Barracuda for email security, adding the archive is a natural step.
What we like- Cloud-native with no hardware to manage
- Strong search and eDiscovery
- Integrates with Barracuda email security
Watch out for- Pricing is quote-based
- Most compelling inside the broader Barracuda stack
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Enterprise Vault spent years as Veritas Enterprise Vault before becoming a standalone business unit, and the product's enterprise DNA shows. It is built for organizations with intricate retention schedules, multiple jurisdictions and archives measured in petabytes. Beyond email it handles files, SharePoint, and other content sources, with classification and supervision features aimed squarely at compliance teams.
That power comes with complexity. Enterprise Vault has a reputation for demanding skilled administrators and careful planning, and it is priced for enterprises, not SMBs. Smaller organizations will find MailStore or Jatheon far easier to live with. But for a large bank, insurer or government body with a dedicated information governance team, it remains one of the most capable archiving platforms available.
What we like- Deep retention policy engine for complex regulatory environments
- Proven at very large scale
- Broad content source support beyond email
Watch out for- Historically complex to deploy and administer
- Enterprise pricing with a formal sales process
#4
Proofpoint Enterprise Archive
Best for: security-conscious enterprises that want archiving tied to threat protection
Visit proofpoint.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Proofpoint approaches archiving from the security side. Because the same company inspects your inbound email for threats, its archive can connect messages to their security context, which helps investigations that span compliance and incident response. Retention management, legal hold and eDiscovery are all present and built for the scale of large enterprises, with search performance that holds up across billions of messages.
The pricing reflects the enterprise positioning, and like most products here it is sold by quote. Organizations already using Proofpoint for email security get the most value, since the archive, threat data and DLP policies share one platform. If your archiving decision is driven by the security team rather than IT operations, Proofpoint deserves a close look.
What we like- Combines archiving with Proofpoint's threat intelligence
- Strong eDiscovery and supervision
- Cloud scale with fast search
Watch out for- Enterprise pricing
- Best value when paired with other Proofpoint products
#5
Mimecast Cloud Archive
Best for: email-centric organizations that need resilience and continuity
Visit mimecast.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Mimecast built its reputation on email resilience: when Exchange or Microsoft 365 goes down, Mimecast keeps mail flowing and keeps the archive available. The Cloud Archive stores every message in an immutable, encrypted repository with granular retention policies and eDiscovery search that legal teams can use directly. Sync and recover features help with mailbox restores and leaver management.
Costs are per mailbox and quoted, so large organizations should model the total carefully, including the security and continuity modules most customers buy alongside. The admin console is powerful but takes time to master. For organizations where email is mission-critical and downtime is measured in lost revenue, Mimecast's combination of archiving and continuity is difficult to match.
What we like- Always-on archive independent of the primary mail system
- Fast eDiscovery search
- Strong email continuity during outages
Watch out for- Pricing by quote and per-mailbox costs add up at scale
- Administration has a learning curve
#6
Global Relay
Best for: financial services firms with strict communications compliance
Visit globalrelay.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Global Relay is the compliance archive for the financial industry. It captures not just email but the channels regulators actually ask about now: instant messaging, voice calls, social media and collaboration platforms. Supervision workflows let compliance officers review flagged communications efficiently, and the retention engine handles the overlapping, sometimes contradictory rules that banks operate under.
This specialization is also the limitation. A manufacturer or retailer will find the feature set overkill and the sales process geared toward financial institutions. Pricing is enterprise and quoted. But for broker-dealers, asset managers and banks, Global Relay's regulatory depth, including its understanding of record-keeping rules across jurisdictions, makes it the benchmark.
What we like- Purpose-built for financial regulation including SEC, FINRA and MiFID II
- Captures email, chat, voice and social
- Strong supervision workflows
Watch out for- Specialized focus means less fit outside finance
- Enterprise pricing and onboarding process
#7
Smarsh
Best for: regulated firms that need multi-channel capture beyond email
Visit smarsh.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Smarsh competes head-on with Global Relay for the compliance archiving market, with particular strength in capturing modern communication channels. Mobile messaging, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom and social platforms all feed into one searchable archive, which matters because regulators increasingly treat a Teams message like an email. The search and supervision tools are built for compliance teams reviewing high volumes.
Like its rivals it is sold through an enterprise process with quoted pricing, and rolling out capture across a dozen channels takes planning. Organizations choosing between Smarsh and Global Relay usually decide on channel specifics, existing relationships and pricing. Either way, if your compliance scope extends beyond email, a generalist archiver will not be enough.
What we like- Broad channel coverage including mobile, collaboration apps and social
- Strong search across all captured content
- Deep regulatory expertise
Watch out for- Enterprise sales process
- Implementation effort scales with the number of channels
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Google Vault is less a product you buy than a capability you switch on. For Google Workspace customers it provides retention, legal hold, search and export across Gmail, Drive, Meet recordings and Chat, all managed from the familiar admin console. There is nothing to deploy and no journaling connectors to maintain, which makes it by far the simplest option on this list for Workspace shops.
The catch is the ecosystem lock-in. Vault only archives Google content, so organizations with mixed environments need something else alongside it. Its eDiscovery and supervision features are functional but thinner than Proofpoint or Global Relay. Availability depends on the Workspace edition, with the fuller Vault features tied to higher tiers. If you live in Google Workspace and your compliance needs are moderate, Vault is the obvious, economical answer.
