No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange Online 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
3.9
HCL Domino's ROI impact varies, with some organizations justifying it and others noting challenges due to recent deployments.
Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Exchange Online reduces costs, enhances reliability, and improves ROI with streamlined operations and comprehensive security integration.
The phishing-related investigation and remediation time has been reduced by roughly thirty to forty percent due to better visibility, message tracing, and integration with Microsoft security tools.
Senior Security Engineer at Softcell Technologies Limited
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.4
Users generally rate HCL Domino technical support positively for problem resolution, despite mixed reviews on customer service and website complexity.
Sentiment score
6.2
Microsoft Exchange Online support is generally satisfactory but varies; users report mixed experiences and sometimes need multiple contacts.
My experience with the technical support of HCL is that they are responsive.
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
HCL Domino is praised for adaptability and scalability, accommodating thousands of users while efficiently managing distributed server loads.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Exchange Online is scalable and flexible, supporting large user bases and seamless integration, ideal for growing businesses.
Some features are simply not really possible with standard HCL client applications, which means moving all application development to web access, adding a lot of work.
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
HCL Domino is praised for stability, with most users experiencing minimal issues, despite concerns with large databases.
Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Exchange Online is highly reliable and stable, with most users reporting minimal downtime and effective issue resolution.
Once we develop an application, it basically works and does not really break.
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
 

Room For Improvement

HCL Domino needs security, UI, and integration improvements, plus better performance, usability, scalability, and modern technical capabilities.
Microsoft Exchange Online needs better security, integration, pricing, user-friendliness, scalability, and support while incorporating AI features.
I would say that there are much better low-code platforms.
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
In-line editing of documents and a document viewer are functionalities that would be beneficial.
SME at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
A more unified management interface and deeper integration visibility across Exchange, Defender, and Microsoft 365 security tools would make day-to-day operations more efficient for administrators and SOC teams.
Senior Security Engineer at Softcell Technologies Limited
In third world countries, they need local support.
IT Officer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

HCL Domino pricing varies with usage, charging about $100 per user annually, with mixed reviews on its affordability.
Microsoft Exchange Online costs $4-$36/user/month, with limited discounts, offering valuable features and security despite potentially higher costs.
The Notes client is very expensive, costing around $105 per client.
SME at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
 

Valuable Features

HCL Domino provides secure, versatile, and stable solutions with easy deployment, dual functionality, and cross-platform integration capabilities.
Microsoft Exchange Online offers seamless integration, high security, global usability, cost savings, and efficient management with frequent updates.
Its hybrid nature allows the use of both web-based applications and Notes client-based applications.
SME at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
I would appreciate HCL Domino to have wider integration into the SAP world because SAP is not easy to use, and if we could integrate it into a HCL Domino application, we could post data more easily to SAP from the HCL Domino environment and vice versa.
CEO at hydrografix Consulting AB
You can make it do many things because it is an application server.
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
It allows us to correlate email threats with identity, endpoint, and user activity data in a single investigation workflow, which significantly improves phishing detection, incident response time, and overall SOC efficiency.
Senior Security Engineer at Softcell Technologies Limited
It protects from malware, phishing, and bulk email attacks.
IT Officer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

HCL Domino
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
Rapid Application Development Software (19th)
Microsoft Exchange Online
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
Email Applications (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

HCL Domino and Microsoft Exchange Online aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. HCL Domino is designed for Rapid Application Development Software and holds a mindshare of 1.0%, up 0.6% compared to last year.
Microsoft Exchange Online, on the other hand, focuses on Email Applications, holds 9.0% mindshare, down 13.7% since last year.
Rapid Application Development Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HCL Domino1.0%
Microsoft Power Apps7.8%
Oracle Application Express (APEX)4.9%
Other86.3%
Rapid Application Development Software
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online9.0%
Google Workspace14.3%
Microsoft Exchange8.5%
Other68.2%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

FN
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
Long-term platform has supported secure mail, custom workflows, and reliable on-premise apps
I have noticed some weak points and downsides. HCL Domino is a Swiss army knife, which is the downside as well. It does many things, which is an advantage. The biggest downside is that it is a good product, but there are not that many applications for it. There are not that many ready-made applications. When they do exist, they tend to be somewhat pricey. I have not actually used HCL Domino's low-code tools. There are no low-code tools. HCL says there are, but frankly speaking, I have tried it and I always come back to the classic, the original HCL Domino. I do not see it as truly low-code. They call it Leap. Even when you want to do something more specific or more complex, you do need programming logic and then it stops being low-code. I would say that there are much better low-code platforms. N8N, for instance, looks nice with nice diagrams, especially for workflow and automation, which is where HCL Domino is lacking. The evaluation of the security features of HCL Domino in handling sensitive business information is that it has a peculiar security model, which I view as acceptable. Sometimes it may get in your way, but sometimes it simplifies things. It depends.
Yogesh Autade - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Security Engineer at Softcell Technologies Limited
Integrated email security has improved phishing response and provides better threat visibility
Microsoft Exchange Online could be improved with more intuitive administration workflows, better troubleshooting visibility, and simpler mail flow analysis for complex environments. We would also appreciate more granular reporting, faster access to detailed message tracking data, and improved alerting around suspicious mailbox activity to help security and messaging teams investigate issues more efficiently. One area where Microsoft Exchange Online could improve is the administrative user experience. Some advanced mail flow, compliance, and troubleshooting tasks still require navigating multiple Microsoft portals. A more unified management interface and deeper integration visibility across Exchange, Defender, and Microsoft 365 security tools would make day-to-day operations more efficient for administrators and SOC teams.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Rapid Application Development Software solutions are best for your needs.
899,258 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise17
Large Enterprise41
 

Questions from the Community

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?
I have noticed some weak points and downsides. HCL Domino is a Swiss army knife, which is the downside as well. It does many things, which is an advantage. The biggest downside is that it is a good...
What is your primary use case for HCL Domino?
The primary purposes for which HCL Domino is used are mail and applications.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange Online?
If I segment it into three points: low price, average, and high price, I would place Microsoft Exchange Online between average and high price.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online?
There is room for improvement in Microsoft Exchange Online. Technical support for Microsoft is good, but in all fairness, I sometimes think more can be done. I have personally tried exploring with ...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Exchange Online?
I currently work with a Microsoft partner and I support users that use Microsoft Exchange Online. I also use Microsoft Exchange Online myself. I use the shared calendar feature of Microsoft Exchang...
 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino
Exchange Online, Exchange Online Plan 1, Exchange Online Plan 2, MS Exchange Online
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil
Bank Alfalah Ltd., Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Blue Star Infotech, Scitec Nutrition, Resolution Films, British Airways, Empire Cinemas, InnoGames
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, ServiceNow, Oracle and others in Rapid Application Development Software. Updated: May 2026.
899,258 professionals have used our research since 2012.