Side by side
| IMAP | Exchange | |
|---|---|---|
| Email sync across devices | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar and contacts sync | No — stored on each device | Yes |
| Shared calendars and free/busy | No | Yes |
| Shared mailboxes with permissions | Limited, often by sharing a password | Yes |
| Delegate access (e.g. a PA) | No | Yes |
| Company address book | No | Yes |
| Push email to phones | Usually periodic checking | Instant |
| Remote wipe of a lost phone | No | Yes |
| Typical cost | £1–£3 a mailbox | From about £3 to £10 a mailbox |
When IMAP is enough
For a sole trader with one address, a phone and a laptop, IMAP bundled with web hosting is cheap and works. The cracks appear when a second person needs to see the same calendar, cover someone’s inbox while they are on holiday, or answer a shared address without passing a password around.
Moving from IMAP to Exchange
Your email moves across; calendars and contacts usually need collecting from each PC or phone, because IMAP never stored them. Our step-by-step migration guide covers it, and migration is free with our hosted Exchange.