Compare
Each product next to the software it replaces, on things you can check rather than adjectives.
Review draft. The competitor columns have not been checked against the vendors' own documentation. “To be checked” marks a gap on purpose. This page is hidden from search until that is done.
ChainMail replaces Exchange Server, Outlook on the web, IMAP and POP
| ChainMail | Exchange Online | Google Workspace | Zoho Mail | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run it on your own hardware | YesA single server, or hosted by us | No | No | No |
| Classic Outlook connects with no plugin | Yes | Yes | PartlyNeeds Google's sync plugin | PartlyMail by IMAP with no plugin; calendar/contacts need ActiveSync or Zoho add-in |
| Webmail included with every mailbox | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IMAP, POP3 and ActiveSync alongside Outlook's own protocols | Yes | YesIMAP/POP3 and Exchange ActiveSync available; EAS on by default | PartlyIMAP/POP via OAuth only; Google Sync (ActiveSync) ended for accounts in 2025 | PartlyIMAP, POP and ActiveSync; ActiveSync only on paid business plans |
| Calendar syncing to phones, tablets and Outlook | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contact syncing to phones, tablets and Outlook | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Device approval for the email client (not one-time codes) | PartlyOptional, for Rivet-only mailboxes: each Rivet device is approved once and re-approved every 30 days. Other clients are blocked for those mailboxes, not second-factor protected. Phone approval is still being proven | PartlyActiveSync device allow/block/quarantine rules; not Outlook desktop | To be checked | To be checked |
| Any CalDAV or CardDAV app can use your calendar and contacts | Yes | To be checked | PartlyCalDAV and CardDAV supported but OAuth 2.0 only; no VTODO/MKCALENDAR | PartlyCalDAV and CardDAV documented; no VTODO, organisation address book not exposed |
| Phones and tablets sync natively, with no extra app | Yes | Yes | YesAdd Google account in iOS Mail/Calendar/Contacts; Android native; admin can restrict | PartlyNative sync via ActiveSync, paid business plans only |
| Aliases and forwarding per mailbox | Yes | YesExtra SMTP addresses per mailbox and per-mailbox forwarding documented | YesUp to 30 aliases per user; forwarding not separately fetched | YesPer-user email aliases route to primary mailbox; admin console |
| DKIM, SPF and DMARC for the mail you send | Yes | YesSPF, DKIM signing and DMARC records documented for custom domains | YesSPF, DKIM (Admin console) and DMARC (DNS record) documented | YesDKIM, SPF and a DMARC generator in the admin console |
| Every message can be copied to an archive (journaling) | Yes | YesJournaling to an external mailbox is documented | YesJournal copies of mail can be sent to a third-party archive address | YesEmail journaling available in Zoho Mail |
| Mail waits and is delivered if the main server is unreachable | Yes | PartlyOutbound retried about 24h, then NDR; hosted service, no queue-for-your-server | To be checked | To be checked |
| Mail store kept as three copies on three different hosts | Yes | YesEach mailbox database copied across datacenters (3 copies; another page says 4) | To be checked | To be checked |
| Moving over from Exchange (mail by IMAP; calendars and contacts imported separately) | Yes | YesCutover, staged, hybrid and IMAP migration paths documented | YesMigrates Exchange mail, calendar, contacts (GWMME/data import); IMAP mail only | YesAdmin Console migrates Exchange mail, contacts, calendars via EWS; IMAP mail only |
Rivet replaces Outlook
| Rivet | Outlook (classic desktop) | Thunderbird | eM Client | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on Linux | Yes | No | Yes | NoFeatures page lists Windows, macOS, iOS, Android only |
| Exchange (EWS) accounts | Yes | Yes | PartlyNative EWS since v145 (Nov 2025): mail only; calendar/contacts were pending | YesSyncs mail, calendar, contacts via Exchange Web Services |
| CalDAV and CardDAV built in | Yes | PartlyMicrosoft states Outlook lacks CalDAV/CardDAV; only via add-ins | YesCalDAV and CardDAV listed as supported on desktop | YesSyncs calendars, contacts, tasks over CalDAV/CardDAV |
| Mail kept locally, searchable, works offline | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar and contacts in the same window as mail | Yes | Yes | PartlyCalendar built in; contacts via address book | Yes |
| Full-text search that covers attachments | Yes | Yes | NoNo search inside attachment text (PDF etc.); add-ons do not index it | YesSearch covers attachments; needs the attachment-search option on |
| Server-side rules (Sieve) as well as client rules | Yes | NoNo Sieve in Exchange/Outlook; Exchange inbox rules do run server-side but are not Sieve | NoSieve/ManageSieve not in Thunderbird's standards table; add-ons only | NoServer-side rules only for Exchange, IceWarp, Gmail; Sieve not documented |
