Email archiving software keeps a searchable, tamper-resistant copy of company mail outside the mailbox so it can be produced for audits, disputes and records requests.
This guide ranks eleven products on setup effort, the bill once modules are added, how the whole archive leaves, and whether you can buy without a bundle or partner.
Vendors 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.
In short
What email archiving software does
Email archiving software copies sent and received messages into a separate store, keeps them unaltered for a set period, and lets legal, compliance and IT staff search and export them.
Ranking criteria for this email archiving tool list, applied top to bottom: effort to get started, cost in practice, data return, ability to leave, buyer fit. A challenger rule applies on top. Places 1 to 3 are kept for lesser-known vendors when the category has them; large brands rank from 4. The reasoning behind the five tests, and behind having no score out of ten, is set out on the how we work page.
Email archive from a Toronto company, in cloud or appliance form
Ranked #1 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Jatheon lists Gmail, Microsoft Exchange, HCL Notes, GroupWise and Bloomberg as supported email sources. Search accepts plain language plus Boolean, wildcard, proximity and fuzzy operators, and searches can be saved.
Retention policies delete data once periods expire, and Jatheon's own team runs migrations end to end. Expect the on-site option to cost hardware time that the cloud route avoids, so compare both.
What stands out
Cloud or appliance
Legacy migration
Journaling capture
Where it costs you
The pages read show no prices or trial, so cost is unknown until a sales call.
The platform spans 25+ channels, which is more than a mail-only buyer needs to evaluate.
Right for
Mid-size regulated teams wanting a cloud archive with an appliance option
Wrong for
Buyers who want a price list before talking to sales
CanadaSold through a sales demo; no prices on the pages read; cloud or appliance deployment
Archive for regulated firms, run on its own private infrastructure
Ranked #2 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The Global Relay archive stores each communication once as a single record and searches by custodian, keyword list and Boolean logic. Legal holds apply by custodian, domain or case.
Exports use evidentiary formats and are logged in the audit trail. The company employs more than 1,700 people across seven offices, so smaller accounts should check how much attention they get.
What stands out
Private infrastructure
eDiscovery
Voice and chat capture
Where it costs you
No prices or trial appear on the pages read, only a demo route.
The company lists no headquarters country on the pages read, so jurisdiction needs asking.
Right for
Regulated firms archiving email, voice and chat in one system
Wrong for
Small businesses that only need plain mailbox archiving
Not stated by the vendorSold through a sales conversation; no prices on the pages read
Mail archive deployable as cloud service or virtual appliance
Ranked #3 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
Cryoserver supports Office 365 and Gmail mail and stores chat from Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Liveperson and Bloomberg in a separate repository. A single search covers both.
Messages receive a digital fingerprint on arrival, and S3 tiered storage is listed. The pricing page offers a comparison claiming savings of about 80 percent against an unnamed rival; treat that as marketing until you see a quote.
What stands out
Cloud or appliance
Trial offered
Chat archiving
Where it costs you
The site names no legal entity or postal address, only UK and US phone numbers.
The product page describes import and migration but no general export function.
Right for
IT teams wanting to switch an archive between cloud and appliance later
Wrong for
Buyers who must see a company address before shortlisting
Not stated by the vendorQuoted per organisation; cloud billed pay-as-you-go; trial offered
Per-user mail archive for small firms, priced openly
Ranked #4 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePublished pricingEurope
The starter package covers five users from 295 EUR plus VAT, and extra licences come in blocks of five. Sources include Exchange, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, IMAP, POP3 and PST or EML files.
Archives sit on the file system, SQL Server or PostgreSQL. The entire archive can leave in standard formats, which the vendor describes as protection against software lock-in.
What stands out
Published prices
Self-hosted server
German cloud option
Where it costs you
MailStore states it is a subsidiary of OpenText, so independence from a large group is lost.
A single installation is stated to manage up to 2,000 users, which caps very large estates.
