Evermail vs MailStore: the modern alternative to on-premise email archiving

MailStore has been the go-to on-premise email archive for SMBs for over a decade. But on-premise software means IT overhead, maintenance windows, and no access from anywhere. Evermail is the cloud-native replacement.

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Overview

What is MailStore, and why are teams looking for an alternative?

MailStore Server is an on-premise email archiving solution widely used by small and mid-size businesses. It captures email from Exchange, Office 365, and other mail servers and stores it locally. For many teams, MailStore has been reliable — but its architecture comes with real limitations: it requires a Windows Server installation, an IT administrator to maintain it, and local network access to search the archive. As teams move to cloud-first workflows and expect instant search from any device, MailStore's on-premise model has become a bottleneck. Evermail is a cloud-native email archive that replaces MailStore without the installation, the server, or the per-user licensing. Upload PST, MBOX, EML, or Google Takeout exports and search them in seconds — from any browser.

Feature comparison

Evermail vs MailStore: feature by feature

Feature	Evermail ✓	MailStore
Deployment	Cloud (browser-based)	On-premise Windows Server
Setup time	Under 5 minutes	Hours to days (server install)
IT administration required	None	Yes — regular maintenance
Access from anywhere	✓ Any browser, any device	Local network or VPN only
Supported archive formats	PST, MBOX, EML, OST, Google Takeout, MSG	Email server integration (live capture)
Upload-based archiving (offline archives)	✓	Limited — primarily live capture
Full-text search	✓ Under 2 seconds	✓ Via desktop client
AI-assisted search (MCP)	✓ Claude, Copilot, and MCP tools	✗
AI email summaries	✓	✗
EU-hosted & GDPR compliant	✓ Azure EU regions, GDPR by design	Depends on your server location
Three security levels (Full / BYOK / Zero-Access)	✓	✗ — single encryption model
Pricing model	Per GB storage (not per user)	Per-user + server license
Free plan	✓ 1 GB, 30-day retention	✗ — license required
Mobile access	✓ Responsive web app	Mobile app (limited)
Open-source / self-hostable	✗ SaaS only	✓ Windows Server

Key differences

Why teams switch to Evermail

☁️

No server to install or maintain

Evermail is 100% cloud-based. There is no Windows Server installation, no maintenance windows, no backup-the-backup problem. Upload your archive and search it from any browser in minutes.

🔍

AI-powered search via MCP

Evermail is the only email archive with a native MCP (Model Context Protocol) endpoint. Connect Claude Desktop or other AI tools to ask questions about your archive in plain English. MailStore has no AI integration.

💰

Storage-based pricing, not per-user

MailStore charges per mailbox. If you archive 30 users, you pay for 30 seats plus the server license. Evermail charges by storage — archive any number of users in one export and pay the same as archiving one.

🌍

Access from anywhere, on any device

Evermail works in any modern browser. No VPN. No desktop client. Search your archive from a phone, a tablet, or a borrowed laptop. MailStore requires network access to your on-premise server.

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Guaranteed EU hosting and GDPR compliance

Evermail stores all data in Azure EU regions with strict tenant isolation. GDPR compliance is built into the architecture. With MailStore, GDPR compliance depends on your own server configuration and policies.

🔒

Three security levels per archive

Evermail lets you choose security per archive: Full Service (default, fastest search), Confidential (BYOK — bring your own encryption key), or Zero-Access (client-side keys, server stores only ciphertext). MailStore uses a single encryption model.

Pricing

No per-user seat fees. No server licensing.

MailStore charges per mailbox archived plus a server license. For a 20-person company archiving 5 years of email, costs add up quickly — before counting IT administration time. Evermail charges by storage, not by user. The free plan includes 1 GB and 1 archive. Paid plans start at €4.99/month for 5 GB with permanent retention. Archive 20 users' email in a single MBOX or PST export and pay the same as a single user — because you're paying for bytes, not seats.

See full pricing →

Switch from MailStore today

Upload your archive in minutes. Works with PST, MBOX, EML, OST, and Google Takeout exports. Free plan included. No Windows server required.

Start free — no credit card →

FAQ

Questions about switching from MailStore

Can I migrate from MailStore to Evermail?

Yes. Export your MailStore archives as PST or EML files using MailStore's built-in export feature, then upload those files to Evermail. Indexing typically completes within minutes for small archives and a few hours for large ones. All folder structure and metadata is preserved.

Does Evermail replace MailStore for live email capture?

Evermail is optimised for upload-based archiving of existing email exports — PST, MBOX, EML, OST, Google Takeout, and MSG files. If you need continuous live capture from an active Exchange server, Evermail works best as the destination for periodic exports rather than a real-time capture agent. For most SMBs migrating away from on-premise systems, this is the right model.

Is Evermail GDPR compliant?

Yes. Evermail is hosted entirely on Azure EU infrastructure. All data is stored within the EU and never transferred outside. Evermail is GDPR compliant by architecture: tenant isolation, encryption at rest, right-to-erasure support, and a published Data Processing Agreement (DPA). See our DPA for details.

What happens if I exceed my storage plan?

Evermail will notify you when you approach your storage limit. You can upgrade to a larger plan at any time, or delete old archives to free space. We never delete your data without explicit action from you.

Does Evermail work with Office 365 and Google Workspace archives?

Yes. Export your Office 365 mailboxes as PST files using Microsoft's eDiscovery tools or Outlook's export feature. Export Google Workspace mailboxes via Google Takeout (MBOX format). Upload the exports to Evermail and they are searchable within minutes.

Is the free plan really free?

Yes. The free plan includes 1 GB of storage and one archive with 30-day retention. No credit card required. You can upload a PST, MBOX, or EML archive, search it fully, and only upgrade when you need more storage or permanent retention.