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HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration 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:
 

Mindshare comparison

Rapid Application Development Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HCL Domino1.0%
Microsoft Power Apps9.0%
ServiceNow6.2%
Other83.8%
Rapid Application Development Software
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Exchange9.9%
Google Workspace14.7%
Microsoft Exchange Online10.6%
Other64.8%
Email Applications
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Zimbra Collaboration6.9%
Google Workspace14.7%
Microsoft Exchange Online10.6%
Other67.8%
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.
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…
Muhammad Talha Baig - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Analyst and Associate Project Manager at SAMI Pharmaceuticals
One of the premium features was customized rooms tailored to the collaboration needs
Zimbra's strength lies in its individuality, and it should focus on leveraging its unique features rather than trying to emulate competitors. My organization has certified Zimbra technicians, so we believe we can utilize Zimbra certification. However, I was recently informed by Zimbra that no such certification exists. I have recently completed the test kit, and after the training, I will gain access to tickets. Therefore, if any clients are experiencing issues, we have a certified technical team available to provide support 24/7. This is how we can cater to our client's needs. I recommend Zimbra to small-scale and enterprise customers. Anyone, even those with 5 users, can opt for Zimbra. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is an excellent solution."
"I find the HCL Domino server scalable."
"It serves as a centralized solution that fulfills all my requirements from operating my email server to managing various aspects of my operations."
"For workflow applications or general applications, the rapid development capability is what we value most."
"The best feature of HCL Domino is that you can use Notes for messaging plus application, not just for messaging."
"It is a wonderful tool; it offers a very stable environment, the security is very good, the integration capabilities are great, it is a beautiful platform for low-code and no-code developments and offers comprehensive solution development, and the pricing is excellent."
"This solution can be used for workflow application so that applications can be easily developed."
"The email system is the most valuable feature."
"What I love about Microsoft Exchange is the good integration since 2013, particularly its integration with the calendar and other software such as Zoom, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, etc."
"I find the Outlook client very valuable. It allows me to connect to the Exchange Server and send and receive emails easily. The graphical interface is user-friendly and has a good look and feel."
"If you don't really mind the cost then go for Microsoft."
"It is a product that is simple to manage, and easy to use."
"The tool's most valuable feature is associated with the fact that it stands out for being beneficial for managing emails."
"The technical support is fine."
"The initial setup is quite a straightforward process; I don't think it is a very complicated solution, as plenty of things could be more complex, but the ordinary, general settings are quite simple."
"Exchange is easy to use; it also has a built-in calendar for all the stuff I'm supposed to be looking at and doing, tells you if you have a doctor's appointment or a scheduled call, and has a place to store and manage your contacts, automatically filling in information about a new contact stored anywhere within the Microsoft Suite."
"The most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is the cost."
"Zimbra Collaboration has integrated a lot of their party tools and they have good documentation available."
"The most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is email functionality."
"Network NG Modules are valuable to us."
"One of the premium features was customized rooms tailored to the collaboration needs. Many of the clients customize features such as organization logos and scanners."
"Zimbra Collaboration has integrated a lot of their party tools and they have good documentation available."
"Zimbra Collaboration is a good tool for video calls...Zimbra Collaboration's initial setup phase was easy."
"Premium features, such as auto discovery and archiving, mobile management and HSM, make life much easier."
 

Cons

"Scalability is also an issue. We have problems with large databases."
"The biggest problem for us is the performance. We have been working with this product for a long time and our database now contains approximately two million documents."
"When you compare with Microsoft Exchange, the UI could be more user-friendly."
"Scalability needs to be improved to be on the level that's required. Support could also be enhanced."
"From the Domino side, it should support DKIM and DMARC."
"The client version of this solution could be faster and be made simpler for non-IT users. You will need to have some knowledge of Notes to correctly install this solution."
"Recently, IBM sold the product to HCL. Since Pakistan and India have some problems on a domestic level, we were actually considering replacing it with Indian products from the organization. We're just facing some regulatory issues."
"HCL Domino needs to be more user-friendly, as end users prefer Outlook over it, because they find Outlook easier to use."
"They could improve on the search function, it takes too much time."
"One major area for improvement is the need for repeated authentication when running a meeting."
"Microsoft Exchange needs to improve how it handles and assigns policy and security."
"I'd like the archiving process to be faster."
"I do not have any notes for improvement."
"In terms of configuring the product, that's definitely an area in which they can make some improvements on."
"The management of .pst files and archiving need improvement."
"The pricing could be better, and it could have an easier implementation."
"There can be difficulties resolving problems on the server side when problems arise."
"The tool should improve its multi-cloud feature."
"The solution could improve by making it easier to use."
"File sharing permissions with Nextcloud integration need improvement."
"There are some bugs we found that could be fixed."
"The solution could improve by making it easier to use."
"The installation is not straightforward, it can take two days for the full implementation."
"I would like to see a Microsoft schedule function added."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Customers have to pay for a license for the Notes Client, not for the Domino database. There is a quarter license that we use."
"HCL Domino's pricing depends on the number of users, but its license is not cheap."
"It is less expensive compared to other vendors."
"For 30 licenses, we pay $1,500 every year. It is not an expensive product."
"The pricing is subjective and contingent on the intended usage."
"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."
"HCL Domino has reasonable pricing. It's not expensive."
"The license for Domino is yearly. The price is high."
"There are different prices depending on the customer's use cases and amount of users. The price of the solution could improve."
"We pay for the license annually."
"The platform has a reasonable price."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange is reasonable."
"The product is quite cheap."
"It's working very well. There is no problem, but the price is not the best."
"I have Outlook 365 Professional, and Exchange comes in the bundle with other solutions, such as Word and OneDrive. I pay for the use of the bundle monthly and I can imagine if you are a company with many licenses the pricing model would be a lot different."
"Microsoft Exchange is an inexpensive application."
"When it comes to the licensing of Zimbra Collaboration, my license covers the servers and I find its terms to be much simpler than those of Microsoft Exchange."
"There is an annual standard licensing fee to use Zimbra Collaboration and there is no other cost."
"The solution is not expensive compared to other products."
"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the price a four"
"The solution is competitively priced."
"We pay yearly licenses for Zimbra Collaboration."
"We do not pay for licenses to use this solution."
"I use Zimbra Collaboration's community version. We may move to the enterprise version since prices are affordable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Construction Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
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 Business41
Midsize Enterprise28
Large Enterprise35
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise7
 

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 do...
What is your primary use case for HCL Domino?
The primary purposes for which HCL Domino is used are mail and applications.
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.
What needs improvement with Zimbra Collaboration?
When it comes to administration tasks like configuring specific filters or group signatures, I have to dig into the c...
What is your primary use case for Zimbra Collaboration?
Zimbra is a cheap and open-source tool. It provides security, which is crucial for user authentication and authorizat...
 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino
Exchange, MS Exchange
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil
Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting
NEC Biglobe, City of Ventura, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Hola Publishing, BIG, Sleepwell, LaFayette College, Xmission, DNA, Ring Line, Future Group, TIGC
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