Right for
Small and mid-sized firms wanting archive software with a listed price
Wrong for
Brokers needing voice capture and supervision tooling now
GermanyPublished per-user licences with a starter pack of five users; 30-day trial; one year of updates included
Archive deployed in your own cloud tenant, built for migrations
Ranked #5 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Archive360 lists policy-based retention, legal hold, case management and culling for eDiscovery, plus role and attribute-based access tied to Active Directory.
It says legacy archives can be restored to native format and onboarded at 50 TB per day, which is a vendor claim. The dedicated model means cloud costs may sit on your own bill, which a flat per-user quote could hide.
What stands out
Own cloud tenant
Legacy migration
Customer-held keys
Where it costs you
The pages read give no head office, address or ownership details.
No price or trial is shown, so cost needs a sales call.
Right for
Organisations moving a legacy archive into their own cloud tenant
Wrong for
Teams wanting a quick start without cloud engineering
Not stated by the vendorSold through a demo or sales contact; no prices on the pages read
Mail archive kept in the vendor's own EU data centres
Ranked #6 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Retarus is the archive pick for buyers who care where the data physically sits. The company is privately owned and headquartered in Munich, and messages are held in self-operated redundant EU data centres.
Hybrid encryption works with your own certificates, and a master key handles incoming encrypted mail. Rule-based archiving, search, import and export are listed, and mail can be exported in full at any time, including to external media. Contact starts with an appointment or demo.
What stands out
EU data centres
Ten-year retention
Own certificates
Where it costs you
Mail is kept for up to ten years, which falls short where rules demand a longer period.
Journaling and a Microsoft 365 connector are not mentioned, so the way mail reaches the archive is unclear.
Right for
Buyers who value a privately owned Munich company keeping archives in its own EU data centres
Wrong for
Teams whose mail sits in Microsoft 365 and who want the connection method confirmed upfront
GermanySold through a demo appointment; no prices on the pages read
Cloud mail archive sold as part of a security range
Ranked #7 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
As an archive, Hornetsecurity is a German option sold beside spam protection, encryption, continuity and backup. It covers Microsoft 365 and other mail servers, restores deleted messages with a button and imports PST files.
An auditor receives time-limited read rights, and the administrator can check the audit log afterwards. The whole archive can be exported at any time, by you or by the vendor for a fixed fee. Only a request form is offered, with no prices or trial.
What stands out
Audit access
PST import
Full-archive export
Where it costs you
The page does not say how long mail can be kept, as retention is adjustable but no figures appear.
Search covers date, sender, recipient and subject, and no discovery tooling is described.
Right for
Companies from the Hannover vendor's other services who want an archive with a known exit route
Wrong for
Litigation-heavy organisations that need case workflows and deep content review
GermanySold through a request form; no prices on the page read
Per-user cloud archive without storage caps, bundled in a top tier
Ranked #8 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Barracuda's product page lists granular retention, extensive search, role-based auditing, legal hold and export, with an offline-cache Outlook add-in and a standalone desktop client.
Its sources are Exchange Server and Office 365 mailboxes. Because archiving sits in a bundle, the real price is the whole Premium Plus tier, so compare that total, never an archive-only figure, since none is listed.
What stands out
Per-user licence
Unlimited storage
Outlook add-in
Where it costs you
The plans page shows archiving only in Premium Plus, forcing a bundle purchase.
The pages read state no headquarters or address.
Right for
Existing Barracuda email customers wanting archiving inside the same contract
Wrong for
Buyers wanting archiving alone without a security bundle
Not stated by the vendorQuoted per organisation; licensed per user; included in the top Email Protection tier; trial link on page
Archive module inside a wider communications compliance platform
Ranked #9 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
The Smarsh page describes Archive as preserving unstructured communications data in cloud-native storage and directs visitors to talk to an expert for cost. Its privacy policy places the global headquarters in the United States.
Beyond that, the page read gives little detail on retention, export or search, so every technical question has to be settled during the sales demo with written answers.
What stands out
Platform module
Multi-channel capture
Demo only
Where it costs you
The page read names no standalone email archive product or price.