| Outlook PST import | Yes | YesClassic Outlook imports mail, contacts, calendar from .pst | To be checked | YesImports MBOX, PST or EML files |
| S/MIME and OpenPGP | PartlyBuilt | PartlyS/MIME supported; OpenPGP not documented | YesBoth built in: S/MIME and OpenPGP (CORRECTION: was partial) | YesSign and encrypt with S/MIME or PGP |
| Telegram inside the mail client | PartlyNative view, still being tested | No | No | No |
| WhatsApp, Slack and Discord panels | PartlyThe services' own web apps in a frame | No | No | PartlyChat services as panels |
| Browse and share IronDrive files from the client | Yes | PartlyOneDrive and SharePoint only | No | No |
| Updates itself from signed releases | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | YesApple silicon, signed and notarised build; Intel Macs and in-app updates on Mac not yet | Yes | Yes | YesmacOS listed as supported platform |
IronSeal replaces MailStore and Piler
| IronSeal | MailStore | Piler | Mimecast Archive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nightly cryptographic seal over the whole archive, checkable later | Yes | PartlySHA hashes per mail, exports can be signed; no archive-wide seal documented | To be checked | To be checked |
| Refuses mail with a temporary failure rather than archive it wrongly | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Bodies and attachments encrypted per tenant | Yes | PartlyInternal AES-256 on archive; per-tenant keys not documented | PartlyAES-256 on archived mail; per-tenant keys not documented | To be checked |
| Multi-tenant, with reseller administration | Yes | PartlySeparate Service Provider Edition product for MSPs | To be checked | To be checked |
| Users search and restore their own mail in the web client | Yes | YesWeb Access: full-text search and one-click restore | YesWeb UI search, view, export and restore to mailbox | To be checked |
| Thunderbird plugin and Outlook add-in for restoring mail | PartlyBuilt | PartlyOutlook add-in (new and classic); no Thunderbird plugin found | To be checked | To be checked |
| Legal hold that always blocks erasure | Yes | YesNo emails can be deleted while legal hold is active | YesLegal hold listed in features | YesLegal hold is a featured use case on product page |
| eDiscovery export with a record of who took a copy | Yes | PartlyAudit log of admin events; exports can be signed; per-copy record unclear | PartlyAudit log with search; EML export; per-copy record not stated | To be checked |
| Only approved mail servers may journal into a client | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Imports an existing Piler archive | Yes | To be checked | YesIt is Piler; imports EML, mbox and IMAP/POP3 | To be checked |
| Full-text search across headers, bodies and attachments, limited to what the searcher may see | Yes | YesFull-text search in Web Access | YesFull-text, advanced search; access control per user | To be checked |
| Hosted by us or on your own hardware | Yes | PartlyServer on-premises; MailStore Cloud is a separate product | To be checked | NoFAQ: archived email is stored in the cloud (vendor-hosted only) |
| Capture from Microsoft 365 or Exchange by polling | PartlyBuilt | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Encrypted search index | Planned | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
IronDrive replaces SharePoint and OneDrive
| IronDrive | SharePoint and OneDrive | Google Drive | Dropbox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in the browser | Yes | Yes | PartlyChrome extension for Office mode, or converts file to Docs format | YesOpens Office files in Office for the web; co-authoring on Standard+ plans |
| Intranet pages and news included | Yes | Yes | PartlyGoogle Sites | No |
| A restriction set high up cannot be undone lower down | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Recycle bin with 35 days' retention | Yes | PartlyRecycle bin exists; 93 days from deletion, not 35 | PartlyTrash exists; 30-day auto-delete | PartlyDeleted files kept 30/180/365 days by plan; add-ons extend |
| Desktop sync client | PartlyWindows, macOS and Linux builds; Linux in daily use | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Share by link with expiry, password, use limit and upload-only drop folders | Yes | Yes | To be checked | PartlyPassword+expiry on paid plans; no use limit (only Disable downloads) |
| Version history and a recycle bin | Yes | Yes | To be checked | YesVersion history and deleted-file recovery by plan |
| Per-library sync mode: two-way, upload-only mirror or archive | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Legal hold enforced in the database | Yes | To be checked | PartlyVault hold blocks purging, not edits; shared drives held via members | To be checked |
