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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
19th
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
6.9
Number of Reviews
125
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.5%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 16.2%, up from 15.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

Bogdan Chechlowski - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
Wajid Khattak - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use, enables remote meetings, and saves time and money
We deployed the product in our headquarters and connected our four plants. It enables us to meet remotely. We use the tool for remote meetings. I work in the manufacturing sector The product is easy to use. We are very comfortable with it. The video call features are compatible with different…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The security was quite good."
"I can view the status and availability of colleagues or team members, which makes it easy to approach them when they are available."
"In terms of stability, the solution is reliable."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"Screen share is the most valuable feature."
"The stability of the solution is the most important feature."
"Webex has frequent updates and it is very good."
"Once it's running, it's okay."
"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."
"We can access and conduct meetings remotely from anywhere using Webex."
 

Cons

"The webinar should be integrated into Sametime for a larger number of participants."
"It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or other files."
"Zoom entered into the commercial space for end-users. It's more of a solution for single users for training classes or music centers and all that. Cisco is not in that space."
"I do not like the solutions functions."
"This service could be improved by implementing integration with Microsoft platforms. If you are on a call with Webex, you can get a call from Teams or Skype for Business without receiving any indication."
"I do not like emojis."
"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."
"Sometimes, the solution lags because of performance issues."
"The solution's initial setup process is lengthy."
"Everybody these days uses virtual meeting solutions because we're all remote working. It would be a benefit if there were permanent collaboration spaces for projects. For example, the way Teams has its teams folders and shared locations. Webex is missing that feature, or maybe it has it and I'm not aware of it. However, it needs a permanent sharing location for when projects can get stored and can be a collaboration space as opposed to only a meeting space."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I believe the license to be monthly."
"I use the solution for free because I don't use the solution's enterprise version."
"Webex is expensive, especially compared to Zoom or Google."
"Webex is a cheaply priced tool."
"We paid for our Webex license as a bundle."
"Features matter more than the price for us. As long as we get all the features we want and it fits our budget, then the price doesn't matter. I can't speak for other companies. We have tried other applications, and we run into some problems that we don't see in Webex."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a six out of ten."
"I am using the free version of Webex."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
861,390 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

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?
Webex is expensive. If it weren't that expensive, we would probably use it for all our telecommunication needs, not just for telemedicine.
What needs improvement with Webex?
Usability needs improvement. Webex is more complex compared to Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ). Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ) has a big advantage in simplicity, especially for the other side to c...
 

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: July 2025.
861,390 professionals have used our research since 2012.