Top 10 Archiving Tools: Features, Pros, Cons and Comparison

Posted on February 20, 2026February 20, 2026 | by khushboo

Introduction

Archiving tools help organizations store data for the long term in a way that is searchable, tamper-resistant, and cost controlled. They are different from backups. Backups are for fast restore after an incident, while archiving is for keeping data for months or years to meet legal, operational, or business needs. A good archive reduces storage chaos, lowers risk, and makes it easier to find the right record when someone asks for it, whether that request comes from a customer, a manager, or an internal review.

Common real-world use cases include email archiving for retention and search, preserving chat and collaboration records, storing documents and files with lifecycle policies, meeting industry retention rules, controlling storage growth by moving older data out of primary systems, supporting internal investigations, and enabling legal holds. Buyers should evaluate retention policy control, immutability options, search quality, indexing performance, eDiscovery workflows, integrations with email and collaboration platforms, role-based access controls, audit trails, encryption, and predictable costs over long retention periods.

Best for: organizations that must retain email and business records, regulated teams needing audit trails, legal and compliance teams needing defensible retention, and IT teams trying to reduce primary storage growth while keeping data searchable.
Not ideal for: teams that only need short-term restores, environments where data is truly disposable, or very small setups where basic storage policies are enough and legal retention is not a concern.

Key Trends in Archiving Tools

More focus on immutable storage and tamper-resistant retention policies
Stronger eDiscovery workflows with better search speed and filtering
Increased demand for archiving collaboration data, not only email
More automation for lifecycle tiering and storage cost optimization
Better support for legal holds with clear audit trails
Higher expectations for role separation and least-privilege access
More emphasis on data classification to improve search and retention accuracy
Hybrid approaches that support on-prem data sources and cloud archives together
Faster indexing and retrieval to reduce time spent in investigations
Practical reporting that demonstrates policy compliance without manual effort

How We Selected These Tools (Methodology)

Proven adoption in enterprise, mid-market, and compliance-driven environments
Strength of retention policy models, legal hold support, and audit evidence
Search and retrieval performance for high-volume archives
Coverage across common archive sources such as email, files, and collaboration records
Immutability and governance controls that support defensible retention
Operational usability for day-to-day admin tasks and compliance workflows
Integration breadth for identity, email, collaboration, and storage platforms
Reliability signals for long-term storage and predictable retention outcomes
Support maturity through documentation, onboarding, and service options
Value alignment based on storage savings and reduced compliance effort

Top 10 Archiving Tools

1: Microsoft Purview

Microsoft Purview is commonly used for archiving and compliance governance in organizations using Microsoft productivity and identity ecosystems. It is often selected when teams want retention policies, legal holds, and search capabilities integrated into a broader compliance framework.

Key Features

Retention policies and lifecycle controls for regulated data
Legal hold workflows and audit-ready evidence trails
Search and eDiscovery capabilities for investigations
Role-based access controls for compliance and admin separation
Policy management aligned to Microsoft ecosystems
Reporting and monitoring for compliance posture

Pros

Strong fit for organizations standardized on Microsoft productivity tools
Broad governance coverage beyond archiving alone

Cons

Complexity can increase if retention needs are highly granular
Best outcomes require clear internal policy design and ownership

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Web
Deployment: Cloud

Security and Compliance
Access controls and audit capabilities: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Often aligns naturally with Microsoft identity and productivity environments for a unified governance approach.

Identity and access alignment: Varies / N/A
Collaboration and content ecosystem: Varies / N/A
Automation and reporting options: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Large ecosystem and documentation footprint. Outcomes improve with clear governance models and administrator training.

2: Google Vault

Google Vault is designed for archiving, retention, and eDiscovery for organizations using Google Workspace. It is often chosen because it keeps governance and search close to the collaboration environment where the data is created.