| Import from a Windows file share | Yes | YesSPMT and Migration Manager import file shares | To be checked | To be checked |
| Import from SharePoint and OneDrive | PartlyBuilt; never run against a real Microsoft tenant | PartlyImports SharePoint Server and file shares; SPO/OneDrive source not stated | To be checked | To be checked |
| Approval workflows and check-out | PartlyBuilt | Yes | PartlyApprovals+locking, Enterprise/Edu Plus only; no check-out described | To be checked |
| Scan to folder from a phone, with text recognition | PartlyBuilt; iPhone app is test-only | To be checked | YesAndroid Drive scan saves searchable PDFs; iPhone steps not shown | To be checked |
| Retention policies and records management | Planned | YesRetention policies and labels documented in Purview | PartlyVault retention rules exist; holds override them; edition scope not checked | To be checked |
IronIngot replaces Word, Excel and PowerPoint
| IronIngot | Microsoft Office | Google Docs, Sheets and Slides | LibreOffice | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reads and writes .xlsx, .docx and .pptx | Yes | Yes | PartlyConverts to Docs formats or edits via Chrome extension; saves docx/xlsx/pptx | Yes |
| Desktop applications for Linux | Yes | No | NoBrowser only | Yes |
| Edits in the browser | Yes | YesOffice for the web | Yes | No |
| PDF export drawn from what is on screen | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Reads and writes OpenDocument files | Yes | Yes | PartlyConverts ODF files in; save-back formats listed are docx/xlsx/pptx | Yes |
| Over 150 spreadsheet functions with ordered recalculation | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Charts, conditional formatting, data validation and tables | Yes | Yes | To be checked | Yes |
| PivotTables that recompute from live cells | PartlyAn Excel user sees correct numbers, not a pivot to re-pivot | Yes | To be checked | To be checked |
| VBA macros in a file | PartlyKept on save; running them is lightly tested | Yes | No | To be checked |
| Signed Windows installer | Yes | Yes | NoBrowser/Chrome-extension only; no Windows installer described | To be checked |
| macOS app | PartlyApple silicon only; signed and notarised | Yes | NoBrowser-based; no macOS editing app described | Yes |
| Two people editing at once | PartlyWeb only, early | Yes | Yes | To be checked |
| Android and iPhone apps | Planned | Yes | Yes | PartlyTDF Android viewer, experimental editing; Collabora Office (separate) for iOS/edit |
IronLedger replaces Sage and Xero
| IronLedger | Sage | Xero | QuickBooks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Posted entries are never edited or deleted, only reversed | Yes | To be checked | NoLock dates only; no full audit trail of changes planned | NoTransactions can be deleted; audit log shows details to re-enter |
| Imports from Pastel | Yes | To be checked | PartlyNo built-in importer; partner conversion tools (CloudConvert, MMC Convert) | To be checked |
| Built for IFRS for SMEs and South African VAT | PartlyVAT rules built; no returns filed with SARS | Yes | PartlySA VAT201 prepared and filed; IFRS for SMEs not stated | To be checked |
| Photograph a slip and have the entry proposed | PartlyBuilt; relies on an outside AI service and has had failures | To be checked | YesHubdoc in ZA plans: photo/email upload, extracts data, drafts transaction | YesZA app: snap receipt, data extracted into transaction for review |
| Bank statement import and reconciliation | PartlyABSA statements only | Yes | YesAPI bank feeds from SA banks (e.g. Nedbank, Investec) and reconciliation | Yes |
| Customer and supplier ledgers with payments allocated to documents | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trial balance, income statement, balance sheet, VAT report and age analysis | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Many client companies in one practice, isolated in the database | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Public REST API with idempotent writes | Yes | To be checked | YesIdempotency-Key header on POST/PUT/PATCH; key cached 6 minutes | Yesrequestid parameter returns original response on repeat; no published window |
| Fixed-asset register and depreciation | NoNot built | Yes | YesFixed assets register with automatic depreciation; SARS tax book needs add-on | To be checked |
| VAT return submission | NoFigures only | PartlyVAT201 to eFiling in Accountants Edition; one e-submit per period | YesSubmits VAT201 to SARS from Xero (since 2021; 2025 update) | NoIntuit ZA help: cannot e-file in QBO; file on eFiling then record payment |
IronHall replaces Microsoft Teams
| IronHall | Microsoft Teams | Zoom | Slack | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chat and video meetings in one product | Yes | Yes | Yes | PartlyHuddles and calls |
