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HCL Notes vs Zoho Mail comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

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
5.5
HCL Notes enhances efficiency and secure communication, offering ROI that outweighs its $100 annual cost per user.
Sentiment score
5.2
Zoho Mail delivers strong ROI with cost-effective app access, reducing operational costs and enhancing conversions through CRM integration.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
HCL Notes support is praised for knowledgeable staff and quick response, with high user satisfaction but room for growth.
Sentiment score
5.1
Zoho Mail's customer support receives mixed reviews, with praise for responsiveness but criticism for inconsistency and delayed assistance.
Once Notes is running, it performs reliably without issues.
Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate HCL technical support as eight out of ten.
IT Director at ATOS
When downloading Zoho Mail CRM, an assistant connects with you for any support needed, providing an end-to-end process that strengthens customer experience.
Customer Experience Consultant at Unemployed
Sometimes I get stuck on API integrations and other issues, and they guide me and take additional sessions to resolve the problems.
Sr Zoho Developer and Consultant at Xpert Prime
Sometimes Zoho Mail has fast response times, while at other times they don't.
Founder at Tech Force
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
HCL Notes is scalable, integrates well with major platforms, but may face performance issues with large databases.
Sentiment score
6.5
Zoho Mail is scalable and efficient, ideal for managing large user numbers, with ongoing improvements enhancing its reliability.
The scalability of the product is really good.
IT Director at ATOS
Initially, it wasn't very effective, but over time it has improved and become a preferred choice for employers using CRM.
Customer Experience Consultant at Unemployed
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
HCL Notes is considered stable, with high ratings despite occasional server issues, enhanced post-IBM with improved features.
Sentiment score
7.6
Zoho Mail is praised for its stability, reliability, and minimal issues, despite occasional login delays due to security.
 

Room For Improvement

HCL Notes needs modernization with improved interface, reliability, integration, and user-friendliness to compete with alternatives like Microsoft.
Zoho Mail needs improved meeting tools, storage, interface, integration, stability, and support while upcoming AI features show promise.
I think HCL can make its product better by being more visible on the market because most companies don't support or use HCL anymore.
IT Director at ATOS
It could be modernized by the development team.
Administration & Technical Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Considering how WhatsApp backup automatically goes to Google by default, Zoho Mail could develop similar functionality.
Owner at AATXE
We currently only have the ability to add users to groups, but some admins need to organize users in organizational units and apply security policies or other configurations based on these units.
Founder at Tech Force
I would like to see the functionality where a client or recipient can indicate their willingness to give feedback on the emails sent to them, as it could enhance the intelligence behind the response management.
Customer Experience Consultant at Unemployed
 

Setup Cost

HCL Notes is praised for cost-effectiveness and adaptability, despite varied perceptions on pricing due to multiple components.
Zoho Mail offers cost-effective enterprise pricing, appealing over competitors like Microsoft and Google, especially in regions like Nigeria and Egypt.
Zoho Mail is economical compared to Microsoft and Google Workspace.
Founder at Tech Force
I find the pricing to be reasonable but recognize it can vary based on corporate economic conditions.
Customer Experience Consultant at Unemployed
 

Valuable Features

HCL Notes excels in security, integration, ease of development, backward compatibility, and offers cost-effective groupware applications with email integration.
Zoho Mail offers user-friendly, secure email with app integration, perfect for small businesses needing efficient, scalable communication.
We use HCL Notes for its offline capabilities, including the ability to work offline.
IT Director at ATOS
The interconnectivity between these applications makes it particularly useful.
Owner at AATXE
The main benefits that Zoho Mail brings include the ability to send large and secure mails.
Customer Experience Consultant at Unemployed
It fits small and medium businesses who don't want many features and prefer a reasonable price.
Founder at Tech Force
 

Categories and Ranking

HCL Notes
Ranking in Email Applications
7th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zoho Mail
Ranking in Email Applications
6th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of HCL Notes is 3.5%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoho Mail is 5.3%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Zoho Mail5.3%
HCL Notes3.5%
Other91.2%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AM
RPA Developer at Hexaware Technologies Limited
Challenges with efficiency and interface lead to transition while offering some useful organization features
Office 365 has advantages over HCL Notes, offering a better interface and better categorization of emails. We get different kinds of options, including mail suggestions and AI options that can help users. Meetings, calendars, everything is in one place, making it more efficient. Office 365 offers a better interface and categorization of emails, along with options such as mail suggestions and AI features. Meetings and calendars are all integrated in one place.
Antony Munyao Benjamin - PeerSpot reviewer
Customer Experience Consultant at Unemployed
Has required technical improvements to better support advanced email feedback and user behavior tracking
Using Zoho Mail is quite easy. Users are able to track if the recipient has received, opened, or clicked on the email, thanks to a very good tracking system, and they can create large campaigns using the unlimited features of the email. The integration with Zoho Projects is a bit technical, as it's part of the CRM with specific routine tasks for projects. Efficiency-wise, it has been great in bringing teams closer together so that every project member can critique the progress of assignments. However, there is a need for improvement in communication style from one module to another. The main benefits that Zoho Mail brings include the ability to send large and secure mails. It integrates with Google clients, ensuring a high level of security and reduced spam. I have utilized it effectively, and clients trust emails from Zoho Mail because of its reputation as a reliable CRM software company.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
15%
Retailer
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HCL Notes?
We don't use team workspace with HCL Notes; we use only Microsoft because it's incorporated with the Microsoft license. Based on my extensive experience with HCL Notes, I think HCL can make its pro...
What is your primary use case for HCL Notes?
We use HCL Notes as an email system. We currently only use it as an email application, though in the past we used it for additional applications.
What advice do you have for others considering HCL Notes?
Regarding HCL Notes supporting various business processes such as CRM, I don't use it, but if I have an issue, I contact the support and we are satisfied with that. I would rate HCL Notes 10 out of...
What do you like most about Zoho Mail?
It also offers the search functionalities. For end users, the search is quite easy to use. There are a few tabs to select to find exactly what you're looking for. It's pretty simple. As long as the...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoho Mail?
I find the pricing to be reasonable but recognize it can vary based on corporate economic conditions. However, I suggest considering packages for freelancers or independent consultants.
What needs improvement with Zoho Mail?
🎯As a CX professional, I consider the new ZohoMail user interphase to be versatile, the ability to categorize mails from notifications and the inbuilt tools and features like calendly that is after...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Notes, Lotus Notes
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Connect2Cloud, Hansgrohe, Sauk County, Blue Water Shipping, FDBR, ibml, Multivac, Aarhus University Hospital, Hendricks Regional Health, Asian Paints, Integra Legal, Sunplus Technology, S¾SS, The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports, Nicrometal, Doncasters Group, Practice Plan, Barr, RACV, Neotechnik, Deutsche Notes User Group
BBDO, HuffPost
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Notes vs. Zoho Mail and other solutions. Updated: November 2025.
874,056 professionals have used our research since 2012.