What we like- Built into Google Workspace with no separate infrastructure
- Covers Gmail, Drive, Meet and Chat
- Retention and holds managed from the admin console
Watch out for- Only useful inside the Google ecosystem
- EDiscovery depth lags dedicated platforms
#9
Jatheon
Best for: cost-conscious organizations that want straightforward email archiving
Visit jatheon.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planFree trial
Jatheon occupies the middle ground between MailStore's SMB simplicity and the enterprise compliance platforms. It offers cloud and on-premise email archiving with tamper-proof storage, legal hold and eDiscovery search, at pricing that undercuts the big names. Deployment is quick, and the company has a strong customer base in education, healthcare and state and local government, sectors that need real compliance without enterprise budgets.
It is a smaller vendor, so due diligence on long-term viability is sensible, and organizations needing deep multi-channel capture should look at Smarsh or Global Relay instead. But for straightforward email archiving with honest pricing and a free trial to prove the fit, Jatheon is a strong value pick.
What we like- Simple pricing and fast deployment
- Solid search and legal hold for the price
- Good fit for education, healthcare and local government
Watch out for- Smaller vendor with a narrower feature set
- Less multi-channel depth than the compliance specialists
Matching the archive to your obligations
Start with what you must retain and for how long. A financial firm under SEC rules, a hospital under HIPAA, and a manufacturer with no regulator each need different things, and buying more compliance than your obligations require wastes money while buying less creates risk. Map your requirements first: which communication channels, what retention periods, whether legal hold and eDiscovery are needed, and which jurisdictions apply.
Then match the product class. Email-only archiving from MailStore or Jatheon covers most SMBs and many mid-market companies. Multi-channel compliance from Global Relay or Smarsh is for regulated firms where chat and voice are in scope. Enterprise platforms like Enterprise Vault, Proofpoint and Mimecast fit large organizations with complex policies and dedicated governance staff. Google Workspace shops should evaluate Vault before anything else, since it may already cover the need.
Finally, test the workflows that matter to you. Run a real eDiscovery search during the trial, place a test legal hold, and export results in the format your counsel expects. An archive that cannot produce evidence cleanly under deadline is worse than no archive at all.
What archiving software costs
Pricing in this market is almost entirely quote-based, which makes budgeting an exercise in comparison. SMB email archiving is the transparent corner: MailStore and Jatheon publish approachable pricing with per-user or per-mailbox models and trial periods, and a small business can be fully archived for a modest annual sum. Mid-market cloud archiving from Barracuda or Mimecast is typically priced per mailbox per month, with costs scaling linearly as headcount grows. Enterprise compliance platforms from Global Relay, Smarsh, Proofpoint and Enterprise Vault are sold as annual contracts sized by users, channels and retention volumes, and the sales process includes scoping your requirements. Whatever tier you buy, ask about data ingestion fees for historical email, charges for eDiscovery exports, and what happens to your data and its searchability if you leave.
We reviewed vendor documentation, pricing pages and feature descriptions, then checked analyst coverage, G2 and Capterra reviews, and compliance community discussions. We weighted regulatory coverage, channel breadth, eDiscovery capability, deployment effort and pricing transparency. We did not deploy or operate any of these products; this comparison reflects published capabilities and reported user experience.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between archiving and backup?
Backup protects against data loss so you can restore systems after a failure; it is optimized for recovery speed, not for finding a single email from 2019. Archiving preserves communications in a searchable, tamper-evident repository for compliance and legal purposes, with retention policies and legal hold. Most organizations need both, and one does not replace the other.
Do small businesses really need archiving software?
If you operate in a regulated industry, yes, it is usually a legal requirement. Even outside regulation, archiving pays for itself the first time you need to prove what was agreed in an old email thread. MailStore and Jatheon make it affordable at small scale, with trials that let you confirm the value before spending.
How long should we retain archived email?
It depends on your industry and jurisdiction. Financial services commonly face seven-year requirements, healthcare has its own rules, and general business practice often lands between three and seven years. Your legal counsel should set the policy; the archiving software then enforces it automatically.
Can archiving software capture Teams, Slack and text messages?
The compliance-focused platforms can: Global Relay, Smarsh and Proofpoint all capture collaboration apps, mobile messaging and social media alongside email. Email-centric tools like MailStore and Jatheon generally cannot. If regulators expect you to supervise those channels, you need a multi-channel product.
What happens to our archive if we switch vendors?
This is the question to ask before you sign. Reputable vendors export your data in standard formats, but large archives take time and sometimes money to migrate. Ask about export formats, ingestion fees for bringing historical data in, and whether search and legal hold metadata survives the move.
Is cloud or on-premise archiving better?
Cloud archiving removes infrastructure work and scales easily, which suits most organizations now. On-premise keeps data inside your walls, which some government agencies and highly regulated firms still require. MailStore and Jatheon offer both; the enterprise cloud platforms assume cloud. Choose based on your security policy, not on fashion.
Sources we checked (9)
- https://www.mailstore.com/
- https://www.barracuda.com/
- https://www.enterprisevault.com/
- https://proofpoint.com/
- https://www.mimecast.com/
- https://globalrelay.com/
- https://smarsh.com/
- https://vault.google.com/
- https://jatheon.com/
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.