| Chat on an open protocol (Matrix) | Yes | No | No | No |
| End-to-end encryption | PartlyAvailable for chat | PartlySome calls and meetings | PartlyOptional | No |
| Phone calls inside the app, with the desk phone ringing at the same time | Yes | Yes | PartlyZoom Phone is a separate product | PartlyCalls to numbers only via third-party calling apps (paid plans) |
| Guests join with a code or link and need no account | Yes | Yes | Yes | To be checked |
| Schedule meetings from a calendar view into the calendar your mail client reads | Yes | YesTeams meetings appear in Outlook/Exchange calendar both ways | YesTwo-way sync with Google Calendar, Office 365 and Exchange | PartlyNo own calendar; Google/Outlook Calendar apps (Outlook not for on-prem Exchange) |
| Appear offline, which also stops your phones ringing | Yes | To be checked | NoNo offline option; Available/Busy/DND/Away/Out of office only | NoOnly active/away plus pause notifications; no appear-offline option |
| Desktop apps for Windows and Linux | Yes | PartlyWindows app; Linux native app retired, web/PWA only | YesWindows and Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, RHEL 9+, Fedora, Arch) | PartlyWindows app; Linux app labelled beta (Ubuntu 22.04+, RHEL 9+) |
| Android app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone app | PartlyInternal testing only; call audio not yet confirmed | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sign in with the company directory | Yes | Yes | YesSAML SSO incl. AD FS, Entra, Okta; Business/Education accounts and up | PartlySAML SSO (ADFS, Entra, Okta) on Business+ and Enterprise only |
| Voicemail | NoRemoved; to be rebuilt | Yes | Yes | To be checked |
| Federation with other organisations' servers | Planned | YesExternal access to other Microsoft 365 orgs' Teams; domain allow/block lists | PartlyZoom-to-Zoom external contacts; Teams/Slack bridging via Mio is internal-only | PartlySlack Connect links Slack workspaces only; no federation to other chat servers |
IronForge replaces Azure and cloud hosting
| IronForge | Microsoft Azure | Amazon Web Services | DigitalOcean | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domain registration and DNS in the same account | Yes | PartlyAzure DNS has no domain registration; buy elsewhere | YesRoute 53 registers domains and hosts DNS | PartlyDNS hosting only; docs assume a domain you already own |
| Browser console straight to the machine | Yes | YesAzure Bastion gives SSH/RDP in the portal browser | Yes | Yes |
| Shared web hosting with mail and databases | PartlyRun by our staff, not self-service | No | No | PartlyMarketplace apps |
| Reseller ownership tree of customer organisations | PartlyNo own branding, pricing or billing yet | PartlyPartner programme | PartlyPartner programme | No |
| Authoritative DNS on three nameservers in more than one location | Yes | YesFour anycast name servers per zone on a global network | YesFour name servers on four TLDs; 200+ PoPs | To be checked |
| Dynamic DNS with per-zone tokens | Yes | NoStatic DNS only; no DDNS protocol (zone RBAC via API) | NoNo native DDNS; build from Lambda and Route 53 API | To be checked |
| Quota-limited containers ordered by the customer | Planned | YesContainer Instances with documented per-subscription quotas | YesECS on Fargate with adjustable account quotas | YesApp Platform containers with documented limits |
| Usage reported per organisation, daily | Yes | YesCost Management daily exports and cost analysis by subscription | YesCost Explorer DAILY granularity filtered by linked account | PartlyDaily spend report/API per team; per-project CSV is beta |
| Nightly backups | PartlyOn-site; the off-site copy does not yet cover every guest | YesAzure Backup daily policy for VMs (paid, opt-in) | YesAWS Backup plans default daily (opt-in, paid) | YesDroplet backups every 4/6/12 hours, daily or weekly (paid) |
| Automatic restart on another server after a failure | Planned | YesService healing relocates VMs to a healthy host, about 15 min, with reboot | YesSimplified auto recovery on by default on supported instance types | PartlyLive migration on hardware failure; no documented auto-restart after crash |
IronBadge replaces Sage 300 People and VIP Premier
| IronBadge | Sage 300 People | VIP Premier | PaySpace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South African PAYE, UIF, SDL and ETI | Yes | YesSA year-end centre: IRP5 and EMP501 submission support | YesLegislative reporting covers EMP201, UIF, OID, EEA2/EEA4 | YesCalculates PAYE, UIF, SDL per Income Tax Act; EMP201 report incl. ETI |
| Refuses to calculate with a statutory rate nobody has verified | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| A pay run cannot skip calculate, approve, pay, close | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Employee self-service for payslips and leave | Yes | YesESS: leave balances, leave requests, payslips and IRP5s | Yes | YesPayslips, tax certificates, leave requests on web; WhatsApp ESS is an add-on |