Only a demo is offered; no trial is mentioned.
Right for
Firms already planning to capture several channels on one platform
Wrong for
Buyers wanting a simple mail-only archive with a price list
United StatesSold through a sales conversation; no prices on the page read
Cloud-only mail archive that also covers Microsoft Teams data
Ranked #10 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
Among archive vendors, Mimecast stands out for reaching past email into Microsoft Teams data. Storage is cloud only, and the page mentions no on-premises route. It lists retention policies, legal hold and migration away from older archives, plus Supervision tooling for review, escalation and reporting.
The page names Mimecast Services Limited as the contracting company and gives no address. Export appears only inside search and review, so ask the vendor what a complete handover looks like.
What stands out
Cloud only
Teams archiving
Supervision add-on
Where it costs you
Only a quote button is shown, so there is no way to test the archive before committing.
The page ties export to search and review, so a complete exit of the archive stays unconfirmed.
Right for
Teams that want email and Microsoft Teams conversations held in one cloud store
Wrong for
Organisations that need an on-premises archive or a stated company headquarters
Not stated by the vendorSold through a quote button; no prices on the page read
Managed cloud archive with supervision and discovery add-ons
Ranked #11 of 11 in Best Email Archiving Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
For an archive shortlist, Proofpoint is the heavyweight option. The company is based in Sunnyvale, California, and runs a fully managed service on AWS, with deployments in the US, Canada and the EU for data residency.
Immutable retention, legal holds, WORM preservation and a public REST API are listed. Supervision and Discover need the base archive, and Automate needs Supervision, so cost rises with each step. The page does not mention migration.
What stands out
Add-on modules
Regional deployment
REST API
Where it costs you
Module pricing means the archive quote only covers the base layer, since Supervision and Discover are bought on top.
The page gives a US headquarters and AWS hosting, so EU buyers must pick the EU deployment region deliberately.
Right for
Archive buyers in regulated sectors who accept a US vendor and want review and discovery modules later
Wrong for
Small European firms who just want mail stored cheaply and simply
United StatesSold through a demo; no prices on the page read; extra modules priced separately
Email archiving software copies sent and received messages into a separate store, keeps them unaltered for a set period, and lets legal, compliance and IT staff search and export them. Differences that change the outcome seldom sit in the features. Here is the sequence we would follow.
01
Work out how much a sales call is worth to you
10 vendors on this page sell by quote, while 1 publish a pricing model you can read today: MailStore.
02
Weigh the vendor's home jurisdiction
These 11 vendors are established in 4 countries across 3 regions (Elsewhere 5, North America 3, Europe 3). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
Email archiving software: which vendors publish a price and which sell by demo?
Only MailStore publishes a starting price among the eleven vendors compared here: 295 EUR plus VAT for a starter pack of five users, with a 30-day trial. Jatheon, Global Relay, Archive360, Retarus, Hornetsecurity, Smarsh, Mimecast and Proofpoint route every question to a demo or sales contact.
Cryoserver mentions a trial but no length, and Barracuda points to a customised quote for the tier that holds its archive. A price list matters because archive projects often start as a small mail-retention task and grow. Ask every vendor for a written price covering your mailbox count, three years of growth, and any module you may add later, then compare totals rather than headline rates.
Ask for a written three-year total, not a first-year rate
Confirm which modules sit outside the base archive
Check whether a trial exists and how long it runs
Which email archiving software keeps data where you can reach it?
Deployment decides who maintains the archive. MailStore installs on your own server and keeps archives on the file system, SQL Server or PostgreSQL. Jatheon sells an AWS-based cloud plus an appliance or VM kept inside your network, and Cryoserver says the same software moves between cloud and on-premises.
Retarus stores mail in its own EU data centres, while Archive360 deploys into a dedicated cloud tenant you control, and Proofpoint runs as managed SaaS on AWS with regional deployments. Mimecast mentions cloud storage only. Self-run options cost admin hours; hosted options cost a dependency. Decide which risk your team can carry, and write down who patches, backs up and restores the archive.