Key Features

Retention rules for supported Google Workspace data sources
Legal holds that preserve relevant records during investigations
Search and export workflows for eDiscovery tasks
Audit trails for administrative actions and reviews
Policy controls aligned with Workspace content types
Administration designed for Google-centric environments

Pros

Strong fit for Google Workspace organizations with simple governance needs
Easy alignment with common search and retention workflows

Cons

Best value depends on how much data lives inside Google Workspace
Advanced multi-source archiving may require additional tools

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Web
Deployment: Cloud

Security and Compliance
Administrative controls and audit visibility: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Primarily designed around Google Workspace data types and governance workflows.

Workspace ecosystem alignment: Varies / N/A
Identity and access patterns: Varies / N/A
Export and workflow integrations: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Strong documentation and large user base. Support depends on plan and administrative familiarity with Workspace governance.

3: Proofpoint Enterprise Archive

Proofpoint Enterprise Archive is often selected by organizations that want robust email archiving with strong search and compliance workflows. It is commonly evaluated in regulated environments where retention, supervision, and investigation support matter.

Key Features

Email archiving with strong indexing and search workflows
Retention controls with governance-focused administration
Legal hold support for investigations and preservation needs
Policy-driven management for compliance requirements
Reporting and audit visibility for archive actions
Operational controls for large-scale email environments

Pros

Strong email archiving depth for compliance-driven organizations
Useful search workflows for investigation and retrieval

Cons

Best value is achieved when email compliance is a major requirement
Implementation planning matters for performance and retention outcomes

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Web
Deployment: Cloud / Hybrid (varies by environment)

Security and Compliance
Encryption and access controls: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Often deployed with email platforms and identity systems to support defensible archiving.

Email platform alignment: Varies / N/A
Identity and access integration: Varies / N/A
Workflow and compliance integration options: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Enterprise support is common. Documentation exists, and many deployments benefit from structured onboarding.

4: Mimecast Archive

Mimecast Archive is often evaluated by organizations that want email archiving combined with operational governance and search workflows. It is commonly used by teams that prioritize email continuity, compliance retention, and defensible investigation processes.

Key Features

Email archiving with retention rules and indexing
Search and discovery workflows for compliance and investigations
Policy controls for retention and access governance
Legal hold capabilities (varies by plan and configuration)
Reporting for compliance posture and archive operations
Administrative tools designed for practical operations

Pros

Strong email-focused archiving workflows with usable administration
Often fits compliance needs for email-centric governance programs

Cons

Coverage outside email depends on organization needs and tool scope
Some advanced governance workflows require careful configuration

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Web
Deployment: Cloud

Security and Compliance
RBAC, audit trails, encryption: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Often used alongside email and identity ecosystems for defensible retention management.

Email platform integrations: Varies / N/A
Identity integration patterns: Varies / N/A
Workflow and reporting integrations: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Strong enterprise presence. Support depends on plan, and implementation quality improves outcomes.

5: Veritas Enterprise Vault

Veritas Enterprise Vault is a long-established archiving platform used by organizations that want deep control over email and file archiving with structured governance. It is often found in enterprises with mature compliance programs and long retention timelines.

Key Features

Email and file archiving with policy-driven retention controls
Indexing and search designed for large archive sets
Legal hold and governance workflows for investigations
Storage optimization through archiving and tiering strategies
Administrative role separation and audit visibility
Mature operational model for complex environments

Pros

Strong depth for long-term archiving with mature governance needs
Useful for organizations with complex retention and storage requirements

Cons

Can be heavy for small teams and simple retention needs
Administration may require experienced operators

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Windows (primary), others vary by environment
Deployment: Self-hosted / Hybrid (varies)

Security and Compliance
Access controls and audit capabilities: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Often integrated with enterprise email systems and storage environments to support long-term policy governance.

Email and file system alignment: Varies / N/A
Storage ecosystem integration: Varies / N/A
Workflow and reporting integrations: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Enterprise support is typical. Documentation exists, and many organizations rely on partner expertise.

6: Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service

Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service is commonly used by organizations looking for simpler cloud-based email archiving with retention and search features. It is often selected by teams that want straightforward administration without heavy infrastructure.

