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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."
"One of the most valuable features of WebEx is that it's very quick for ad hoc meetings, and I use it all day, every day, for internal chat with my team. It's just a good platform."
"Lag-free video communication and virtual meeting software which runs smoothly."
"The ability to join by phone is the most valuable feature. I also think that it's much simpler to use and it's a Cisco product so I think it's the industry standard."
"Webex has one-click calling, which makes things easier. You click, and it automatically dials in to the meetings without pressing additional buttons. It's easy for people who aren't on WebEx. That was helpful."
"The tool simplifies our work by allowing us to have hybrid meetings instead of always meeting in person, which saves time in organizing these meetings. It also offers good video quality."
"Webex is user-friendly."
"I have found the most valuable features to be the high quality of the video and the audio. Additionally, the graphical user interface is good and it is easy to use."
"I like Webex because it is easy to work with."
 

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."
"Sometimes the call quality is not that great. When you call in, especially in an international situation, or if you have people calling from different continents or geographical locations, there can be issues with the call itself."
"The WebEx interface is not as user-friendly as Zoom's. There is room for improvement there."
"Webex's translation feature could work more accurately."
"Performance of this platform needs improvement. There was a stability issue, particularly glitches that kept it from running smoothly."
"Webex's stability could be improved. It crashes very often. The user interface could also be improved to be more modern because it looks outdated."
"The product's price could be better."
"I think Webex could be improved by simplifying the process. For instance, they could make it easier to join meetings by providing a direct meeting link without requiring sign-ups or logins. While security is important, finding a balance with user-friendliness is key."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Webex is a cheaply priced tool."
"There is a need to pay the licensing charges to use Webex Enterprise Edition."
"We purchase the product's yearly license. It is expensive."
"The cost is pretty high compared to the competitors."
"We paid for our Webex license as a bundle."
"I use the free version, not the enterprise version. The only compelling reason to go for paid WebEx pay is if you're hosting large meetings."
"The price of the license for the solution could be less expensive."
"My organization took care of the licensing. I'm guessing they did some subscription cycle, but I used the free version."
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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.