IKARUS

Vienna-built gateway with all development, processing and support kept in-house in Austria

Quick Overview

CompanyIKARUS mail.security
CategoryEmail Security & Anti-Phishing Software
HeadquartersVienna, Austria (IKARUS Security Software GmbH)
FoundedNot stated by the vendor
EU PresenceEU (Austria)
Open SourceNot stated; closed-source
ComplianceGDPR-compliant (as stated by the vendor)
PricingQuoted on request; not published
Free OptionDemo or trial available on request; no published free tier
ReplacesProofpoint, Mimecast, Microsoft Defender for Office 365

Detailed Review

IKARUS Security Software GmbH is headquartered in Vienna, Austria, and states that all software development, data processing and support for mail.security are conducted in-house in Austria, with no subsidiary network to track. The product blocks spam, phishing, malware and dangerous URLs through content and behavior analysis, and re-checks links in real time both when a message is delivered and again at the moment a user clicks.

An optional Advanced Threat Protection add-on adds sandboxing through Trellix Intelligent Virtual Execution for suspicious files and zero-day exploits, and IKARUS offers S/MIME certificates through a partnership with Certum for encryption and digital signing. It is the smallest vendor by public footprint in this EU set, and pricing is quoted on request.

What IKARUS does well

  • All development, data processing and support kept in-house in Austria, with no subsidiary network to track
  • Real-time URL re-checking at both delivery and click, not only at delivery
  • GDPR-compliant processing built in by design, not retrofitted

Where IKARUS falls short

  • Smallest public footprint of the EU vendors in this ranking
  • Sandboxing for zero-day threats is a paid add-on (Advanced Threat Protection), not included by default
  • Pricing is quote-only

Standout feature. Every part of the service, development, data processing and support, kept in-house in Austria, with real-time URL re-checking at click time as well as delivery.

Pros and Cons

Pros

  • All development, data processing and support kept in-house in Austria, with no subsidiary network to track
  • Real-time URL re-checking at both delivery and click, not only at delivery
  • GDPR-compliant processing built in by design, not retrofitted

Cons

  • Smallest public footprint of the EU vendors in this ranking
  • Sandboxing for zero-day threats is a paid add-on (Advanced Threat Protection), not included by default
  • Pricing is quote-only

Alternatives to IKARUS

See all Email Security & Anti-Phishing Software →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is IKARUS?

IKARUS is vienna-built gateway with all development, processing and support kept in-house in Austria.

Where is IKARUS based?

IKARUS is headquartered in Vienna, Austria (IKARUS Security Software GmbH).

What does IKARUS cost?

Quoted on request; not published.

Who is IKARUS best for?

Every part of the service, development, data processing and support, kept in-house in Austria, with real-time URL re-checking at click time as well as delivery.

Is IKARUS a good alternative to Proofpoint or Mimecast?

IKARUS is built as a genuinely European alternative to US and UK email security vendors like Proofpoint and Mimecast. It will not be a like-for-like feature match in every respect, so check the review above for where it genuinely differs before switching.

How does IKARUS compare to other Email Security & Anti-Phishing Software tools?

IKARUS is one of several European email security tools covered on this site. See the full Email Security & Anti-Phishing Software category page for how it ranks against its closest European competitors.

Who worked on this review

Three people touch every tool page: one writes it, a second edits it, and a third checks the compliance and pricing claims against the vendor's own documentation.

Ingrid Halvorsen
Written by

Ingrid Halvorsen

Managing Editor · Oslo, Norway

Runs the review process and decides when a page is ready to publish or needs another pass.

Marta Kowalczyk
Edited by

Marta Kowalczyk

Senior Analyst, Infrastructure & Developer Tools · Warsaw, Poland

Covers hosting, developer tooling and the practical side of moving workloads to European providers.

Daniel Brandt
Fact-checked by

Daniel Brandt

Privacy & Compliance Researcher · Berlin, Germany

Checks the compliance claims: where the company is established, where the data sits, and what the DPA actually says.

Read our editorial process for how we source, verify and update these pages — and how we keep affiliate income separate from what we recommend.

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