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Zimbra Licensing – Clear & Simple Explanation

This page explains how Zimbra licensing works, the available license types, and how to choose the right option for your organization. Zimbra is a flexible, enterprise-grade email and collaboration platform, and its licensing is designed to scale from small businesses to large enterprises.

Overview of Zimbra Licensing

Zimbra is available in two main editions:
  1. Zimbra Community Edition (Open Source) – free, unsupported
  2. Zimbra Network Edition (Commercial) – licensed, fully supported
Only Zimbra Network Edition requires a paid license and is recommended for production and business use. Zimbra Network Edition is mandatory for Zimbra Daffodil (v10 and later).

Zimbra Community Edition (Open Source)

Best for: Labs, testing, non‑critical environments, or organizations with strong in‑house Linux expertise.

Key Characteristics

  • Free and open source (GPL license)
  • Core email, calendar, and contacts
  • Webmail (Classic UI)
  • POP, IMAP, SMTP access
  • Basic spam and virus protection

Important Limitations

  • ❌ No official Zimbra support
  • ❌ No backup or restore tools
  • ❌ No mobile ActiveSync (EAS)
  • ❌ No email archiving or eDiscovery
  • ❌ Not recommended for business‑critical deployments

Zimbra Network Edition (Commercial)

Best for: Businesses, nonprofits, healthcare, education, and enterprises that require reliability, security, compliance, and vendor support.
Zimbra Network Edition licenses are sold per mailbox and are available in two tiers:
  • Standard Edition
  • Professional Edition

Zimbra Network Edition – Standard

Ideal for: Organizations that need secure, supported email without advanced compliance features.

Includes

  • Modern & Classic Web Client
  • Email, calendar, contacts, tasks
  • POP, IMAP, SMTP
  • Mobile sync (ActiveSync)
  • CardDAV & CalDAV
  • Admin web console & CLI
  • LDAP / Microsoft Active Directory integration
  • Integrated anti‑spam & anti‑virus

Not Included

  • ❌ Advanced backup & restore
  • ❌ Email archiving & eDiscovery
  • ❌ Litigation hold
  • ❌ Two‑factor authentication (2FA)

Zimbra Network Edition – Professional

Ideal for: Enterprises, regulated industries, MSPs, and compliance‑driven organizations.

Includes Everything in Standard, Plus:

  • ✅ Advanced backup & restore
  • ✅ Email archiving & eDiscovery
  • ✅ Litigation hold
  • ✅ Two‑factor authentication (2FA)
  • ✅ S/MIME encryption & digital signing
  • ✅ Storage compression & deduplication
  • ✅ Delegated and multi‑domain administration
  • ✅ Priority vendor support (8×5 or 24×7)

Licensing Models

Zimbra Network Edition licenses are available in two licensing models:

1. Subscription License

  • Term‑based (1 or 2 years)
  • Includes software license + support
  • Lower upfront cost
  • Requires renewal to continue use

2. Perpetual License

  • One‑time license purchase (major version)
  • Annual support contract required
  • Lower long‑term cost for stable environments

License Quantities & Flexibility

  • Licenses are sold per mailbox (typically in bundles)
  • Organizations may mix editions (e.g., Standard for users, Professional for executives)
  • Easy to add or upgrade mailboxes as your organization grows

Why Buy Zimbra Licensing From Us

  • ✔ Authorized Zimbra licensing
  • ✔ License consultation & sizing
  • ✔ Competitive pricing
  • ✔ Renewal & upgrade management
  • ✔ Migration and deployment services
  • ✔ Ongoing support options
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