| A separate database for every customer | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | NoVendor describes single-instance multi-tenant platform |
| Shows the PAYE calculation step by step | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Payroll journal that always balances, mapped per pay item | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Leave counted in working days using a South African holiday calendar | Yes | YesSA holiday calendar imported yearly into Company Rule, feeds workdays | YesSA public holiday CSV loaded into leave calendar each year | YesPublic holidays and leave rules configured per country and entity |
| EMP201, IRP5 and Return of Earnings figures from closed runs | PartlyFigures only; filing with SARS is not built | To be checked | YesReports for EMP201, OID, UIF; IRP5 file imports into e@syFile | PartlyEMP201, IRP5, EMP501 yes; COIDA claimed in marketing, ROE not described |
| Imports from Sage 300 People and VIP Premier exports | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Several companies in one account | Yes | YesDatasheet: consolidated reporting across multiple companies | YesPremier HR allows multiple companies within one database | PartlyMulti-entity payroll runs only on Premier tier |
| Reseller co-branding | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Bank payment file | PartlyFNB format only, never tested with a bank | YesSeveral SA bank file layouts (Investec, Capitec, Standard Chartered) | To be checked | To be checked |
IronGate replaces Active Directory
| IronGate | Microsoft Entra ID | Entra Domain Services | JumpCloud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A real domain controller speaking Kerberos, LDAP and NETLOGON | Yes | NoNo domain controllers; those come with Entra Domain Services | YesManaged domain controllers | To be checked |
| Join Windows machines to a domain | Yes | PartlyEntra join (cloud-only); hybrid join needs a domain controller | YesDomain join supported | To be checked |
| A domain controller of your own, never shared | Yes | NoNo domain controllers in Entra ID | To be checked | To be checked |
| Directory ports closed to the internet by default | Yes | To be checked | YesPublic secure LDAP is off by default | To be checked |
| A directory created automatically from sign-up | PartlyFrom a pool of prepared servers; not instant | Yes | To be checked | To be checked |
| Linux machine joins with single sign-on by Kerberos ticket | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Windows machine joins and receives Group Policy | PartlyJoins and retrieves policy; a setting applying is not yet shown | NoEntra-joined devices use Intune, not Group Policy | YesGroup Policy replicated across replica sets | PartlyAgent policies use Windows GPO engine; no domain GPOs |
| Staff and group management from a web panel | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Password policy per person or group | Yes | To be checked | YesFine-grained policies applied by group | YesSeparate password policy per user group |
| Device inventory and sign-in agent | PartlyVerified on test machines | Yes | To be checked | YesDevice list in admin console; agent on Mac/Win/Linux |
| Backups of every customer's directory | NoNot offered yet | PartlyEntra Backup and Recovery: daily, ~7 days, needs P1/P2 | YesPlatform backs up the managed DCs | YesEncrypted backups kept in several locations |
| Two-factor sign-in | Planned | YesAuthenticator and other MFA methods | To be checked | YesJumpCloud Protect push and TOTP MFA |
| Automatic failover | NoOne domain controller per customer | To be checked | PartlyReplica sets add DCs; up to 5 sets per domain | YesMulti-AZ, within-region failover; 99.9% uptime commitment |
| Mac and Android devices | Planned | YesMac joins (macOS 13+); Android registers | To be checked | YesAgent on Mac/Win/Linux; Android and iOS via MDM |
Gauntlet replaces Mimecast and Proofpoint
| Gauntlet | Mimecast | Proofpoint | Barracuda | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relays clean mail to any mailbox host | YesChainMail, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or on-prem Exchange | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| A filtering instance dedicated to the gateway, not shared | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Quarantine release by signed, single-use link with no login | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | NoDigest links require sign-in or passcode since Mar 2023 |
| SPF, DKIM and DMARC checked against the sender's own records | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-tenant, branded per tenant | Yes | YesPartner/MSP tenants; branding sets per customer | PartlyMSP multi-tenant console; new whitelabel requests stopped Sep 2025 | To be checked |
