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Google Workspace vs HCL Notes vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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.
Sentiment score
6.3
Microsoft Exchange boosts productivity significantly with varying ROI, offering cost savings depending on deployment and user base size.
 

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.
Sentiment score
6.0
Microsoft Exchange support receives mixed reviews, with larger enterprises benefiting more than smaller entities in complex scenarios.
In the past, we experienced a problem with automatic emails being blocked, and the support team resolved the issue quickly.
With Gemini, I was charged for a year without receiving any guidance on its usage.
Once Notes is running, it performs reliably without issues.
The Microsoft support structure, while technically proficient, involves case transfers across different global locations.
 

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.
Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Exchange offers scalable growth, integrating well in hybrid environments, though costs and planning impact successful scaling.
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.
The licensing and associated costs make it challenging to scale, especially when user numbers increase.
 

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.
Sentiment score
7.5
Microsoft Exchange is reliable with minimal downtime, though update issues may arise; stability improves with proper management and frequent updates.
The stability of Google Workspace is excellent and very solid.
This stability is crucial to us because it ensures we do not lose communication or connection while using messaging and accessing files.
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.
Microsoft Exchange needs better integration, security, support, and user-friendly features while addressing cost, updates, and communication challenges.
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.
The biggest issue with Microsoft Exchange is its high cost, especially in pricing for license upgrades and expansion to more users.
 

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.
Microsoft Exchange pricing offers flexible, affordable options for enterprises but can be costly and complex for smaller businesses.
The current cost is approximately seven to ten euros per user per month.
Microsoft Exchange is costly, and its licensing model can be expensive over time as more users require licenses.
 

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.
Microsoft Exchange excels in integration, security, user-friendliness, and collaboration, making it essential for business communication and organization.
They can access different teams from anywhere, collectively putting files, sharing them, and managing them.
These tools enhance productivity by allowing us to edit the same file at the same time, making collaboration much smoother.
Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy solution, which is beneficial for handling emails even without professional support.
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Google Workspace is 20.1%, down from 24.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL Notes is 3.4%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.3%, down from 11.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Google Workspace20.1%
Microsoft Exchange11.3%
HCL Notes3.4%
Other65.19999999999999%
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.
ImranShaikh - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers several valuable features including conditional access, identity and access management, and scalability of mailboxes
We use Microsoft Exchange primarily for mailing purposes, both internal and external. We integrate it with other Microsoft tools like Outlook, Word document collaboration, Teams, SharePoint, and more The integration of Microsoft Exchange with other tools allows for seamless collaboration and…
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Government
16%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business63
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise27
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise27
Large Enterprise35
 

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 custom...
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 e...
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 ha...
What needs improvement with HCL Notes?
Regarding additional functions, the front end of the databases on the home screen looks somewhat old-fashioned. It co...
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....
What advice do you have for others considering HCL Notes?
We actively work with HCL Notes and have integrated it with other applications as it is installed on Windows. We use ...
How does Zimbra Collaboration compare with Microsoft Exchange?
Zimbra is a free, open source collaborative software suite. The features I like best are the ease of integration and ...
What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange?
The initial setup was straightforward and fast.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?
Microsoft Exchange is costly, and its licensing model can be expensive over time as more users require licenses.
 

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
Exchange, MS Exchange
 

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
Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
Find out what your peers are saying about Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Email Applications. Updated: September 2025.
869,095 professionals have used our research since 2012.