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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
60
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (2nd), Low-Code Development Platforms (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of HCL Domino is 0.7%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 7.5%, down from 9.1% 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)7.5%
HCL Domino0.7%
Other91.8%
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Featured Reviews

FrederickLim - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides mobile email systems with solid stability and easy deployment
The initial setup is easy. You need to sign up. It depends on the scope. It will take longer if there are more than one or more applications. The project usually includes infrastructure and deployment may take anywhere from one month to six months. I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.
Rodrigo-Mesquita - PeerSpot reviewer
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

"For workflow applications or general applications, the rapid development capability is what we value most."
"We can scale it if we want to."
"I find the HCL Domino server scalable."
"HCL Domino is an application development and collaboration platform with strong stability and security. Deployment of this platform is easy and takes only 10 minutes."
"Domino's dual functionality as both a messaging and application solution is a standout feature compared to Exchange, which solely focuses on messaging."
"I like that HCL Domino is stable. It's a great product. I also like that HCL Domino is a mature product under IBM, which is why many companies use it."
"Overall, I would rate HCL Domino as eight out of ten. I would recommend HCL Domino and Notes applications for small and medium-sized companies since it offers a good return on investment."
"HCL Domino is cost-effective because it serves as a complete platform with a web server, app server, and IT management system, eliminating the need for multiple platforms and complex integrations."
"It has a well-designed architecture and is a simple 3rd party application."
"Oracle APEX is very easy to use and comes with a lot of ready-made components that speed up the process of creating reports and dashboards."
"This product will speed up development time with helpful production aids."
"Oracle APEX allows our company to complete webpage projects easily in a fast turnaround time."
"The virtual patching feature is valuable."
"The most valuable applications within the organization are primarily data forms and extended reports."
"It's fairly easy to make a user-friendly interface."
"By using Express, we are able to load the data and integrate it into our data map."
 

Cons

"From the Domino side, it should support DKIM and DMARC."
"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."
"An area for improvement in HCL Domino is security. New enhancements in the IT industry mean that security should be improved. The HCL Domino GUI also needs improvement."
"The product's user interface is one of its shortcomings since it is outdated, making it an area for improvement."
"Designing a new template could provide a refreshed visual experience for users without significant changes to the underlying functionality."
"They should provide its integration with other AI applications."
"Scalability is also an issue. We have problems with large databases."
"The solution could improve Kubernetes or Dockers migration to new environments in the cloud."
"We would like to see tighter integration with the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure."
"Oracle is more of a database-oriented solution and is not very flexible in app development."
"Maybe there are other technologies that offer what APEX cannot."
"During the upcoming versions, we can modify the current configuration."
"Connecting with Oracle and the relation with Oracle at the database as a procedure needs improvement."
"The solution's layout could be improved for report generation to allow more configuration."
"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."
"The grid reports contain a lot of bugs."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license for Domino is yearly. The price is high."
"The pricing is individually determined. For us, in our current deployment, we pay $12.50 Canadian per month per user."
"The pricing is subjective and contingent on the intended usage."
"HCL Domino has reasonable pricing. It's not expensive."
"Customers have to pay for a license for the Notes Client, not for the Domino database. There is a quarter license that we use."
"Price is reasonable compared to the other solutions."
"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."
"I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of price."
"The solution is moderately priced, where it is neither cheap nor expensive."
"Pricing is expensive, overall on an enterprise system but we consider that it gives corresponding value in the product."
"Oracle Application Express (APEX) is free, so this is another magic of the solution. You just get charged for the database license, which I don't need."
"It is expensive, but I don't know what the licensing cost is."
"The pricing is mid-range so is neither expensive nor cheap."
"APEX itslelf is a free product, but you will need to license peripheral components."
"The solution is cheap. It's a free solution. I rate the solution's pricing a six or seven out of ten."
"The pricing is very good and less expensive than Mendix or OutSystems."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
8%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
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 Business28
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
I consider Oracle Application Express (APEX) to be good value for the money because it has infinite quality for money since it's included in any Oracle database license. It's free once you have the...
What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
One of the things that could be done to improve Oracle Application Express (APEX) is if Oracle decided to open it up to other databases. It needs to be an enterprise database; therefore, it needs t...
 

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: July 2025.
867,783 professionals have used our research since 2012.