| Per-domain delivery to its own mail host and port | Yes | YesDelivery routing by domain to a chosen server | To be checked | To be checked |
| Allow and block lists per domain, mailbox or all domains | Yes | YesPermitted/blocked sender policies plus per-user lists | YesAdmins and users allow/block addresses, domains, IPs | YesUsers allow/block senders and domains |
| Staff release their own held mail from a My spam page | Yes | YesUsers release held mail via Personal Portal or digest | YesDigest Release & Approve action for users | YesUsers deliver held mail from digest/user UI |
| Admin audit log of every release and change | Yes | YesImmutable audit logs of admin changes, exportable | PartlyAudit logs exist but only Support can view them | YesAudit log of admin, user, support changes; 14 days |
| Suspend a tenant without destroying held mail | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Outlook add-in to report spam and view held mail | Yes | YesMimecast Essentials for Outlook: report, held mail, senders | To be checked | PartlyEmail Protection add-in reports suspicious mail; legacy add-in cannot |
| Outbound relaying with DKIM signing | PartlyIn rollout | YesOutbound DKIM signing via DNS Authentication definition | YesOutbound DKIM signing configurable; needs DNS update | To be checked |
| Daily quarantine digest per tenant | PartlyBuilt and scheduled | YesDigest email notification set, with release/permit/block | YesUser spam digest of blocked mail | YesDigest has Deliver, Allow List, Block List |
| High-availability pair | NoOne filtering server | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
IronWatch replaces N-able, ConnectWise and TeamViewer
| IronWatch | TeamViewer | ConnectWise ScreenConnect | N-able | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote desktop and terminal for a technician | PartlyRunning on our own fleet; not yet offered to customers | YesCore product | YesCore product | YesRemote control in N-central/N-sight |
| A model on your own hardware can investigate a machine | Planned | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| One coordinator per customer, never shared | Planned | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Windows and Linux agents, with a signed Windows agent | Yes | YesWindows, macOS, Linux; signing not checked | YesWindows, macOS, Linux clients; signing not checked | YesWindows, macOS, Linux monitoring; signing not checked |
| One enrolment key for many machines, without duplicates | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Per-customer portals with machines, alerts and readings | Yes | YesCompanies/groups, monitoring | Yes | YesCustomer-level organisation in N-central |
| Agents update themselves from signed releases | Yes | PartlyPolicy-enforced auto-update (paid plans); signing not stated | To be checked | To be checked |
| Connector so Claude can query machines and alerts (Full or Read-only keys, every call logged) | Yes | PartlyOfficial MCP integration; read-only/logging not documented | To be checked | PartlyRead-only and full endpoints; token = creator's perms; audit log not stated |
| Raise a support ticket from the tray | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Network-device monitoring | PartlyBuilt | PartlyDiscovery over ICMP/SNMP; older docs, Windows-hosted | To be checked | YesMonitors Cisco, Fortinet, HP, Juniper; MIB custom monitoring |
| Tickets and AI time tracking through IronWorks | PartlyDeployed; no real ticket call yet | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Self-hosted edition | NoHosted only | NoTensor described as cloud-based; no on-prem option stated | YesScreenConnect On-Premise (self-hosted) offered | YesN-central on-prem deployments exist |
Bazaar replaces Standalone tills, stock sheets and docket books
| Bazaar | Lightspeed | Square | Toast | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Every sale deducts its recipe's ingredients from stock | Yes | PartlyRecipe deduction on sale; K-Series needs Inventory add-on | PartlyRecipes deduct ingredients; Plus/Premium only, beta, no modifiers | YesComplete recipes deplete stock per sale; modifiers excluded; region-limited |
| Works with your existing standalone card machine | Yes | To be checked | NoSquare readers required for card-present payments | NoIn-house processing and Toast-supplied readers only |
| Orders voided with a reason and a manager's PIN, never deleted | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | YesManager code prompt without void permission; voids kept in reports |
