CodeTwo and Conbool compared.
Both apply signatures centrally, in the cloud, in Outlook or both at once, and both offer data centres in Germany. The clear difference is breadth: Conbool brings seven modules that CodeTwo does not offer. On top come legal details for German company forms, building blocks with their own schedule and click counting right in the portal.
Two disciplines in common, seven only at Conbool.
Nine modules, one platform, one contract. Besides signatures, CodeTwo offers a Microsoft 365 backup plus tools for migration and automatic replies.
- MailGuardSpam, phishing, BEC
- SecureMailS/MIME, OpenPGP, portal
- SecureFileslarge attachments
- DisclaimerSignatures and legal details
- DMARC ReportsOutbound identity
- Archivetamper-proof, WORM
- 365 BackupBack up Microsoft 365
- AwarenessPhishing simulation
- ContinuityMail flow during outages
Based on the product overview on codetwo.com, retrieved in September 2026. It lists Email Signatures 365 and On-prem, Backup for Office 365, migration tools, an autoresponder, surveys and user photos. A backup is not a tamper-proof archive, which is why Archive shows no. What your contract includes is set by the offer.
Level
Where neither has the edge.
A fair comparison starts with what both share. Both vendors offer these six points; the implementation differs in the details.
- Server-side signatureConbool:Applied at the gateway on sending, identical on every device and mail client.CodeTwo:Cloud mode: the signature is added after sending, for all mail clients according to the vendor.
- Signature while composingConbool:Outlook add-in from Microsoft AppSource for Windows, Mac and web, even without changing the mail flow.CodeTwo:Outlook mode through an add-in for Windows, Mac, web, iOS and Android, plus a combined mode.
- Signature in Sent ItemsConbool:Added to the sender's copy after delivery, with a separate consent. The original is never deleted.CodeTwo:Sent Items Update: the signature also appears in the Sent Items folder.
- Located in GermanyConbool:Servers in Frankfurt am Main, data held in the EU. The contracting party is Conbool GmbH, based in Hamburg.CodeTwo:Nine Azure regions to choose from at registration, including Germany West Central in Frankfurt. CodeTwo is based in Poland.
- Campaigns and clicksConbool:Campaigns and banners with their own time window, click counting in the portal or fixed campaign parameters for your own analytics tool.CodeTwo:Scheduled campaigns, measured through campaign parameters in tools such as Google Analytics or Matomo.
- Directory dataConbool:Microsoft Entra ID, LDAP and on-premises Active Directory through an outbound agent.CodeTwo:Sync with Microsoft Entra ID, further fields through its own attribute management.
In detail
Eight things Conbool brings.
Each point is described on a linked page and can be checked in a demo. Where we have no documented information about the other vendor, we claim no difference.
Legal details per company form
Dedicated fields for registered office, register and representatives, including the German GmbH & Co. KG with both register entries under section 125a HGB. A change takes effect without touching any device.
Read moreFour building blocks per rule
Banner, signature, campaign and legal notice are separate templates, each with its own position and time window.
Read moreShort version in threads
The first message carries the full notice, replies a compact signature or none. No stacked legal texts in the thread.
Read moreCount clicks without pixels
What is counted is the block, the target and the time, not the recipient. Automatic fetches by security filters are shown separately.
Read moreNotice on inbound mail
If inbound mail runs through Conbool, rules apply there too, for example with a subject prefix such as EXTERNAL for mail from outside.
Read moreOn-premises Active Directory
An agent reads the directory in your building and reports outbound. No sync to Entra ID, no inbound firewall opening.
Read moreIn your own data centre
The same console as an installation at the customer between mail server and internet, with the same templates and rules as in the cloud.
Read moreEight more modules
MailGuard, SecureMail, SecureFiles, DMARC Reports, Archive, 365 Backup, Awareness and Continuity in the same console.
Read moreAnatomy of a message
Four building blocks, maintained separately.
Marketing maintains the campaign, legal the notice, IT the rules. Nobody touches anyone else's template, and a trade fair banner expires on its end date by itself.
Message body
Quoted thread
- 1
Banner
Always at the top. Room for an event or a notice about external senders.
- 2
Signature
Name, title, direct line and photo from the directory. Empty fields hide their line.
- 3
Campaign
Its own block with its own time window. It follows the block before it, at the top below the banner or at the bottom below the signature.
- 4
Legal notice
Legal details from the central company data, either right after the signature or after the whole thread.
Deployment modes
Three ways to a signature.
Your environment decides which way fits. All three use the same templates in the same console. Moving from the add-in to the mail flow later needs no rebuild.
