HCL Domino vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

The compared HCLSoftware and Zimbra solutions aren't in the same category. HCLSoftware is ranked #17 in RADS , with an average rating of 7.7, and holds a 0.6% mindshare in the category. Zimbra is ranked #5 in EA , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 8.5% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

HCL Domino

Read 22 HCL Domino reviews

2,425 Views
752 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 29 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

2,523 Views
2,397 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

HCL Domino

Zimbra Collaboration

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between HCL Domino and Zimbra Collaboration based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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August 2025

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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

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Rapid Application Development Software (17th)

Zimbra Collaboration

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Applications (5th)

Mindshare comparison

HCL Domino and Zimbra Collaboration aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. HCL Domino is designed for Rapid Application Development Software and holds a mindshare of 0.6%, up 0.5% compared to last year.
Zimbra Collaboration, on the other hand, focuses on Email Applications, holds 8.5% mindshare, down 9.4% since last year.

Rapid Application Development Software

Email Applications

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

Muhammad Talha Baig

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.

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

"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."

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

"It is an excellent solution."

"The most important benefit is security. The security architecture is very good. It's the best part of the solution."

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

"The full-text searching capabilities are great."

"Overall, I would rate HCL Domino as eight out of ten. I would recommend HCL Domino and Notes applications for small and medium-sized companies since it offers a good return on investment."

"Domino's dual functionality as both a messaging and application solution is a standout feature compared to Exchange, which solely focuses on messaging."

More HCL Domino pros

"Zimbra Collaboration is light to manage. It works on the Linux operating system, which is far better to manage than Microsoft Windows. Microsoft Exchange works only on the Windows server. We prefer working on the Linux server for security reasons and ease of management. Zimbra Collaboration also has some integrated tools for security. It some modules to fight malware. These modules are not very powerful but are still doing a great job. Microsoft Exchange doesn't have a basic module. You have to purchase a security solution and add it to the solution. The cost of Zimbra Collaboration is one more reason for liking it. It is also very simple to migrate from Zimbra Collaboration to another email solution."

"The most valuable feature of Zimbra for our team's productivity is its efficiency in handling email communication."

"Zimbra Collaboration's sharing features are most valuable."

"Zimbra Collaboration's best feature is its compatibility with Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol, which allows users to use Outlook on Windows or MacOS."

"It has all collaboration features, such as document sharing, video conferencing, chatting, task sharing, and calendar sharing."

"Zimbra Collaboration has a good web interface."

"The backup and storage management features of Zimbra Collaboration are valuable."

"A lot of other products like Microsoft Exchange offer email or collaboration features, but they are not as fast as Zimbra."

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

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

"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."

"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."

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

"They should provide its integration with other AI applications."

"From the Domino side, it should support DKIM and DMARC."

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

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

More HCL Domino cons

"In the next release, Zimbra Collaboration should include a security feature to allow access for mobile device administrators."

"I would like to see a Microsoft schedule function added."

"I can confidently say that Zimbra is good enough for 2,000 client users. But, at the same time, if my client needs more than that and we have two options—Zimbra or Microsoft—I'm going with Microsoft because many admins will speak to Microsoft's ability to handle that many."

"There are some security issues."

"The installation is not straightforward, it can take two days for the full implementation."

"The product must be more customizable."

"The solution could use more integration with third-party tools."

"Zimbra Collaboration's video conferencing could be improved."

More Zimbra Collaboration cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"My company's customers need to make monthly or yearly payments towards the license charges of the product."

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

"For 30 licenses, we pay $1,500 every year. It is not an expensive product."

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

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

"HCL Domino's pricing depends on the number of users, but its license is not cheap."

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

More HCL Domino pricing and cost advice

"We do not pay for licenses to use this solution."

"If you choose the network edition, it is a little pricier. They have the open-source edition too which is only community supported."

"The price of the solution is low."

"I use Zimbra Collaboration's community version. We may move to the enterprise version since prices are affordable."

"The solution is not expensive compared to other products."

"There is an annual standard licensing fee to use Zimbra Collaboration and there is no other cost."

"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."

"Zimbra Collaboration is expensive, and there is no perpetual license option."

More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Energy/Utilities Company

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?

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...

See all answers

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 the email, calendar, and collaboration server with web interface. In addition, I...

See all answers

What do you like most about Zimbra Collaboration?

The most valuable feature of Zimbra for our team's productivity is its efficiency in handling email communication.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zimbra Collaboration?

The solution is competitively priced.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange vs HCL Domino

Compared 35% of the time

HCL Notes vs HCL Domino

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs HCL Domino

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs HCL Domino

Compared 9% of the time

ServiceNow vs HCL Domino

Compared 4% of the time

More HCL Domino Competitors

Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 26% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 21% of the time

KerioConnect vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 14% of the time

IceWarp vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 9% of the time

HCL Notes vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 3% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL Domino

August 2025

Download HCL Domino product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

July 2025

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino

No data available

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

Zimbra Collaboration provides administrators and their end users innovative features that solve the challenges faced by organizations using today's legacy communications infrastructure.

Zimbra

Sample Customers

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

NEC Biglobe, City of Ventura, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Hola Publishing, BIG, Sleepwell, LaFayette College, Xmission, DNA, Ring Line, Future Group, TIGC

Buyer's Guide

Rapid Application Development Software

August 2025

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