| One setting switches plain receipts to full tax invoices | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Kitchen tickets to a receipt printer | Yes | YesTickets print to printer groups (ShopKeep-line doc) | YesPrinter profiles route kitchen tickets to supported printers | YesKitchen printers (e.g. Epson) set up in Toast Web |
IronVault replaces 1Password, Bitwarden, the password spreadsheet and the envelope in the safe
| IronVault | 1Password | Bitwarden | LastPass | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encrypted on your device; the provider holds only ciphertext | Yes | YesZero-knowledge, client-side encryption | YesZero-knowledge, client-side encryption | YesZero-knowledge, local encryption |
| Emergency access with a waiting period you can cancel | Yes | No | YesPremium; trusted contact, wait time set, grantor can reject | YesPremium/Families; emergency contacts with wait time |
| Emergency access needs several chosen people together (any 2 of 3) | Yes | No | NoOne contact each; no joint approval | NoOne contact each; no joint approval |
| Passkey or authenticator-app sign-in | Yes | YesPasskey/security key and Authenticator 2FA | YesAuthenticator app and passkey/FIDO2 2FA | YesAuthenticator app and passkey login |
| Browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox (Chromium browsers also work) | Yes | YesChrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Safari | YesChrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari and others | YesChrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari |
| Authenticator codes built in | Yes | YesStores and fills one-time passwords | PartlyBuilt-in TOTP is Premium or paid org only | To be checked |
| Stores and uses passkeys | Yes | YesSaves/signs in with passkeys in browser, Windows, Android | YesBrowser, mobile, desktop; no plan restriction stated | YesPasskeys supported; not via Desktop app |
| Android app | Yes | YesAndroid app (passkeys need Android 14+) | YesGoogle Play and F-Droid | YesAndroid app |
| Windows desktop app | Yes | Yes1Password 8 for Windows | YesWindows installer, Store, portable | YesNew LastPass for Desktop app; old Windows app discontinued |
| iPhone app | Planned | YesiOS app | YesApp Store | YesiOS app |
| Imports from other password managers | Yes | YesBitwarden, Dashlane, KeePass, Keeper, LastPass, RoboForm, CSV | YesMany managers incl. 1Password and LastPass | YesImport from other managers or CSV |
| Breached-password check that sends nothing identifying | Yes | YesOnly first 5 chars of hash leave device (HIBP range query) | YesExposed Passwords report: 5-char hash prefix, Premium | To be checked |
| Encrypted file attachments up to 50 MB | Yes | Yes2 GB/file stated for Business; other plans' per-file cap not stated | YesPremium: 500 MB per file (100 MB mobile), 5 GB storage | NoMax 10 MB per attachment |
| Approve a computer's sign-in on your phone | PartlyBuilt; not re-tested since the latest phone changes | YesSign in new device by scanning QR code from phone app | YesLog in with device: approve from another logged-in device | YesAuthenticator push: tap Approve for MFA; master password still needed |
IronMark replaces Truecaller
| IronMark | Truecaller | Hiya | Google Phone caller ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anyone can unlist their own number, with or without the app | Yes | YesUnlist via website after phone verification | PartlyRemoval request via Manage My Data, up to 30 days; spam reports kept | To be checked |
| Names come from shared contacts, never showing who shared them | Yes | YesNames built from contacts users upload (review source) | To be checked | To be checked |
| Warn, silence or reject spam calls, your choice | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | YesSpam ID warns; Filter spam calls silences/voicemail |
| Android | Yes | Yes | YesHiya Spam Blocker on Google Play | YesPhone app needs Android 9+ |
| iPhone | Planned | Yes | YesHiya Spam Blocker on the App Store | NoHelp pages describe Android only; no iOS app found |
IronWorks replaces Older in-house back-office admin systems
| IronWorks | Odoo | Zoho One | Sage Business Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customers, tickets, quotes, invoices and stock in one product | Yes | To be checked | PartlySeparate apps | To be checked |
| Per-company isolation enforced in the database | Yes | NoMulti-company via ORM record rules (app layer), not DB-level RLS | To be checked | To be checked |
| Exports to CSV or PDF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Debit-order handling for South African collection | PartlyBuilt | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Ticket timers per technician, with stock used on a ticket | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Stock cards, transfers, stock-takes and purchase orders | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Quotes, orders, invoices, credit notes and statements | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Invoices, statements and labels printed as server-made PDFs | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Users, roles and an authenticator-app step | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| VoIP customers with call credit and click-to-call | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Recurring billing | PartlyBuilt; not switched on yet | To be checked | To be checked | PartlyRecurring invoices exist but not for stock items |
