HCL Domino vs Oracle Application Express (APEX) comparison

HCLSoftware and Oracle are both solutions in the Rapid Application Development Software category. HCLSoftware is ranked #19 with an average rating of 7.8, while Oracle is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3. HCLSoftware holds a 0.5% mindshare in RADS, compared to Oracle’s 8.1% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

HCL Domino

Read 21 HCL Domino reviews

896 Views
382 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Oracle Application Express ...

Read 59 Oracle Application Express (APEX) reviews

11,409 Views
6,952 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

HCL Domino

Oracle Application Express ...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

HCL Domino and Oracle Application Express (APEX) compete in the enterprise application development and deployment sector. Oracle APEX holds an edge for rapid application development and ease of use in data-driven user interfaces.

Features: HCL Domino provides robust security with data encryption and multifactor authentication, versatile integration, and supports multiple platforms such as AIX, Windows, and Linux. It serves as a centralized messaging and application solution with extensive functionalities. Oracle APEX facilitates rapid application development, focusing on low-code solutions and data-driven UIs. It offers easy deployment directly on the Oracle database, emphasizing portability and speed.

Room for Improvement: HCL Domino users note the need for better integration with third-party applications like Microsoft 365 and a more modern interface to enhance user-friendliness. Oracle APEX could improve with more robust workflow capabilities and a reduced learning curve for less technical users. Security handling of passwords and reporting features are areas needing enhancement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both HCL Domino and Oracle APEX support on-premises and private cloud deployments. Oracle APEX extends options to public and hybrid clouds, offering broader flexibility. HCL Domino is commended for responsive customer service, despite some complexity in technical support. Oracle APEX experiences vary, with some users desiring improved customer service interactions.

Pricing and ROI: HCL Domino's pricing is considered high for small and medium businesses but offers reasonable value. Licensing is often based on user count, with ROI noted by some users. Oracle APEX is bundled with Oracle database licenses, described as expensive, but APEX itself is free within this context, presenting cost-effectiveness for those already using Oracle products.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL Domino vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX) Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL Domino vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX)

April 2025

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Helped 849,686 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

HCL Domino

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

19th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Oracle Application Express ...

Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Development Platforms (2nd), Low-Code Development Platforms (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of HCL Domino is 0.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 8.1%, down from 9.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rapid Application Development Software

Featured Reviews

FrederickLim

Technical Service Manager at Top Level Corporation Limited

Provides mobile email systems with solid stability and easy deployment

The initial setup is easy. You need to sign up. It depends on the scope. It will take longer if there are more than one or more applications. The project usually includes infrastructure and deployment may take anywhere from one month to six months. I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

Read full review

Rodrigo-Mesquita

Senior Software developer at QV Systems

Rapid application development empowers big projects in months

The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable. It is very quick to create a page, and one can use AI to speed up software development. It is easy to learn. In my company, we could develop a very big application in a couple of months.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of HCL Domino is how robust it is."

"I like that HCL Domino is stable. It's a great product. I also like that HCL Domino is a mature product under IBM, which is why many companies use it."

"This solution can be used for workflow application so that applications can be easily developed."

"HCL Domino is the best product from a security point of view."

"We have been able to set up a portal using a special XPage application that gives our customers access to this system."

"The DAOS feature is the most valuable. It helps to save some of my storage."

"HCL Domino is an application development and collaboration platform with strong stability and security. Deployment of this platform is easy and takes only 10 minutes."

"One valuable feature of HCL Domino is its integration with other directories."

More HCL Domino pros

"The product is fast."

"It has many ready modules that can be used and developed."

"Oracle APEX improved our organization by making it possible for us to implement agile project development."

"I like the way that it automatically goes into the spreadsheets and the users can deal with it."

"We set up the HTTP server and installed the Apex Xamarin DB using the Mark Hill SQL packages for an older version. That's the extent of our configuration."

"Oracle Application Express is easy to use, people don't have to be developers to use it."

"It has a well-designed architecture and is a simple 3rd party application."

