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Microsoft Outlook vs Thought Machine

Microsoft Outlook logo

Microsoft Outlook

Technology

Microsoft's email and calendar client, in the middle of a transition from the classic Windows application to a web-based replacement.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Thought Machine logo

Thought Machine

Technology

Cloud native core banking where products are written as smart contracts

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Microsoft Outlook has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Microsoft Outlook microsoft is replacing the classic Win32 client with the new web-based Outlook, and the new one runs only web add-ins, not COM add-ins, so any line-of-business integration for CRM, dictation, document management or telephony must be rewritten or the desktop stays on classic until its support window closes.; Thought Machine a core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • They diverge on capability: Microsoft Outlook covers Exchange calendar integration, Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Microsoft Outlook and Thought Machine actually diverge.

Attributes where Microsoft Outlook and Thought Machine differ
AttributeMicrosoft OutlookThought Machine
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, API, Cloud

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Technology).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Microsoft Outlook

  • Exchange calendar integration
  • Delegate access
  • Shared mailboxes
  • Rules and Quick Steps
  • Retention, hold and eDiscovery
  • Sensitivity labels and encryption
  • Add-in platform
  • Offline cached mode

Only in Thought Machine

  • Smart contract product engine
  • Cloud native architecture
  • Real time ledger
  • Vault Payments
  • API first design
  • Multi entity and multi currency
  • Product versioning and testing
  • Configurable posting rules

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Microsoft Outlook

  • Organisations on Exchange Online or Exchange Server where free/busy scheduling and room booking across everyone is a daily requirementnot Thought Machine
  • Executive assistants managing someone else's calendar and mailbox through delegate access, which no IMAP client supports properlynot Thought Machine
  • Regulated environments that need retention policies, legal hold and eDiscovery applied to mail centrally rather than per usernot Thought Machine
  • Teams handling shared inboxes such as support or accounts, where permissions and tracking matter more than the mail client itselfnot Thought Machine

Thought Machine

  • A large bank launching a separate digital brand on a clean core rather than migrating the back booknot Microsoft Outlook
  • A bank whose product launches are blocked by vendor change requests on a legacy corenot Microsoft Outlook
  • An institution needing real time balances and postings for instant payment obligationsnot Microsoft Outlook
  • A group consolidating multiple country cores onto one multi entity platformnot Microsoft Outlook

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Microsoft Outlook

  • Microsoft is replacing the classic Win32 client with the new web-based Outlook, and the new one runs only web add-ins, not COM add-ins, so any line-of-business integration for CRM, dictation, document management or telephony must be rewritten or the desktop stays on classic until its support window closes.
  • The new client's handling of non-Microsoft accounts synchronises mail through Microsoft's cloud rather than connecting from the machine to the provider, which several organisations' data residency and handling policies do not allow, and it is not an optional behaviour.
  • PST and OST files are a single-file, corruptible and effectively unshareable store, and the new client's reduced PST support means years of personal archives sitting in those files need an explicit migration plan rather than carrying forward.
  • Large mailboxes turn software problems into administration ones: search index rebuilds, OST files of tens of gigabytes and the mailbox quotas of whichever plan was bought, and the usual fix is archiving policy rather than anything a user can do.
  • Against IMAP or Gmail you lose most of what justifies it, including free/busy lookup, room booking, delegate access, and retention and compliance policies, because those are Exchange server features rather than client features.
  • The five or six products sharing the Outlook name have materially different feature sets, so internal documentation, training and support procedures must be written per platform and a user moving between desktop, web and mobile finds the same task done differently in each.

Thought Machine

  • A core replacement is a two to four year programme at an established bank, and the licence is a minority of total cost against system integrator fees, parallel running and data migration.
  • The smart contract model presumes a bank can write and maintain Python financial products, and institutions without that engineering capability end up outsourcing the very flexibility they bought.
  • Cloud infrastructure cost sits with the bank and is not trivial at scale, so total cost of ownership comparisons against a hosted legacy core often miss a large recurring line.
  • Thought Machine has made two rounds of job cuts pursuing profitability, which is a legitimate supplier stability concern for a system a bank expects to run for fifteen years.
  • The functional footprint is core ledger and product engine, so origination, collections, regulatory reporting and channels all come from other vendors, and the integration estate around Vault is the bank's problem to design and own.

