Communications archiving and compliance · November 2026 Edition
Microsoft Purview vs Google Vault
Two of fourteen models named Microsoft Purview first on the direct prompt; zero named Google Vault. Both were named by all fourteen models and Microsoft Purview carries 31 labels and Google Vault 29, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in eleven categories this edition.
Named in one category this edition.
First-choice share18%4%Of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts, 0 to 100.
Negative rate19%14%Negative labels as a share of the product's labels, 0 to 100.
Rank in category#2#6A position in a field of 13; printed, not drawn.
Labels3129A count; the two differ.
The two percentage rows are drawn on one 0 to 100 track, Microsoft Purview reading right to left. Rank and label count are printed, not drawn.Smarsh Enterprise Archive was named alongside these two in ten of the fourteen direct answers. Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Microsoft Purview · Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Google Vault · Microsoft Purview vs MailStore Server
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.
Microsoft PurviewFirst choices, of fourteen modelsGoogle Vault
Direct201 against Microsoft Purview
Paraphrase71
Comparative001 against Microsoft Purview
Budget-constrained11
Scale-constrained001 against Microsoft Purview · 1 against Google Vault
Negative003 against Microsoft Purview · 3 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.
Every model, every framing
The eighty-four answers behind the chart above, one cell each: where Microsoft Purview 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 4.20 | | | | |||
| 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 | | |
Microsoft Purview Google Vault first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, Microsoft Purview on the left and Google Vault on the right.The direct prompt
The plain question, one answer per model, grouped by where Microsoft Purview and Google Vault stood in it.
Microsoft Purview first, Google Vault an alternative
2 of 14 modelsGoogle Vault was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Qwen 3.7 FlashMicrosoft Purview alternatives: Google Vault, Intradyn, MessageWatcher, Mimecast Cloud Archive, OpenText™ Core Business Communication Archive
GPT-6 LunaMicrosoft Purview alternatives: Mimecast Cloud Archive, Nuclei, Proofpoint Enterprise Archive, Smarsh Enterprise Archive
Neither was the first choice, one was named
3 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.DeepSeek V4 FlashMimecast Cloud Archive alternatives: Global Relay Archive, Google Vault, MailStore Server, Smarsh Enterprise Archive
GLM 4.7 FlashXSmarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: MailStore Server, Microsoft Purview, Mimecast Cloud Archive, OpenText Core Business Communication Archive
MiniMax M2.5Smarsh Professional Archive alternatives: Barracuda Message Archiver, Global Relay Archive, Microsoft Purview, Mimecast Cloud Archive
Neither was named
9 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Claude Haiku 4.5Smarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: ComplyKEY MailMeter, Jatheon Enterprise Data Archiving Solution, MailStore Server, Mimecast Cloud Archive
GPT-5.4 miniProofpoint Enterprise Archive, Smarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Archive360, Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service, Nuclei Discovery & Archive Suite
Gemini 3.5 FlashSmarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Global Relay Archive, Jatheon, Mimecast Cloud Archive, Theta Lake
Perplexity SonarOpenText Core Business Communication Archive alternatives: Barracuda Cloud Archiving Service, Jatheon, Smarsh Enterprise Archive, SteelEye
Grok 4.20Mimecast Cloud Archive alternatives: Pagefreezer, Smarsh Enterprise Archive, Theta Lake
Mistral SmallSmarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: MessageWatcher, OpenText Core Business Communication Archive, Theta Lake
Llama 4 Maverickno first choice
Kimi K2Smarsh Professional Archive alternatives: Barracuda Message Archiver, Jatheon, Mimecast Cloud Archive
Muse Glimmer 30BSmarsh Enterprise Archive alternatives: Global Relay Archive, Jatheon, Mimecast Cloud Archive
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 seven points.
Google Vault20%#1 of 12Microsoft Purview14%#3 of 12Mid-marketThe figures above
The order flips: Microsoft Purview leads at mid-market.
Microsoft Purview18%#2 of 13Google Vault4%#6 of 13Enterprise
Microsoft Purview leads by two points.
Microsoft Purview2%#7 of 10Google Vault0%#– of 10What the models said about Microsoft Purview
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Four of four in this category shown.
“it is not recommended for strict regulatory compliance because it lacks full immutability and supervision features” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Cons: Often clunky across non-native channels (SMS, WhatsApp, LinkedIn), complex UI, and can get expensive to upgrade all 500 users to E5 just for compliance.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · scale prompt · soft negative
“Best All-in-One for Microsoft-Centric Workplaces: Microsoft Purview ... often the most cost-effective and seamless place to start.” Gemini 3.5 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“If your company is already paying for Microsoft 365 Business Premium or Enterprise plans, Purview is the logical first choice.” Qwen 3.7 Flash · 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 eight in this category shown.
“Avoid relying solely on native archiving tools like Google Vault or Microsoft Purview for strict compliance.” Mistral Small · negative prompt · hard negative
“Built-in tools like Microsoft Purview, Microsoft Teams archiving, or Google Vault alone: These are frequently criticized for critical blind spots.” Grok 4.20 · negative prompt · soft negative
“Purview and Google Vault can be appropriate inside a single ecosystem, but they may not cover cross-platform capture” Perplexity Sonar · negative prompt · soft negative
“Best Overall Value: Native Ecosystem Archiving ... Built directly into Business Plus and Enterprise plans” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“Start by evaluating Microsoft Purview or Google Vault (depending on your provider).” Qwen 3.7 Flash · paraphrase prompt · first choice
“For Google Workspace users, Google Vault for archiving is available in Business Plus ($18/user/month) and Enterprise plans” Claude Haiku 4.5 · paraphrase prompt · alternative
Also compared
Smarsh Enterprise Archive vs Microsoft PurviewSmarsh Enterprise Archive vs Google VaultMicrosoft Purview vs MailStore ServerMicrosoft Purview vs Mimecast Cloud ArchiveMicrosoft Purview vs JatheonMicrosoft Purview vs OpenText Core Business Communication ArchiveMicrosoft Purview vs Proofpoint Enterprise ArchiveMailStore Server vs Google VaultMimecast Cloud Archive vs Google VaultJatheon vs Google VaultGoogle Vault vs OpenText Core Business Communication ArchiveGoogle 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.