"The solution can build functionalities in a very short time."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) pros

Cons

"An area for improvement in HCL Domino is security. New enhancements in the IT industry mean that security should be improved. The HCL Domino GUI also needs improvement."

"The solution could improve Kubernetes or Dockers migration to new environments in the cloud."

"When you compare with Microsoft Exchange, the UI could be more user-friendly."

"HCL Domino could improve by having integration with other solutions, such as Microsoft 365."

"Scalability needs to be improved to be on the level that's required. Support could also be enhanced."

"For me, the one thing missing is a really good reporting engine."

"The solution is expensive."

"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."

More HCL Domino cons

"The user interface needs to be improved."

"I've experienced some difficulties when using Oracle Application Express (APEX), particularly when I'm designing forms. For example, when I design a form, I add buttons and controls, but I'm unable to visualize how it'll look unless I run it. You want to design and do things your way, but if you don't have much experience, then you'll find that designing in Oracle Application Express (APEX) is a little complicated. This won't be a problem with anyone more experienced, though. If I wanted to create my design, for example, a different table format or some background images, it becomes a problem, and this is an area for improvement in Oracle Application Express (APEX). Designing should be easier, even for less experienced users. An additional feature I'd like to see in Oracle Application Express (APEX) is more plugins, particularly a repository that contains a lot of plugins, so you can go to that repository and download whichever you like and use it or add it to your project. Right now, I create my plugins, so it would be helpful if Oracle Application Express (APEX) has a repository of plugins people can use, download from anywhere in the world, and integrate into projects."

"It has been reported that the technology is very hard to learn, and the service is expensive."

"One area for improvement in Oracle APEX is its workflow orchestration capabilities."

"Oracle should implement vertical and horizontal data segmentation in APEX's security framework, so Dev teams don't need to do any heavy lifting in the APEX screens. This is a common issue in enterprise apps. It would be nice to seamlessly integrate Git repositories into the development process since the current solution can result in overlapping work or an eventual overwrite. The provided example apps are great, but they could benefit from some added documentation in the "explanation screens"."

"It can only be deployed on Oracle Database."

"Connections to the application pages are not handled well and at times more than one user can be accessing an application with the same ID."

"During the upcoming versions, we can modify the current configuration."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license for Domino is yearly. The price is high."

"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."

"I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of price."

"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."

"While I don't have precise pricing information at hand, my understanding is that it tends to be on the higher end."

"HCL Domino is costly, but it still depends on how your organization views it price-wise."

"We chose to pay for our licensing fees annually."

More HCL Domino pricing and cost advice

"Apex is not priced separately; instead, it is associated with the Oracle database. A free option for Oracle database and Apex can be downloaded and installed on this complimentary database version. This aligns with our current approach."

"The product is completely free of cost."

"When you have a licensed database in an Oracle environment, APEX is free."

"The pricing is very good and less expensive than Mendix or OutSystems."

"We have an Oracle basic product license, and then we can use Oracle APEX for free. We have many licenses for Oracle for approximately 20 processors."

"I would rate it around an eight in terms of price, with one being low and ten being high."

"Oracle Application Express (APEX) is free, so this is another magic of the solution. You just get charged for the database license, which I don't need."

"The pricing is mid-range so is neither expensive nor cheap."

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Educational Organization

29%

Government

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HCL Domino?

The most valuable features of the solution are security and integration.

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL Domino?

The speed of the Notes client is an area that could be improved. Many people are not very happy with its speed. Additionally, in-line editing of documents and a document viewer are functionalities ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Oracle Application Express (APEX)?

The product is fast.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Application Express (APEX)?

Oracle APEX is part of our on-premises solution included in our agreement with Oracle E Business Suite, though I don't know the cost specifics. Power BI is licensed by the user.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?