On the server in the mail flow
The message travels through a send connector to Conbool and receives its building blocks there. This applies to every device and mail client.
- Enforceable, with all building blocks and rules
- Requires changing the outbound mail flow
In the mailbox via add-in
The Outlook add-in inserts the signature while composing. The message content stays in Microsoft 365.
- No change to MX, SPF or DKIM
- Outlook with Exchange Online only, no banners or rule set, editable in the mailbox
Template and directory data come from Conbool, the message content does not go there
In your own data centre
Conbool runs as an installation at the customer between mail server and internet. Same templates, same rules, no third-party service in the mail flow.
- Messages leave the building only towards the recipient
- The installation is operated in-house
At CodeTwo
CodeTwo Email Signatures 365 has three modes: Cloud, where the signature is added after sending, Outlook, where it is added while typing, and a combination of both. For Exchange Server Subscription Edition, CodeTwo offers a separate product, Email Signatures On-prem, installed on the mailbox servers.
Measuring campaigns
Count clicks without tracking recipients.
If you need to prove reach, switch on counting per template. The banner link then points to a Conbool address that counts and redirects immediately. If you prefer measuring in your own analytics tool, append fixed campaign parameters instead.
- 1
Recipient clicks the banner or campaign
- 2
Conbool verifies the signed link
- 3
Automatic fetches by security filters are flagged
- 4
Redirect to the target page
Stored
- Building block
- Target address
- Time
- Automated fetch yes or no
Not stored
- Recipient address
- Message identifier
- IP address and browser string
- Opens via tracking pixel
The portal report shows clicks per building block, automated fetches separately. There are deliberately no open rates, as they would require a tracking pixel.
Sent Items
Your own copy looks like the recipient's.
Exchange stores the copy when you hit send, before any server-side signature can be added. That affects every server-side signature, whichever the vendor. Conbool therefore adds the signature in the mailbox after delivery.
- 1
Send in Outlook
- 2
Exchange stores the copy in Sent Items, still without signature
- 3
Conbool adds the building blocks and delivers
- 4
The copy receives the same signature
CodeTwo offers a comparable update with Sent Items Update. At Conbool, the feature is available for Microsoft 365 mailboxes.
Switching
From CodeTwo to Conbool in four steps.
A switch starts with a pilot group. To avoid duplicate signatures, never leave both services active for the same senders, including the previous vendor's add-in.
- 1
Review what exists
Record active signatures, banners and rules from CodeTwo as a blueprint and save previous reports first.
- 2
Connect the directory
Connect Entra ID, LDAP or on-premises Active Directory and check which attribute fills which field.
- 3
Templates and legal details
Maintain company data centrally, pick starter templates and assign building blocks per rule.
- 4
Pilot, then switch
One department first, then switch off the CodeTwo rules and add-in and release the Conbool mail flow or add-in for everyone.
Our view
When Conbool is the right choice.
- If you want to manage legal details under German law centrally, up to the GmbH & Co. KG with two register entries.
- If you want signatures, email security, encryption and archiving from one contract instead of several.
- If you want to choose how it runs, from the cloud with servers in Frankfurt to an installation in your own data centre.
- If your directory stays in-house and you still need signatures from its attributes.
- If you want to count clicks in your own portal, without a web analytics tool and without a tracking pixel.
To be fair
When CodeTwo is the right choice.
- If you want to combine signatures with Microsoft 365 migration and backup tools from the same vendor.
- If you run Exchange Server Subscription Edition in-house and want the signature applied directly on the mailbox servers.
- If you expect certifications of the vendor itself: CodeTwo lists ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO/IEC 27018 plus a Microsoft 365 certification.
- If you already measure campaigns in Google Analytics or Matomo.
- If you only need signatures and already cover email security, encryption and archiving elsewhere.
What prospects ask us.
Where the information comes from.
Statements about CodeTwo rely solely on publicly available sources, retrieved in September 2026: home page and product overview on codetwo.com, the pages on how it works, on security and regions, on marketing signatures and on Email Signatures On-prem, and the 2025 review on the CodeTwo blog. Where a source is silent, we claim nothing. Statements about Conbool rely on our own documentation and contractual commitments. Products change, so we recommend asking both vendors about the points that matter to you and getting the answers in writing.
CodeTwo is a trademark of CodeTwo sp. z o.o. sp. k. Microsoft 365, Outlook, Exchange and Entra are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. This page is an editorial comparison by Conbool GmbH and not material of the vendors named.
See both in one demo.
We show a message with all four building blocks, the legal details for your company form and click counting, with your own template if you like.