Key Features

Cloud-based email archiving with retention controls
Search and retrieval workflows for everyday needs
Legal hold capabilities (varies by environment and plan)
Policy controls for retention and access
Reporting for archive status and usage
Administration designed for practical IT workflows

Pros

Easy-to-operate option for smaller teams
Useful for organizations wanting cloud archiving without heavy setup

Cons

Deep enterprise governance needs may require more advanced tooling
Non-email archiving scope may be limited depending on needs

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Web
Deployment: Cloud

Security and Compliance
Access controls, audit trails: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Typically integrates with email environments and identity workflows for archive access control.

Email platform alignment: Varies / N/A
Identity integration: Varies / N/A
Export and workflow integrations: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Support depends on plan. Documentation is generally accessible for SMB and mid-market administrators.

7: OpenText Archive Center

OpenText Archive Center supports enterprise-grade archiving for structured and unstructured content, often tied to document management and governance programs. It is commonly selected when archiving is part of a broader content lifecycle and compliance strategy.

Key Features

Enterprise archiving for documents and records (scope varies)
Policy-based retention and lifecycle controls
Search and retrieval workflows for investigations
Governance support for compliance programs
Integration alignment with enterprise content management ecosystems
Reporting for retention and archive activity

Pros

Strong fit for organizations treating archiving as part of records management
Useful when archiving spans multiple content types and systems

Cons

Can be complex to deploy without a clear governance model
May be more than needed for email-only archiving

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Windows / Linux (varies)
Deployment: Self-hosted / Hybrid (varies)

Security and Compliance
Governance and access controls: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Often adopted where enterprise content systems require structured retention and defensible storage.

ECM ecosystem alignment: Varies / N/A
Identity and role integration: Varies / N/A
Workflow and reporting integration: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Enterprise support is typical. Documentation exists, and partner-led implementations are common.

8: Smarsh Enterprise Archive

Smarsh Enterprise Archive is often used in regulated industries where communication records must be retained and searchable. It is commonly evaluated for archiving email and digital communications with compliance workflows.

Key Features

Communication archiving for compliance-focused environments
Retention controls and search workflows for investigations
Legal hold features for regulated retention needs
Supervision and review workflows (varies by setup)
Reporting and audit trails for compliance evidence
Administrative controls for role separation and governance

Pros

Strong for compliance-driven communication retention
Useful for organizations with supervision and review requirements

Cons

Best value appears in regulated communication-heavy environments
Scope depends on required communication channels and connectors

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Web
Deployment: Cloud

Security and Compliance
Access controls and audit capabilities: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Often aligned with communication platforms and compliance workflows to support defensible record keeping.

Email and communication platform alignment: Varies / N/A
Identity integration patterns: Varies / N/A
Export and eDiscovery workflows: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Support is commonly enterprise-oriented. Documentation exists, and compliance teams often rely on structured onboarding.

9: Global Relay Archive

Global Relay Archive is widely known in regulated sectors where communication retention, supervision, and defensible eDiscovery processes are important. It is often selected for governance workflows that require strong audit trails.

Key Features

Archive and retention workflows for communications and records
Search and eDiscovery support for investigations
Supervision and monitoring workflows (varies by configuration)
Legal hold and retention governance controls
Reporting for compliance evidence and audit trails
Role-based controls for governance teams

Pros

Strong fit for regulated environments needing defensible retention
Useful search and supervision workflows for compliance operations

Cons

Can be overkill for basic email-only archiving needs
Scope depends on required communication channels and connectors

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Web
Deployment: Cloud

Security and Compliance
Audit and access controls: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Typically integrated with communication platforms and compliance review workflows.

Communication platform alignment: Varies / N/A
Identity integration: Varies / N/A
Export and reporting integrations: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Strong enterprise support models are common. Many deployments rely on compliance-focused implementation guidance.

10: ZL Technologies Unified Archive

ZL Technologies Unified Archive focuses on enterprise archiving for large-scale retention and eDiscovery needs. It is often evaluated by organizations that need high-volume indexing, strong search performance, and defensible legal workflows.