Decide whether you can maintain a server or want a hosted service
Ask where the data sits and who can access it
Confirm the vendor's backup and restore responsibilities
How does a whole mail archive leave email archiving software?
Exit terms are the part vendors rarely lead with. Hornetsecurity says the whole archive can leave whenever you ask, done by you or by the vendor at a fixed price. Retarus states emails can be exported in full at any time. MailStore says you can recover single emails or the whole stock in standard formats.
Global Relay lists exports in evidentiary formats, Proofpoint lists self-service export, and Mimecast frames export mainly as a search and review feature. Test this before signing: export a sample month, open it in another tool, and check that dates, attachments and folder paths survive. Ask whether a full export carries a fee, and who does the work.
Export a sample month and open it in another tool
Ask whether a full export carries a fee
Ask who performs a full export, you or the vendor
Is a small or large vendor right for email archiving software?
Vendor size changes what you buy. Global Relay reports no outside investment and more than 1,700 staff. MailStore describes itself as an OpenText subsidiary. Proofpoint and Mimecast archives are sold beside wider security products, and Barracuda includes archiving only in its Premium Plus tier, so you pay for the bundle.
Smarsh sells Archive as a module of a wider platform. Single-purpose vendors such as Jatheon and Cryoserver sell archives by themselves, though Cryoserver names no legal entity or address on the pages read. Ask who owns the vendor, whether your contract can be assigned after a sale, and whether archiving works if you drop the security product.
Ask who owns the vendor and what happens after a sale
Check whether archiving can be bought without a bundle
Confirm the legal entity and address before signing
What goes wrong most often when buying email archiving software
Buying email archiving software on the strength of a compliance badge without asking how the full archive exports.
Treating a mailbox backup as an archive, although a backup restores systems and does not give legal and compliance staff search.
Forgetting that Proofpoint Supervision, Discover and Automate are add-ons, so the first quote understates the bill.
Choosing an archive inside a bundle, such as Barracuda Premium Plus, and then finding the security product was the part you wanted to replace.
07
Frequently asked questions
7 answers
What is the best email archiving software in 2026?
First of 11 on this page is Jatheon. Jatheon Technologies Inc. lists its head office in Toronto and has sold archiving since 2004. Mail goes into Jatheon Cloud on AWS, or into a hardware appliance or virtual machine behind your own firewall.
It also migrates from more than 30 older archives. The catch is price: the pages read show no figures, so budget only emerges after a demo.
Which email archiving tools publish their pricing?
Published pricing exists for 1 products on this page:
MailStore: Published per-user licences with a starter pack of five users; 30-day trial; one year of updates included.
Everything else on the list is priced on request.
Is there a free email archiving tool?
No, every product on this page is paid.
Where are these email archiving software vendors established?
Vendor countries on this page, Elsewhere 5, North America 3, Europe 3:
Jatheon: Canada.
Global Relay: Not stated by the vendor.
Cryoserver: Not stated by the vendor.
MailStore: Germany.
Archive360: Not stated by the vendor.
Retarus: Germany.
Hornetsecurity: Germany.
Barracuda Cloud Archiving: Not stated by the vendor.
Smarsh: United States.
Mimecast: Not stated by the vendor.
Proofpoint: United States.
Which email archiving tools can you host yourself?
Cryoserver, MailStore, Mimecast. The other 8 are hosted by the vendor only.
What should you use instead of Jatheon?
Look at Global Relay (made for Regulated firms archiving email, voice and chat in one system) and Cryoserver (made for IT teams wanting to switch an archive between cloud and appliance later), which hold places two and three.
Who should not buy Jatheon?
Buyers who want a price list before talking to sales. The pages read show no prices or trial, so cost is unknown until a sales call..
Missing from this email archiving software ranking? Contact us with a short description of the product and its users. Adding it is an editorial choice, and software advice explains what a listing does and does not involve.
