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HCL Sametime vs Webex comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

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 Sametime
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Webex
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
128
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 1.5%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 6.8%, down from 17.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Webex6.8%
HCL Sametime1.5%
Other91.7%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

Bogdan Chechlowski - PeerSpot reviewer
Kierownik Biura Informatyki at EIB SA
Stable product, communicate very fast and allows to see who's online in the office or work environment
It was used for communication through text messages, primarily Being able to see who was online and communicate very fast was a good feature.  The security was quite good. However, when we tried to implement it for email at a high level, we had to use another solution, FortiMail Gateway. I view…
Akhil Viswam - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Consultant at a consultancy with 10,001+ employees
Collaborating in hybrid incident calls has become faster while the meeting interface still needs fixes
The best features are the ability to schedule meetings and launch ad hoc meetings. Additionally, we can create breakout rooms within the meeting itself, which is another excellent feature. Whenever we have production issues, many teams join a single Webex call. Sometimes we need to group together as separate smaller groups and work in parallel to identify the production issues. In those cases, we create Webex breakout rooms and each member joins the corresponding breakout session to progress on their task. Webex helps significantly in the hybrid environment. When we are working from home, it is very easy for us to meet with other team members and the management to get in touch and progress. Webex improves communication because even if we are working from home, we can connect with people and talk to them on a video call. It has improved the incident resolution time by getting into a call in Webex rooms and remediating the issues together as soon as possible. Audio and video quality is excellent for Webex. It has saved considerable time in terms of incident remediation. Whenever we have issues, we jump on a call and work together in parallel. This approach saves time and improves efficiency.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I can view the status and availability of colleagues or team members, which makes it easy to approach them when they are available."
"The security was quite good."
"Over the years, the all-in-one capability has been the most valuable feature of Webex; we have calling tools, chat tools, and meeting tools all in one tool now, making it very easy to use for all communication purposes."
"Webex is more similar to Zoom, but I feel it has some extra features, offering a good user experience for those who use Slack."
"It's easy to dial the numbers and the process of connecting a call is very intuitive."
"The implmentation of Webex is simple. It does not a lot of time."
"During Cisco training sessions, I found Webex effective in improving productivity. I benefited from the training. However, I can't speak for others using Webex for daily work or jobs."
"The solution makes it easy for us as a team to collaborate remotely."
"You can configure whatever you want in great detail."
"The most valuable features of Webex are the depth of the tone and the quality of the picture. I find them better than Teams or Zoom."
 

Cons

"It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or other files."
"The webinar should be integrated into Sametime for a larger number of participants."
"The accessibility of the share screen option provided by the product is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The scalability and voice quality attached to the solution are areas of concern where improvements are required."
"Currently, I'm unable to find any loophole in Webex, but in terms of areas for improvement, it would be better if a user is informed about any new updates or new features added to the tool."
"Webex could improve the performance."
"Webex's Bluetooth functionality could be better. For example, I use Webex on my Android mobile phone and connect with Bluetooth. It connects, but I cannot speak through the Bluetooth microphone and earphones with Webex. It's always disabled. I don't know why."
"The connectivity can be improved because sometimes when we talk to clients that are overseas the connection is kind of poor. The video will be pixelated and we will need to turn off the video because the voice gets delayed."
"I would appreciate improvements in communication stability and performance. Sometimes we experience a poor communication stream, but I am uncertain whether it is due to the internet link or something else."
"There's some difficulty in Webex, particularly when a third party needs access and that third party is not part of the domain of the company, it could be difficult."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I believe the license to be monthly."
"My organization took care of the licensing. I'm guessing they did some subscription cycle, but I used the free version."
"Webex is expensive, especially compared to Zoom or Google."
"I rate the product price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is high price, and ten is low price."
"The price of the license for the solution could be less expensive."
"The tool is expensive."
"I use the solution for free because I don't use the solution's enterprise version."
"The charges attached to the subscriptions of the product are okay. There are no extra charges to be paid in addition to the standard licensing fees."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
882,207 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Marketing Services Firm
16%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise62
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HCL Sametime?
I view it as part of HCL Notes and Domino, and my opinion is similar to those products. It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or oth...
What is your primary use case for HCL Sametime?
It was used for communication through text messages, primarily.
What advice do you have for others considering HCL Sametime?
Overall, it was quite good. I would rate it an eight out of ten. It's a better product than some others from HCL, but overall, I wouldn't recommend it, given the availability of superior alternatives.
What do you like most about Webex?
Webex improved our overall team collaboration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Webex?
From when I last implemented it, I found the price to be expensive. The licensing model doesn't work because if I want to implement it for an organization, I need to pay a per-user license, which m...
What needs improvement with Webex?
Webex can be improved in terms of better user experience. Sometimes I experience glitches that can be fixed. One of the pain points with the interface is that sometimes it gets stuck when launching...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Lotus Sametime, IBM Lotus Sametime
Cisco Spark
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Connect2Cloud, Superior Group, Daifuku Co. Ltd., Seaward, The City of Fort Worth, Christian Brothers Services, Berlitz, Deutsche Notes User Group, Danske Fysioterapeuter, Slumberland, La Vacanza, Rheinmetall AG
Seagate Technology, Kohn Pedersen Fox, World Vision International, Glen Raven, University of Notre Dame, CEV Multimedia, The Food Group, LUMEDX, California Baptist University, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Sametime vs. Webex and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.
882,207 professionals have used our research since 2012.