Pricing, plan by plan

Microsoft Outlook

Free
  • Outlook (Free)Free
    • 15 GB mailbox storage
    • 5 GB cloud storage
    • Web and mobile Office app access
  • Microsoft 365 Basic$1.99/month
    • 100 GB mailbox storage
    • 100 GB cloud storage
    • Ad-free experience
  • Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99/month
    • 1 TB cloud storage
    • Desktop Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote)
    • Copilot with high usage limits
  • Microsoft 365 Family$12.99/month
    • 1-6 users
    • Up to 6 TB total cloud storage (1 TB per person)
    • Same apps and features as Personal

Thought Machine

On request
  • Vault Core$undefined/year
    • Quoted per institution, typically on account volumes or annual contract value
    • Implementation and system integrator costs commonly exceed the licence fee
    • Cloud infrastructure costs are the bank's and are not included

Which should you pick?

Choose Microsoft Outlook if

  • You need exchange calendar integration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want delegate access.
Microsoft Outlook review

Choose Thought Machine if

  • You need smart contract product engine.
  • You work on Web, API, Cloud.
  • You also want cloud native architecture.
Thought Machine review

Questions people ask

Is Microsoft Outlook or Thought Machine better?
Neither clearly leads. Microsoft Outlook starts at Free and Thought Machine at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Microsoft Outlook or Thought Machine?
Microsoft Outlook has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Microsoft Outlook and On request for Thought Machine.
Does Microsoft Outlook or Thought Machine run on more platforms?
Microsoft Outlook runs on Web. Thought Machine runs on Web, API, Cloud.
Can I use Microsoft Outlook for free?
Yes. Microsoft Outlook has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Thought Machine starts at On request.
What is Microsoft Outlook best used for?
Microsoft Outlook is most often used for organisations on exchange online or exchange server where free/busy scheduling and room booking across everyone is a daily requirement, executive assistants managing someone else's calendar and mailbox through delegate access, which no imap client supports properly, regulated environments that need retention policies, legal hold and ediscovery applied to mail centrally rather than per user, teams handling shared inboxes such as support or accounts, where permissions and tracking matter more than the mail client itself. Of those, organisations on exchange online or exchange server where free/busy scheduling and room booking across everyone is a daily requirement and executive assistants managing someone else's calendar and mailbox through delegate access, which no imap client supports properly are not what Thought Machine is typically brought in for.
What can Microsoft Outlook do that Thought Machine cannot?
Microsoft Outlook covers Exchange calendar integration, Delegate access, Shared mailboxes, Rules and Quick Steps. Thought Machine covers Smart contract product engine, Cloud native architecture, Real time ledger, Vault Payments.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Outlook: What is the difference between classic Outlook and the new Outlook for Windows?

Classic is the long-standing Win32 application shipped with Microsoft 365 and Office LTSC. The new Outlook is a web-based client that replaced Windows Mail and Calendar. The most consequential difference is add-ins: the new client supports only web add-ins, not COM add-ins.

Thought Machine: Is Vault Core genuinely cloud native?

Yes. It is containerised, runs on Kubernetes on public cloud, and posts in real time rather than in overnight batch.

Microsoft Outlook: How long will classic Outlook be supported?

Microsoft has stated support through at least 2029. That is a planning window rather than a reprieve, and organisations with COM add-in dependencies should be scoping the replacement work now.

Thought Machine: How long does a migration take?

Eighteen months at the absolute fastest for a narrow greenfield launch; two to four years for a phased migration at an established bank.

Microsoft Outlook: Can I use Outlook with Gmail or another IMAP provider?

Yes, but with reduced capability. You lose free/busy lookup, room booking, delegate access and server-side compliance policies, because those come from Exchange rather than from the client.

Thought Machine: Does the licence fee represent the total cost?

No. Implementation, system integration, parallel running and cloud infrastructure typically cost more than the licence over the programme.

Microsoft Outlook: Is Outlook free?

Outlook on the web and the mobile apps are free with a Microsoft account, and the new Outlook for Windows is included with Windows 11. The classic desktop application requires a Microsoft 365 subscription or an Office perpetual licence.

Microsoft Outlook: Will my COM add-ins work in the new Outlook?

No. The new client supports only the cross-platform web add-in model. Vendors must publish a web add-in, and where they have not, the choice is to stay on classic Outlook or replace the integration.

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