Key Features

Enterprise archiving for large-scale data retention
Strong indexing and search capabilities for investigations
Retention policy controls with governance workflows
Legal hold and eDiscovery support for structured investigations
Reporting and audit trails for defensible retention
Architecture options for large environments (varies)

Pros

Strong for large-scale archiving and eDiscovery workloads
Useful when indexing performance and governance are primary needs

Cons

Can be complex to implement without clear requirements and ownership
May be more than needed for smaller teams and simpler retention

Platforms and Deployment
Platforms: Windows / Linux (varies)
Deployment: Self-hosted / Hybrid (varies)

Security and Compliance
Access controls, audit trails: Varies / Not publicly stated
Certifications: Not publicly stated

Integrations and Ecosystem
Often integrated into enterprise communication and content ecosystems for centralized retention governance.

Email and content system alignment: Varies / N/A
Identity and role integration: Varies / N/A
Export and workflow integrations: Varies / N/A

Support and Community
Enterprise-oriented support with implementation guidance often required. Documentation exists and is used heavily during onboarding.

Comparison Table

Tool Name	Best For	Platform(s) Supported	Deployment	Standout Feature	Public Rating
Microsoft Purview	Unified retention and eDiscovery in Microsoft ecosystems	Web	Cloud	Integrated governance and retention policies	N/A
Google Vault	Retention and eDiscovery for Google Workspace data	Web	Cloud	Simple governance inside Workspace	N/A
Proofpoint Enterprise Archive	Compliance-focused email archiving with strong search	Web	Cloud / Hybrid	Email indexing and investigation workflows	N/A
Mimecast Archive	Email archiving with practical governance workflows	Web	Cloud	Search and retention for email compliance	N/A
Veritas Enterprise Vault	Long-term archiving with mature governance control	Windows (primary)	Self-hosted / Hybrid	Deep policy control and tiering strategies	N/A
Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service	Straightforward cloud email archiving for SMB	Web	Cloud	Simple admin and fast search	N/A
OpenText Archive Center	Enterprise records and content lifecycle archiving	Windows, Linux (varies)	Self-hosted / Hybrid	Records-aligned archiving strategy	N/A
Smarsh Enterprise Archive	Regulated communication retention and search	Web	Cloud	Compliance-oriented archive workflows	N/A
Global Relay Archive	Defensible retention and supervision for regulated sectors	Web	Cloud	Supervision and audit evidence workflows	N/A
ZL Technologies Unified Archive	Large-scale archiving and eDiscovery performance	Windows, Linux (varies)	Self-hosted / Hybrid	High-volume indexing and retrieval	N/A

Evaluation and Scoring

Weights used:

Core features – 25%
Ease of use – 15%
Integrations and ecosystem – 15%
Security and compliance – 10%
Performance and reliability – 10%
Support and community – 10%
Price and value – 15%

Tool Name	Core (25%)	Ease (15%)	Integrations (15%)	Security (10%)	Performance (10%)	Support (10%)	Value (15%)	Weighted Total
Microsoft Purview	9	7	9	8	8	8	7	8.05
Google Vault	7	8	7	7	7	7	8	7.35
Proofpoint Enterprise Archive	9	7	7	8	8	8	6	7.70
Mimecast Archive	8	8	7	8	8	8	7	7.75
Veritas Enterprise Vault	9	6	7	8	8	7	6	7.35
Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service	7	8	6	7	7	7	9	7.35
OpenText Archive Center	8	6	7	8	8	7	6	7.05
Smarsh Enterprise Archive	8	7	7	8	8	7	6	7.35
Global Relay Archive	8	7	7	8	8	7	6	7.35
ZL Technologies Unified Archive	8	5	7	8	9	6	5	7.00

How to interpret these scores:

Use totals to compare overall balance, but prioritize the column that reflects your main risk.
If legal defensibility matters most, Security and Core should outweigh Ease.
If your admin team is small, Ease and Value often decide long-term success.
If your environment is multi-platform, Integrations can matter more than small score differences.
Validate by running real searches, holds, and exports using a sample set of production-like data.

