Outlook has been the leading email client application for the last decade or so; its main features are powerful, easy to use, and widely loved by many. On the other hand, many cool email clients are no less powerful than Microsoft, and Zimbra is one of them. Zimbra’s latest version supports Linux, Mac, and even Android OS. It is definitely a worthy alternative to Outlook. Interestingly, both email solutions are very similar in functionality but have different designs. Let’s check out the similarities and differences between Outlook and Zimbra so that you have an idea of what email client works best for you.
The Basics
Let’s start with the basics and compare Zimbra to Outlook converter with all their features being considered. Thus, Zimbra is a free and open-source web-based email application, a social collaboration tool, and a desktop mail client. It provides many features like file management, calendar, social networking, task management, audio/video communication, and more. The program is available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X and is extremely easy to use.
Some of the most outstanding features of Zimbra are as follows:
- collaboration tools (groupware);
- calendar;
- file sharing;
- task management;
- social networking;
- communication and messaging;
- file search and management;
- security.
It can integrate with almost any enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and its web interface can use Active Directory integration. Zimbra is written in Java and uses the Berkeley DB database.
Unlike Outlook, Zimbra doesn’t use a single client to handle email, contacts, calendars, and tasks. Instead, users can access each of these functionalities from different clients, and you can even use one for only one of the tasks (such as the inbox for the email and calendaring or the task list for tasks). Each client can also integrate with other systems within your organization, making it easier to work with multiple applications simultaneously.
Similar to Zimbra, Outlook is a powerful online communication tool packed with different features – from a flexible calendar to smooth integration with Teams. What is more, you can set up your email Outlook client as per your needs. The solution is highly flexible and scalable.
What’s Zimbra and Outlook Like?
Zimbra looks like a web page. On the left side of the screen, you can see all the various mailboxes and folders with information about their contents. You can create or delete folders, mark them as read, delete them completely, or archive them. On the right side of the screen, you can see the list of people you are connected to or in contact with. All your contact details are shown here as well, including the last mail received from them. You can also send messages to them and see their latest activity.
Outlook is rather a traditional email client; everything is conservative there. Your Outlook view consists of the email threat and a calendar. The latter reflects all the appointments you organize or are a part of. In the email threat, you will see all the inbox and sent emails. You can also sort some of them or set up dedicated folders based on the content type sent/delivered.
How Do Zimbra and Outlook Work?
The user interface of both is very user-friendly. You can navigate using a mouse or a touch-screen, and all your actions are controlled using an on-screen keyboard. On the left-hand side of the screen, there is a large mailbox with all your messages. On the right-hand side, there are various folders and files.
When you first start up Zimbra, it prompts you to enter your mail server’s domain name, username, and password. After this, you are asked to configure the various mailboxes (inbox, sent messages, etc.), personal folders, user accounts, and aliases. This process is quite simple. The very same data sync process is required with Microsoft Outlook. But you will hardly have any questions and will be able to use the chosen email client with ease.
Microsoft Outlook offers a simple way to access email, and it can handle text, sound, photos, and other files. But it’s not designed to be used as a groupware application, and its email features are not always compatible with other email systems. Zimbra, on the other hand, has many powerful groupware features, and the flexibility it provides makes it easy to customize it to work for your organization.
Microsoft Outlook is best for users already familiar with the application, but it isn’t the only option. Zimbra is the leader in the groupware space, and it’s a good choice if you need a flexible way to collaborate with other users.
Final Say!
Microsoft Outlook is well-established and has been around for a long time. However, it can fall short for some users, and not all features may be available in all editions. On the other hand, Zimbra can be a bit rough around the edges, but it can have many cool things that you will definitely like.
