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HCL Domino vs Oracle Application Express (APEX) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

HCL Domino
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
17th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Application Express ...
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (3rd), Low-Code Development Platforms (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of HCL Domino is 0.8%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 6.6%, down from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rapid Application Development Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle Application Express (APEX)6.6%
HCL Domino0.8%
Other92.6%
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Featured Reviews

PB
Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
Experience complete control and security in managing sensitive information and internal applications
One challenge I faced with HCL Domino was fully understanding its capabilities because initial use may lead to misconceptions based on simpler platforms. Exploring and comprehending what is possible takes time and effort, as understanding the full range of functionalities requires a mindset shift to leverage the platform's capabilities effectively. I believe HCL Domino is on a good improvement path, although a limitation is the lack of many service providers offering the platform, making initial setup more time-consuming for organizations without the expertise. If there were more subscription-based service providers available, it could enhance usability significantly, especially for organizations lacking the resources to install and configure systems.
Rodrigo-Mesquita - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software developer at QV Systems
Rapid application development empowers big projects in months
The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable. It is very quick to create a page, and one can use AI to speed up software development. It is easy to learn. In my company, we could develop a very big application in a couple of months.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It serves as a centralized solution that fulfills all my requirements from operating my email server to managing various aspects of my operations."
"Domino's dual functionality as both a messaging and application solution is a standout feature compared to Exchange, which solely focuses on messaging."
"The DAOS feature is the most valuable. It helps to save some of my storage."
"The most important benefit is security. The security architecture is very good. It's the best part of the solution."
"HCL Domino is the best product from a security point of view."
"The full-text searching capabilities are great."
"One valuable feature of HCL Domino is its integration with other directories."
"This solution can be used for workflow application so that applications can be easily developed."
"The most valuable feature of Oracle APEX is its comprehensive set of features for creating user-friendly and visually appealing applications."
"The solution is easy to handle. The tool has helped us develop many applications since it supports SQL and NoSQL languages. We are familiar with this language. Also, the solution’s interface design and database design are very easy. It is not so much complex. I have no experience working with other solutions."
"One standout feature of Oracle APEX is its seamless integration with backend procedures, allowing for quick updates without changing the front-end interface."
"The database is super easy to use for creating tables."
"Intuitive with a user-friendly UI."
"The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable."
"I like that Oracle Application Express (APEX) is powerful and attractive, allowing my organization to modernize forms within two months. I also found its PWA feature very powerful because you can produce substantial mobile applications."
"By using Express, we are able to load the data and integrate it into our data map."
 

Cons

"Designing a new template could provide a refreshed visual experience for users without significant changes to the underlying functionality."
"Scalability is also an issue. We have problems with large databases."
"For me, the one thing missing is a really good reporting engine."
"The product's user interface is one of its shortcomings since it is outdated, making it an area for improvement."
"The solution could improve Kubernetes or Dockers migration to new environments in the cloud."
"Recently, IBM sold the product to HCL. Since Pakistan and India have some problems on a domestic level, we were actually considering replacing it with Indian products from the organization. We're just facing some regulatory issues."
"The solution is expensive."
"Many people are not very happy with its speed."
"The solution’s pricing is high if you use it on the OCA platform. It’s also a little bit costly. However, if we use it on an on-premises Oracle database, the pricing is cheaper."
"The solution does not include a default or custom template like other products."
"An area for improvement in Oracle Application Express (APEX) is the slow reporting because pulling the report for two months, one year, three years, etc., is very slow. It takes more than thirty minutes to download the report. There's also room for improvement in integrating Oracle Application Express (APEX) with other vendors, such as open-source solutions through API integration. I believe Oracle is working on this feature, or the issue could be because my organization is using an older version of Oracle Application Express (APEX). The Oracle database also has to be improved because it's still lacking in some packages, triggers, and indexes."
"For beginners, understanding the installation process can be challenging because documentation is limited."
"The solution's layout could be improved for report generation to allow more configuration."
"Apex has effectively incorporated new market trends into its features. The platform's user-friendly nature is notable, guiding developers through the development process. While advanced customization of the user interface with HTML and CSS is possible, the out-of-the-box options often suffice, providing 80-90% of the required functionality. The IDE is commendable, yet an enhancement in the Page Designer to allow a real-time preview of layout changes would be beneficial. Currently, running the page is necessary to visualize layout adjustments, but an immediate preview during the design phase would be a valuable improvement."
"Reporting needs to be accessed via third party tools."
"Oracle should implement vertical and horizontal data segmentation in APEX's security framework, so Dev teams don't need to do any heavy lifting in the APEX screens. This is a common issue in enterprise apps. It would be nice to seamlessly integrate Git repositories into the development process since the current solution can result in overlapping work or an eventual overwrite. The provided example apps are great, but they could benefit from some added documentation in the "explanation screens"."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license for Domino is yearly. The price is high."
"I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of price."
"For 30 licenses, we pay $1,500 every year. It is not an expensive product."
"Customers have to pay for a license for the Notes Client, not for the Domino database. There is a quarter license that we use."
"We pay annually for the use of this solution and it is only a standard fee."
"My company's customers need to make monthly or yearly payments towards the license charges of the product."
"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."
"While I don't have precise pricing information at hand, my understanding is that it tends to be on the higher end."
"The tool is not expensive."
"The solution is cheap. It's a free solution. I rate the solution's pricing a six or seven out of ten."
"Apex is not priced separately; instead, it is associated with the Oracle database. A free option for Oracle database and Apex can be downloaded and installed on this complimentary database version. This aligns with our current approach."
"The product is completely free of cost."
"The pricing is mid-range so is neither expensive nor cheap."
"To my understanding, my organization is using the free version of Oracle Application Express (APEX), but I'm unsure because I haven't checked the pricing or licensing cost for it."
"I believe that the solution's pricing is high."
"When you have a licensed database in an Oracle environment, APEX is free."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise28
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HCL Domino?
The most valuable features of the solution are security and integration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HCL Domino?
The Notes client is very expensive, costing around $105 per client. Overall, HCL Domino is a costly product.
What needs improvement with HCL Domino?
One challenge I faced with HCL Domino was fully understanding its capabilities because initial use may lead to misconceptions based on simpler platforms. Exploring and comprehending what is possibl...
What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
I have only tried it with an Oracle database, not with other databases. For beginners, understanding the installation process can be challenging because documentation is limited. It is hard to unde...
 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino
Oracle APEX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil
Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Domino vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,371 professionals have used our research since 2012.