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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
6.3
Corporations report mixed ROI from Google Workspace, citing productivity benefits, cost concerns, and varying market value perceptions.
Sentiment score
5.5
HCL Notes enhances efficiency and secure communication, offering ROI that outweighs its $100 annual cost per user.
Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Exchange boosts productivity and cost-effectiveness, especially with Microsoft 365, enhancing communication efficiency by 30% to 50%.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.0
Google Workspace support has mixed reviews; effective email support contrasts with difficulties in direct contact and limited personal assistance.
Sentiment score
6.8
HCL Notes support is praised for knowledgeable staff and quick response, with high user satisfaction but room for growth.
Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Exchange support varies, with some users praising responsiveness, while others report delays, relying on documentation or third parties.
With Gemini, I was charged for a year without receiving any guidance on its usage.
Principal Consultant at Wipro Limited
I sent several complaints and what they replied to me was that I should have dealt with the problem with the provider of my credit card.
Assosiate Professor at Palazzo del Mediterraneo
In the past, we experienced a problem with automatic emails being blocked, and the support team resolved the issue quickly.
Technical Manager IT Development at Sostenia
Once Notes is running, it performs reliably without issues.
Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate HCL technical support as eight out of ten.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The Microsoft support structure, while technically proficient, involves case transfers across different global locations.
Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Google Workspace efficiently scales for any size organization, praised for seamless user accommodation and integration, though enhancements are suggested.
Sentiment score
7.1
HCL Notes is scalable, integrates well with major platforms, but may face performance issues with large databases.
Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Exchange offers robust scalability for diverse organizations, supporting seamless expansion, though costs and migration may pose challenges.
It supports around 2,500 users in our company, and this scalability assists us in maintaining our infrastructure.
Technical Manager IT Development at Sostenia
Scalability involves another configuration with a new email configuration, involving some authentication issues with Microsoft Outlook.
IT Manager at Universal Carpets & Rugs
If webinars were provided and universities were promoted with webinars, people are going to attend them.
Assosiate Professor at Palazzo del Mediterraneo
The scalability of the product is really good.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The licensing and associated costs make it challenging to scale, especially when user numbers increase.
Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Google Workspace is praised for its stability and reliability, with users noting minimal disruptions and high performance ratings.
Sentiment score
7.1
HCL Notes is considered stable, with high ratings despite occasional server issues, enhanced post-IBM with improved features.
Sentiment score
7.5
Microsoft Exchange is praised for stability and reliability, though minor issues exist, often resolved by proper configuration.
With Microsoft now that we are using, we have a security system by which every now and then you have to change your password, and whenever you try to access multiple times to the same email from different devices or many times in the same day, they will ask you for a code that you have to insert.
Assosiate Professor at Palazzo del Mediterraneo
The stability of Google Workspace is excellent and very solid.
Principal Consultant at Wipro Limited
This stability is crucial to us because it ensures we do not lose communication or connection while using messaging and accessing files.
Technical Manager IT Development at Sostenia
 

Room For Improvement

Users desire improved integration, storage, synchronization, features, and functionality in Google tools to enhance productivity and collaboration.
HCL Notes needs modernization with improved interface, reliability, integration, and user-friendliness to compete with alternatives like Microsoft.
Microsoft Exchange needs improvements in connectivity, usability, security, and support for better compatibility and customer satisfaction.
The new integration was implemented last September, and we are facing some issues with OAuth 2.0 authentication.
IT Manager at Universal Carpets & Rugs
It is hard to find categories and folders in Teams.
Assosiate Professor at Palazzo del Mediterraneo
The security functionalities are similar to those in competitors like Active Directory, but they could be optimized for stronger security features.
Technical Manager IT Development at Sostenia
I think HCL can make its product better by being more visible on the market because most companies don't support or use HCL anymore.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
It could be modernized by the development team.
Administration & Technical Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
The biggest issue with Microsoft Exchange is its high cost, especially in pricing for license upgrades and expansion to more users.
Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan
The quarantining is not fantastic because it lets a lot of spam through, and when it is notified of spam, it does not particularly alter its behavior quickly.
Bookkeeper at FCA - Victoria Point
 

