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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
4.4
Opinions vary on HCL Domino's ROI; some see benefits in efficiency, while new users face challenges assessing its value.
Sentiment score
7.0
Microsoft Exchange Online offers significant cost savings and efficiency, recouping investments quickly and outperforming on-premise solutions.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.1
HCL Domino's customer service needs improvement, with mixed technical support feedback, highlighting responsiveness but needing more user-friendliness.
Sentiment score
6.2
Microsoft Exchange Online tech support is generally excellent but varies in response time and agent expertise.
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
7.1
HCL Domino is scalable for all team sizes, though some users find limitations with larger databases and seek alternatives.
Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Exchange Online is celebrated for scalable, reliable cloud-based expansion, accommodating diverse organizational sizes, despite some cost concerns.
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
8.1
HCL Domino is praised for its stability with minimal downtime, despite occasional issues, consistently receiving positive evaluations.
Sentiment score
8.0
Microsoft Exchange Online is highly stable and reliable with minimal downtime, quick recovery, and significant stability improvements.
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 performance, design, and integration improvements to enhance scalability, modernity, and compatibility with third-party tools.
Microsoft Exchange Online users face challenges with integration, security, scalability, optimization, support, documentation, and pricing, needing significant improvements.
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
I would say that there are much better low-code platforms.
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
In third world countries, they need local support.
IT Officer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

HCL Domino's pricing, about $100 per user annually, includes support and updates, yet some find it costly compared to alternatives.
Microsoft Exchange Online's pricing is seen as reasonable but varies, appreciated for value and integration despite regional cost concerns.
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, stable, and integrated solutions with advanced encryption, mobile integration, and efficient deployment for diverse systems.
Microsoft Exchange Online offers seamless integration, robust security, scalable solutions, and cloud-based features for efficient remote communication and administration.
Additionally, it supports web services, enabling us to consume and expose web services.
SME at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
You can make it do many things because it is an application server.
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
Microsoft Exchange Online Protection helps by providing cloud-based security.
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
23
Ranking in other categories
Rapid Application Development Software (17th)
Microsoft Exchange Online
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
92
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 0.5% compared to last year.
Microsoft Exchange Online, on the other hand, focuses on Email Applications, holds 11.1% mindshare, down 14.8% since last year.
Rapid Application Development Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
HCL Domino1.0%
Microsoft Power Apps9.5%
ServiceNow6.5%
Other83.0%
Rapid Application Development Software
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online11.1%
Google Workspace15.1%
Microsoft Exchange10.2%
Other63.6%
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.
AM
Assistant General Manager, IT Infrastructure at SAMI Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Limited.
Offers flexibility and cost-effectiveness with multiple service options but could improve support and mobile features
There are many things to consider about email management in Microsoft Exchange Online. The online management is good, the storage is sufficient, and we use most of the features such as the custom rules in Microsoft Exchange Online, which we cannot find in any other email solution. That is a very good option, as we have many options to create custom rules in Microsoft Exchange Online. Regarding security features in Microsoft Exchange Online, we also use Defender for Exchange which includes the basic Exchange Online protection that has spam and threat controls. The use of Defender is beneficial for our security. The flexibility of choosing plans in Microsoft Exchange Online is good. We have chosen the best plan for our use, including multiple licenses such as plan one and business basics, which leads us towards cost-effectiveness, and the pay-as-you-go option is more flexible. Microsoft Exchange Online is very scalable.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Retailer
6%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise40
 

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 do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online?
The benefits are widespread and effective communication. We use Microsoft Teams for meetings within and outside our organization. Additionally, Teams can be used for chat, allowing us to track comm...
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 ...
 

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: February 2026.
882,333 professionals have used our research since 2012.