Using AI to analyze data without needing much code would be better. Also, although the interface is easy to change, it could have more features.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange vs HCL Domino

Compared 37% of the time

HCL Notes vs HCL Domino

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs HCL Domino

Compared 10% of the time

GitHub CoPilot vs HCL Domino

Compared 9% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs HCL Domino

Compared 9% of the time

More HCL Domino Competitors

Microsoft Power Apps vs Oracle Application Express (APEX)

Compared 23% of the time

Salesforce Platform vs Oracle Application Express (APEX)

Compared 17% of the time

GitHub CoPilot vs Oracle Application Express (APEX)

Compared 9% of the time

OutSystems vs Oracle Application Express (APEX)

Compared 9% of the time

Mendix vs Oracle Application Express (APEX)

Compared 7% of the time

More Oracle Application Express (APEX) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL Domino

April 2025

Download HCL Domino product report

Buyer's Guide

Oracle Application Express (APEX)

April 2025

Oracle Application Express (APEX) report

Download Oracle Application Express (APEX) product report

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino

Oracle APEX

Overview

HCL Domino (formerly IBM Domino) is a secure, enterprise-grade, application development platform. From IT to business, HCL Domino is the only low to pro-code application development platform that allows your business to build robust applications to solve workflow and process challenges fast. HCL Domino powers businesses around the world with 15,000 customers and 10 million apps built on our platform. HCL Domino has always been a secure, rock-solid, and proven solution.

Low cost of ownership - minimizing administration needs through automated installations, policies and monitoring helps staff focus on higher value tasks.
Minimized infrastructure - reducing costs by using less power, memory, data storage, network bandwidth and servers.
Rich application environment - supporting workflow-driven and people-oriented applications that help a wide variety of business operations deliver enhanced results.
Security-rich - helping protect your critical business assets. You can control information access, protect information and guarantee document authenticity.
High availability - featuring advanced clustering, replication, server fault recovery and automated diagnostic tools.

HCLSoftware

Oracle Application Express (APEX) is a low-code development platform that enables users to build enterprise apps securely and scalably. APEX, which offers world-class features, can be deployed anywhere. As part of the Oracle Database, developers can develop superior apps 20x more quickly by using all of the tools provided in a single, extensible platform.

Oracle APEX, a cloud platform that has been around for over 20 years, eliminates complexities associated with app building while delivering results faster and at a lower cost. The low-code aspect offers developers a visual approach to app development that accelerates the development process. Oracle APEX also provides a lively, global, and growing community of developers that can connect and share resources with each other.

Features of Oracle Application Express (APEX)

App building requires complexities and expert knowledge in vast web technologies. With Oracle APEX, these complexities involved with multi-faceted applications are reduced, and developers are provided with the rich features they need to fix business problems and create solutions. These features include:

Data: Oracle APEX offers revolutionary functionality to enable developers to turn data into information, no matter where that data is from. Under this functionality, you can display, chart, manipulate, and process data effortlessly and accurately.

Accessibility: Developers can build highly accessible and inclusive web apps for users with various abilities and requirements. Oracle APEX aims to provide a good user experience for everybody, with accessibility bug fixes and continuous improvements of their testing strategies.

Globalization: Oracle APEX provides the ability to create a framework to maintain well-performing applications in multiple languages and environments.

Smart Filters and Search: users can rapidly reduce searched data and remove clutter with search terms and filter suggestions for a more simplified user experience.

Security: Oracle APEX empowers web application builders to develop apps without compromising on security. Despite the constant increase of attacks and modification of web standards, developers can stay focused on their tasks without leaving applications exposed.

Monitoring: Monitoring and logging are built into Oracle APEX, which provides valuable insight into how users interact with your applications, as well as any hacking attempts, application errors, and performance issues.

User Interface: Developers can build modern web applications that are responsive, easily customizable, highly accessible, and simple to maintain with Universal Theme, a user interface for Application Express.

Reviews from Real Users

Oracle Application Express is a favorite among developers looking to create web applications quickly and securely for many reasons, which include its ease of use and the ability to quickly create public applications

A senior database developer at a tech services company notes, "This is a good application for quickly creating public applications."

Alvaro L., an intelligence coordinator at Grupo Orbis, writes, "Oracle Application Express is easy to use, people don't have to be developers to use it."

Oracle

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil

Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne

Buyer's Guide

HCL Domino vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX)

April 2025

Free Report: HCL Domino vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX)

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