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Google Workspace vs HCL Notes comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 13, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
6.7
Google Workspace boosts productivity and efficiency with integration and collaboration features, despite potentially high costs.
Sentiment score
6.5
HCL Notes delivers long-term ROI through secure communications, user satisfaction, efficiency, and cost-effective annual fees per user.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.1
Google Workspace offers varied customer service; users appreciate fast responses but face challenges with technical support and direct assistance.
Sentiment score
6.8
HCL Notes support is highly praised for knowledgeable, responsive service, with improved satisfaction since transitioning from IBM.
With Gemini, I was charged for a year without receiving any guidance on its usage.
In the past, we experienced a problem with automatic emails being blocked, and the support team resolved the issue quickly.
Once Notes is running, it performs reliably without issues.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Google Workspace is praised for its scalability, flexibility, and integration, despite minor resource limitations and licensing concerns.
Sentiment score
7.0
HCL Notes efficiently scales for small to large user groups, integrates well with mobile platforms, but demands adequate computing power.
It supports around 2,500 users in our company, and this scalability assists us in maintaining our infrastructure.
Scalability involves another configuration with a new email configuration, involving some authentication issues with Microsoft Outlook.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Google Workspace is praised for reliability and stability, despite occasional Outlook integration issues and internet-related performance hitches.
Sentiment score
6.9
HCL Notes is stable and reliable, with issues usually due to external factors or outdated systems, not the software itself.
This stability is crucial to us because it ensures we do not lose communication or connection while using messaging and accessing files.
The stability of Google Workspace is excellent and very solid.
The only issue is collaboration with Outlook, where I am having a bit of a problem.
 

Room For Improvement

Google Workspace faces performance, usability, and integration issues, needing improvements in functionality, security, and productivity tools.
HCL Notes needs a modernized interface, better usability, and improved integration to remain competitive with current email services.
The new integration was implemented last September, and we are facing some issues with OAuth 2.0 authentication.
The security functionalities are similar to those in competitors like Active Directory, but they could be optimized for stronger security features.
The front end of the databases on the home screen looks somewhat old-fashioned.
 

Setup Cost

Google Workspace pricing ranges from $8-$15 per user, seen as reasonable but sometimes costly, with licensing complexity concerns.
HCL Notes offers competitive pricing with flexible licensing and affordability, compared to competitors like Microsoft and Google.
The current cost is approximately seven to ten euros per user per month.
 

Valuable Features

Google Workspace offers seamless integration, collaboration, security, multi-device access, and affordability with tools like Gmail, Drive, and Meet.
HCL Notes provides secure, flexible groupware solutions with application development, migration, and seamless document integration at an affordable cost.
These tools enhance productivity by allowing us to edit the same file at the same time, making collaboration much smoother.
The valuable features include the email service, email updates, and Google Drive.
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Workspace
Ranking in Email Applications
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
Wireless Email (1st), Cloud Storage (8th), Content Collaboration Platforms (5th)
HCL Notes
Ranking in Email Applications
7th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
19
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Google Workspace is 21.0%, down from 24.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL Notes is 3.5%, up from 3.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

Sunil-Nair - PeerSpot reviewer
Email collaboration and accessibility have improved team productivity
The valuable features include the email service, email updates, and Google Drive. People are given email access to Google Drive. The team can share manual files and work accordingly. They can access different teams from anywhere, collectively putting files, sharing them, and managing them. Additionally, the manufacturing product does not require any downgrades. It works fine and continuously for the last three or four years. Users can access their emails from anywhere in their browser without a laptop or can directly access from Gmail. This is helpful for salespeople.
Herad Howell - PeerSpot reviewer
Secure communications that prompts responses with room for improved user interface
I primarily value HCL Notes for its security features. The software's secure communication is particularly useful when dealing with professional entities. It ensures that business is conducted smoothly, allowing me to use my organization's email confidently, as opposed to my personal Gmail, which might not prompt responses from some entities.
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Email Applications solutions are best for your needs.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Educational Organization
8%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Government
16%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Workspace?
Easy-to-build forms are allowing me to get feedback and information from my internal teams as well as from the customers very efficiently with the result data in structured manner.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Workspace?
The pricing for Google Workspace is moderate. I would rate it a five out of ten, indicating it is neither cheap nor expensive. The current cost is approximately seven to ten euros per user per mont...
What needs improvement with Google Workspace?
I don't see many areas of Google Workspace that could be improved or enhanced because everything I have been using has been effective. Regarding the user interface, when calling a member in the org...
What do you like most about HCL Notes?
The security and performance of the solution are good even though our platform is variable, except for the mail services.
What needs improvement with HCL Notes?
Regarding additional functions, the front end of the databases on the home screen looks somewhat old-fashioned. It could be modernized by the development team.
What is your primary use case for HCL Notes?
Our use case for HCL Notes is that we use it for critical production databases and a lot of administration databases. We use it for email and calendars extensively.
 

Also Known As

G-Suite Enterprise, G-Suite, Google Apps for Business, G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G-Suite Basic, G-Suite Business, Google Vault
IBM Lotus Notes, Lotus Notes
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

There are over five million businesses that use Google Apps for Business worldwide. Some key customers include The Roche Group, National Geographic, American Red Cross, City of Los Angeles, Flight Centre, and Konica Minolta.
Connect2Cloud, Hansgrohe, Sauk County, Blue Water Shipping, FDBR, ibml, Multivac, Aarhus University Hospital, Hendricks Regional Health, Asian Paints, Integra Legal, Sunplus Technology, S¾SS, The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports, Nicrometal, Doncasters Group, Practice Plan, Barr, RACV, Neotechnik, Deutsche Notes User Group
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Workspace vs. HCL Notes and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,164 professionals have used our research since 2012.