Which Archiving Tool Is Right for You?

Solo or Freelancer
Most solo users do not need a formal archiving platform unless legal retention is required. If you do, prioritize clear retention rules, basic search, and low overhead. Keep governance simple and focus on predictable retrieval.

SMB
SMBs usually need email retention, basic eDiscovery, and search that works without a specialist. Google Vault can fit Workspace environments, while Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service can suit teams that want simpler email archiving operations. If you are already deep in Microsoft productivity, Microsoft Purview may become a natural fit.

Mid-Market
Mid-market teams often need stronger governance, legal holds, and reliable search during investigations. Mimecast Archive and Proofpoint Enterprise Archive are often evaluated for email-centric compliance needs. Microsoft Purview can be strong when retention must align with broader governance controls.

Enterprise
Enterprises should prioritize defensible retention, role separation, audit evidence, and performance at scale. Veritas Enterprise Vault and OpenText Archive Center are often found where archiving is treated as a long-term program. Smarsh Enterprise Archive and Global Relay Archive can be strong fits in regulated communication environments. ZL Technologies Unified Archive can suit high-volume archiving and large-scale eDiscovery needs.

Budget vs Premium
Budget-friendly tools can work well for email retention and simple search needs. Premium platforms are worth it when your risk is high, you need supervision and legal defensibility, and investigations are frequent or complex.

Feature Depth vs Ease of Use
If you want the tool to “just work,” prioritize ease and a clear admin model. If you have dedicated compliance and IT governance teams, deeper policy controls and advanced workflows can deliver long-term value.

Integrations and Scalability
Choose the tool that naturally connects to where your data lives. Validate how it handles identity, exports, role separation, and cross-source searches. Scalability matters most in indexing, search response time, and export speed.

Security and Compliance Needs
If you are in a regulated industry, focus on immutability, legal holds, audit trails, and defensible retention policies. Also confirm access controls are strict enough that archive power cannot be abused, because archive systems often contain the most sensitive historical data.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How is archiving different from backup?
Backup is designed for restore after incidents. Archiving is designed for long-term retention, search, legal holds, and defensible record keeping.

2. What is a legal hold and why does it matter?
A legal hold prevents deletion of selected records even if retention rules would normally expire them. It matters during investigations, disputes, or regulated reviews.

3. Do archiving tools reduce storage costs?
They can, especially when older data is moved out of expensive primary systems and stored with tiered retention policies. Savings depend on how archives are designed and what data is included.

4. How do I know if search quality is good enough?
Test realistic queries, large date ranges, and common filters. Also test exports and verify whether results are consistent and defensible.

5. What data sources should I archive first?
Start with email and critical business communication records, then move to documents, shared drives, and collaboration tools based on compliance and business risk.

6. What are common archiving mistakes?
Common mistakes include unclear retention rules, poor role separation, weak audit trails, slow search performance, and not training teams on holds and exports.

7. How long should we keep archived data?
Retention depends on business needs and regulatory requirements. Avoid one-size-fits-all retention and define policies per data type and risk level.

8. Can archiving tools help with internal investigations?
Yes, they support searches, holds, exports, and evidence trails. The best tools make investigations faster while keeping access controlled and auditable.

9. Is immutability required for archiving?
Not always, but it is increasingly expected for defensibility. Immutability helps ensure records cannot be altered or quietly removed after the fact.

10. What should I include in an archiving pilot?
Include retention rules, legal holds, realistic searches, exports, role separation testing, audit log checks, and performance tests with a production-like data set.

Conclusion

Archiving is a long-term promise: you are committing to retain data, find it quickly, and defend what you produce when asked. The best archiving tool depends on your data sources, regulatory pressure, and the level of investigation and legal hold activity you expect. Start by shortlisting two or three tools from this list that match where your data lives and the governance model your organization can realistically operate. Run a pilot that tests retention rules, legal holds, search performance, exports, and audit trails using a sample dataset that resembles production. Choose the platform that your teams can use consistently, because consistency, evidence, and recoverable search results are what turn archiving into real compliance confidence.