Communications archiving and compliance · October 2026 Edition
Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Google Vault
Seven of fourteen models named Smarsh Enterprise Archive first on the direct prompt; zero named Google Vault. Smarsh Enterprise Archive was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and Google Vault by eleven and Smarsh Enterprise Archive carries 53 labels and Google Vault 17, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in one category this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share20%8%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate21%18%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#1#4A position in a field of 12; printed, not drawn.
Labels5317A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Smarsh Enterprise Archive reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Mimecast Cloud Archive was named alongside these two in ten of the fourteen direct answers. Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Mimecast Cloud Archive · Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Microsoft Purview · Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Jatheon
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the communications archiving and compliance page.
By framing
How many of the fourteen models made each the first choice, per way of asking, and how many argued against it.
Smarsh Enterprise ArchiveFirst choices, of fourteen modelsGoogle Vault
Direct702 against Smarsh Enterprise Archive
Paraphrase412 against Smarsh Enterprise Archive · 1 against Google Vault
Comparative701 against Google Vault
Budget-constrained042 against Smarsh Enterprise Archive
Scale-constrained10
Negative005 against Smarsh Enterprise Archive · 1 against Google Vault
Bars are first choices, 0 to 14 each sideModels that argued againstA model can name both, so the two sides of a row do not sum to fourteen.
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, Smarsh Enterprise Archive and Google Vault were named in the same answer forty times, of the 150 answers naming Smarsh Enterprise Archive and the 60 naming Google Vault. In those answers Google Vault took the first choice thirteen times and Smarsh Enterprise Archive four.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Smarsh Enterprise Archive and Google Vault stood in it.
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | | ||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | | | |
| Perplexity Sonar | | | | |||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | | | |
| Mistral Small | | | | | | |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | ||
| Llama 4 Maverick | | |||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | |||||
| Kimi K2 | | | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | |||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | | |||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | | | |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | | | |
Smarsh Enterprise Archive Google Vault first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Smarsh Enterprise Archive on the left and Google Vault on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Smarsh Enterprise Archive and Google Vault stood in it.
Smarsh Enterprise Archive first, Google Vault not the choice
7 of 14 modelsGoogle Vault was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Claude Haiku 4.5Mimecast Cloud Archive, Smarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Arcserve UDP Archiving, ComplyKEY MailMeter, MailStore Server
GPT-5.4 miniSmarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Archive360, Microsoft Purview, Mimecast Cloud Archive, Theta Lake
Perplexity SonarSmarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Global Relay, Mimecast Archiving, Wordwatch
Grok 4.1 FastSmarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Global Relay, Jatheon
Mistral SmallMimecast Cloud Archive, Smarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Microsoft Purview, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive
GLM 4.7 FlashXGlobal Relay, Smarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Mimecast Cloud Archive, Theta Lake, Wordwatch
MiniMax M2.5Global Relay, Smarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Mimecast Cloud Archive, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive, Theta Lake
Neither was the first choice, one was named
4 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Qwen 3.7 FlashMimecast Cloud Archive, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive alternatives: Global Relay, OpenText, Smarsh Enterprise Archive, Wordwatch
Kimi K2Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service, MailStore Server alternatives: Jatheon, Mimecast Cloud Archive, Smarsh Enterprise Archive
GPT-6 LunaMimecast Cloud Archive alternatives: Global Relay, Microsoft Purview, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive, Smarsh Enterprise Archive
Muse Glimmer 30BBarracuda Archiving Service / Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service alternatives: Global Relay, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive, Smarsh Enterprise Archive, Wordwatch
Neither was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Gemini 3.5 FlashMimecast Cloud Archive alternatives: Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive, Theta Lake
DeepSeek V4 FlashJatheon alternatives: Mimecast Cloud Archive, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
The same question asked on behalf of a different buyer. Each standing is computed within its segment and they are never added together. The figures above are the mid-market standing, which is the one the category orders by.
Small business
Google Vault leads by sixteen points.
Google Vault20%#1 of 10Smarsh Enterprise Archive4%#6 of 10Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: Smarsh Enterprise Archive leads at mid-market.
Smarsh Enterprise Archive20%#1 of 12Google Vault8%#4 of 12Enterprise
Smarsh Enterprise Archive leads by twenty-three points.
Smarsh Enterprise Archive23%#2 of 10Google Vault0%#10 of 10What the models said about Smarsh Enterprise Archive
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of eight in this category shown.
“complex, often vague pricing, unavailability of certain functions, slow search performance, and lack of robust technical support and documentation” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Be cautious with platforms like Smarsh, based on consistent user and competitor feedback highlighting key issues” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · hard negative
“Smarsh and Global Relay are the "gold standards" for massive Wall Street enterprises, they are notoriously complex to implement and often charge heavy fees” Gemini 3.5 Flash · direct prompt · soft negative
“For most mid-market B2B companies, Smarsh or Global Relay offer the best balance of comprehensive features, proven reliability, and scalability.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · direct prompt · first choice
“Smarsh Enterprise Archive is the best choice for regulated enterprises that need governed email capture, legal holds, and defensible retrieval at scale” Muse Glimmer 30B · comparative prompt · first choice
“Smarsh and Intradyn are the top choices due to their balance of affordability, scalability, and support for multiple communication channels” Mistral Small · paraphrase prompt · first choice
What the models said about Google Vault
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“built-in tools like Microsoft 365 retention, Google Vault, and Slack’s native archive are repeatedly described as insufficient for full compliance” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“Limitation: Less robust than dedicated platforms for regulated industries” Kimi K2 · comparative prompt · soft negative
“Google Vault will not easily archive MS Teams” Gemini 3.5 Flash · paraphrase prompt · soft negative
“start with MailStore Server (if you can handle on-premises) or Google Vault (if already using Google Workspace)” MiniMax M2.5 · budget prompt · first choice
“Google Vault stands out as the best communications archiving platform for a company with a limited budget” Grok 4.1 Fast · budget prompt · first choice
“Google Vault is often recommended as a cost-effective communications archiving solution” Mistral Small · budget prompt · first choice
Also compared
Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Mimecast Cloud ArchiveSmarsh Enterprise Archive vs Microsoft PurviewSmarsh Enterprise Archive vs JatheonSmarsh Enterprise Archive vs MailStore ServerSmarsh Enterprise Archive vs Barracuda Cloud Archiving ServiceSmarsh Enterprise Archive vs Proofpoint Enterprise ArchiveMimecast Cloud Archive vs Google VaultMicrosoft Purview vs Google VaultGoogle Vault vs JatheonGoogle Vault vs MailStore ServerGoogle Vault vs Barracuda Cloud Archiving ServiceGoogle Vault vs Proofpoint Enterprise ArchiveAll twenty-eight head-to-head pages and the full comms archiving standing
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.