Setup Cost

Users have mixed opinions on Google Workspace pricing, appreciating the value but desiring clearer cost structures and flexible licensing.
HCL Notes is praised for cost-effectiveness and adaptability, despite varied perceptions on pricing due to multiple components.
Microsoft Exchange pricing offers flexible subscription options but can be costly and complex, especially for businesses needing basic features.
The current cost is approximately seven to ten euros per user per month.
Technical Manager IT Development at Sostenia
Microsoft Exchange is costly, and its licensing model can be expensive over time as more users require licenses.
Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan
I am aware of pricing aspects, and I would say it is affordable for what it is.
Bookkeeper at FCA - Victoria Point
 

Valuable Features

Google Workspace excels in scalability, integration, security, and collaboration, making it ideal for businesses and educational institutions.
HCL Notes excels in security, integration, ease of development, backward compatibility, and offers cost-effective groupware applications with email integration.
Microsoft Exchange provides seamless integration with Microsoft tools, excelling in email management, security, scalability, and collaboration capabilities.
The ability to share documents with students and assign them things and correct them in real time has been beneficial.
Assosiate Professor at Palazzo del Mediterraneo
The valuable features include the email service, email updates, and Google Drive.
IT Manager at Universal Carpets & Rugs
These tools enhance productivity by allowing us to edit the same file at the same time, making collaboration much smoother.
Technical Manager IT Development at Sostenia
We use HCL Notes for its offline capabilities, including the ability to work offline.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy solution, which is beneficial for handling emails even without professional support.
Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan
The most beneficial aspects of Microsoft Exchange are that it is solid, dependable, and reliable.
Bookkeeper at FCA - Victoria Point
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Google Workspace is 15.1%, down from 23.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HCL Notes is 3.3%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 10.2%, down from 11.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Google Workspace15.1%
Microsoft Exchange10.2%
HCL Notes3.3%
Other71.4%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AR
Assosiate Professor at Palazzo del Mediterraneo
Collaborative work with students has improved but storage limitations and support issues remain
We have Google Workspace, and we use it primarily for Drive to collect items. We categorize folders with topics and material either for students or for research. We use Google Doc to share documents, especially when we assign homework to be corrected for peer correction or classroom correction. With Teams and Microsoft, we use it for collective calls and exam supervision because we use video surveillance through camera with Teams. We use Teams for meetings and to share material with students. The ability to share documents with students and assign them things and correct them in real time has been beneficial. You can verify what they write, and they can contribute and cooperate to create a collective document, which is something that our society nowadays requires. The ability to cooperate, especially those who work with languages and those who work with writing, need to learn how to cooperate. There is co-editing and co-writing, all these sorts of things. I love the fact that I can easily have access to folders that I can categorize and where I can upload research material and teaching material.
AM
RPA Developer at Hexaware Technologies Limited
Challenges with efficiency and interface lead to transition while offering some useful organization features
Office 365 has advantages over HCL Notes, offering a better interface and better categorization of emails. We get different kinds of options, including mail suggestions and AI options that can help users. Meetings, calendars, everything is in one place, making it more efficient. Office 365 offers a better interface and categorization of emails, along with options such as mail suggestions and AI features. Meetings and calendars are all integrated in one place.
SJ
Manager IT Support at Naubahar Bottling Company (Pvt.) Ltd. Gujranwala Pakistan
Efficient email management with seamless integration
We previously used Microsoft Exchange but have moved to an MDN email solution due to cost and user growth Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly and easy-to-deploy solution, which is beneficial for handling emails even without professional support. It is effective in managing email integration…
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Government
16%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business64
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise27
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise28
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?
The only inconvenience is the fact that you have limited storage. After a while, you have to buy a surplus. It is not...
What needs improvement with HCL Notes?
We don't use team workspace with HCL Notes; we use only Microsoft because it's incorporated with the Microsoft licens...
What is your primary use case for HCL Notes?
We use HCL Notes as an email system. We currently only use it as an email application, though in the past we used it ...
What advice do you have for others considering HCL Notes?
Regarding HCL Notes supporting various business processes such as CRM, I don't use it, but if I have an issue, I cont...
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?
I am aware of pricing aspects, and I would say it is affordable for what it is.
 

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: February 2026.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.