MDaemon vs IceWarp
Whoever has to cost these two out will notice the difference in the first hour. IceWarp prints its numbers, per user per month on its pricing page, and sells a whole collaboration suite around the mail engine. MDaemon is an Exchange replacement whose licence types are listed (single, redundant, air-gapped) but whose prices appear nowhere in the material gathered. Both offer 30-day trials, and neither names a headquarters country, so jurisdiction cannot separate them from the evidence we hold.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderVendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Choose MDaemon ifyou are replacing Exchange and need an air-gapped or redundant licence, and you can accept asking for a quote before you can budget. You also want a mail server first, with archiving and filtering bought as separate modules.
Choose IceWarp ifyou need to compare cost per mailbox before talking to a salesperson, and want chat, video meetings and document editing included beside mail. You are comfortable with a vendor that publishes prices in euros but states two different price sets across its own pages.
MDaemon and IceWarp side by side
| MDaemon | IceWarp | |
|---|---|---|
| Our mail server software rank | #11 of 13 | #10 of 13 |
| Established in | Not stated by the vendor | Not stated by the vendor |
| List price, 7 November 2026 | Single, Redundant and Air-Gapped licences; no amounts visible on the site; 30-day trial | Monthly billing, charged per seat: 1.50 EUR Core, 2.50 EUR Essential, 4.50 EUR Business; Enterprise custom |
| Free tier | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Built for | Organisations replacing Exchange that need an air-gapped or redundant licence option | Organisations that are required to keep mail on their own infrastructure |
| Not for | Buyers who want all-in-one pricing visible in advance | Teams whose daily work depends on a polished document and chat suite |
Both are reviewed in full in our mail server software ranking: MDaemon and IceWarp.
Where they differ
MDaemon 1 · IceWarp 3 · open 2- 01
Can you budget before calling sales
IceWarp's pricing page lists Core at 1.50 EUR, Essential at 2.50 EUR and Business at 4.50 EUR for each mailbox user monthly when paid month to month, with yearly-billing figures of 1.35, 2.25 and 4.05 EUR. MDaemon's product pages show a cart with a Price field but no value, and the /pricing path on its site gave a 404 error. A finance team can only model IceWarp from public material.
Edge: IceWarp
- 02
Air-gapped and redundant licences
MDaemon sells three licence types: Single Server, Redundant or Backup Server, and Air-Gapped Server. The last one suits networks with no outside connection, and nothing in the IceWarp text we collected describes an equivalent licence. IceWarp does allow self-hosting on your own or on-premises servers, but its materials mention no separate licence for isolated networks, so MDaemon is the more explicit fit there.
Edge: MDaemon
- 03
Mail is the product, or mail is one module
IceWarp describes an all-in-one platform with email on custom domains, TeamChat, video and audio conferencing with webinar mode, shared calendars with appointment booking, online document co-editing, file sharing and mobile apps. MDaemon is described as an email server with AntiVirus and AntiSpam, Connector for Outlook and ActiveSync as add-ons. For a team that wants chat and meetings in the same login, IceWarp covers more ground.
Edge: IceWarp
- 04
Where the extra cost hides
MDaemon lists SecurityGateway for Email, MailStore for archiving and the Outlook and ActiveSync connectors as their own products, so the base licence is not the whole bill. IceWarp has its own wrinkle: the home page shows a USD 23 monthly Startup Package for a ten-seat ceiling and Business at 3.50 EUR, while the pricing page shows Business at 4.50 EUR monthly. Both vendors need a clarifying question before a purchase order.
Depends on the buyer
- 05
Hosting routes and the 30-day trials
MDaemon runs on-premise, as a managed Hosted service, or through MSP and ISP SaaS licensing, and offers a free 30-day trial. IceWarp is either fully managed cloud run by IceWarp or self-hosted, and its 30-day trial gives full access to all features with no payment upfront, including for self-hosted installs. MDaemon's service-provider licensing is a real extra for ISPs, though IceWarp's trial wording is clearer.
Depends on the buyer
- 06
Certifications and vendor identity
IceWarp's footer lists ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, ISO 29119-1, SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance, all vendor claims, and the site says Made in the EU. Its copyright names IceWarp Ltd. and IceWarp Inc., with no country given. MDaemon names MDaemon Technologies, Ltd. with a 1996 copyright start and no country either, plus linked GDPR, EULA and terms pages. IceWarp gives more to check.
Edge: IceWarp
When neither fits
If you want a mail server you can read the source of and run without licence fees, neither is the right shelf. Look at Stalwart or Mailcow, both in our mail server list, which are open-source and cost nothing to license.
MDaemon or IceWarp: questions
3 answersDoes either vendor publish a street address or home country?
Neither states either in the text we collected. MDaemon claims customers in 140+ countries and IceWarp calls itself Made in the EU. Treat that as marketing wording rather than a registered jurisdiction until you see a contract.
Why do the two IceWarp price lists not agree?
The home page shows a USD 23 per month Startup Package for a ten-seat ceiling and Business at 3.50 EUR per seat each month for up to 500 users.
The pricing page shows Core, Essential and x. We could not tell which is current, so confirm in writing.
Can you test both before paying anything?
Yes, each vendor offers a 30-day trial. IceWarp states that the trial has full access to all features and requires no payment upfront, and that self-hosted trials get full features too. MDaemon's home page offers a free 30-day trial and a demo.
Sources
Checked 7 November 2026- MDaemon home page: licence types, add-on products, hosting models, 30-day trial and the absence of prices.
- MDaemon about us: owner name, 140+ countries claim and no stated country.
- IceWarp pricing page: euro per-user rates on monthly and annual billing, and the trial terms.
- IceWarp home page: USD 23 Startup Package, 3.50 EUR Business figure, feature list, certifications, copyright line.