IronWire replaces On-premise PBX and hosted cloud-calling services
| IronWire | 3CX | Zoom Phone | RingCentral | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Any standard SIP phone or softphone | Yes | To be checked | PartlyGeneric SIP devices manual; may need support ticket; basic calling | To be checked |
| Extensions, auto-attendant menus, queues and voicemail | Yes | Yes | YesAuto receptionists and call queues documented; voicemail not rechecked | Yes |
| An isolated phone system of its own for each customer | Yes | PartlyMulti-tenant shares one instance; own instance needs Dedicated | To be checked | To be checked |
| Self-service portal for staff | Yes | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Automatic phone setup | PartlyYealink verified; Fanvil and Grandstream supported, not verified | YesSupported phone models provision automatically (DHCP opt 66/RPS) | PartlyZero-touch varies by vendor/model | To be checked |
| Ring groups, time conditions and closed dates | Yes | YesOffice hours, holidays and ring groups; time routing via CFD DateTime | YesBusiness, closed and holiday hours per user, queue, shared line group | To be checked |
| Visual call-flow canvas | Yes | YesCall Flow Designer is a visual flow editor (V20) | To be checked | To be checked |
| Programmable busy-lamp keys with attended or blind transfer | PartlyVerified on Yealink | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Click-to-call API | Yes | PartlyCall Control API makecall; needs Enterprise-tier licence | To be checked | To be checked |
| Work-from-home phones behind a router | Yes | YesRemote phones supported via 3CX SBC | To be checked | To be checked |
| Webhook destinations | PartlyBuilt | To be checked | To be checked | To be checked |
| Number porting | Planned | To be checked | YesPort-in supported, up to 15 business days US/CA; no virtual numbers | YesAdmin submits port-in order in Admin Portal |
| Emergency-call routing | Planned | Yes | YesEmergency routing; not on mobile with SIM; ported numbers need address | Yes |
| Managed call recording | Planned | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Encrypted calling | Planned | To be checked | YesSIP over TLS 1.2; media AES-128 default, AES-256 optional | Yes |
IronView replaces Adobe Acrobat
| IronView | Adobe Acrobat | Foxit PDF Editor | Okular | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No account, no server and no telemetry | Yes | NoAdobe ID account; usage data collected unless opted out | To be checked | To be checked |
| Runs on Linux | Yes | NoNo Linux Acrobat desktop build; Windows/macOS only | NoPlatforms listed: Windows, macOS, web, mobile; no Linux | YesKDE app for Linux |
| Text recognition runs on the device | YesLatin built in, seven more languages as packs | To be checked | YesOCR listed (scan to searchable PDF); local vs cloud not stated | To be checked |
| Fill, mark up and sign with a drawn or photographed signature | Yes | YesFill and Sign with drawn/image signature | YesFill, annotate, sign | YesAnnotations, forms; handwritten signature via stamp/ink tip |
| Platforms | PartlyLinux and Android now; Windows and macOS planned | YesWindows, macOS, mobile, web | YesWindows, macOS, mobile with Editor+ | To be checked |
| Digital-certificate signatures | NoNot built | YesCertificate-based signatures | YesCertificate signatures in Editor | YesSigns with PKCS certificate you supply; cannot create one |
| Redaction that removes the content from the file | Yes | YesRedact tool removes content | YesRedaction listed in plan table; AI Smart Redact in Editor+ only | To be checked |
| AES-256 password protection | Yes | YesPassword encryption AES-256 | YesPassword protection and security listed; AES-256 not named | NoOpens encrypted PDFs; GUI encryption only a wishlist (bug 366447) |
| Create a form on a plain page | Yes | YesPrepare Form tool | YesCreate, fill, sign and send forms | To be checked |
| Split, merge, extract, reorder, rotate and delete pages | Yes | YesOrganize Pages, combine, split | YesPage organisation tools | To be checked |
| Cloud sync, accounts and sharing links | NoNone, by design | YesAdobe Document Cloud share links | YesFoxit DMS cloud storage and integrations; Editor Cloud in Editor+ | To be checked |
| Rewrite existing paragraphs of text | NoNot built | YesEdit PDF text | YesEdit text, images and pages | To be checked |