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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
5.6
Number of Reviews
126
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.7%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 11.3%, down from 16.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Webex11.3%
HCL Sametime0.7%
Other88.0%
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…
AlexandruCioruta - PeerSpot reviewer
Used to conduct online third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings
The solution's video conferencing quality is good, and I rate it a nine out of ten. The solution's security features are end-to-end encrypted, and I rate them ten out of ten. The version we're using requires no technical team for deployment and maintenance. The solution has an enterprise version, but we're not currently using it. I would recommend the solution to other users because it has good video conference quality. I mostly leverage the solution for third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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."
"The most valuable feature of Webex is ease to use."
"The video conferencing quality is better than that of other solutions."
"The most valuable feature of Webex is if you are using the Cisco hardware it is simple to integrate. Additionally, it can integrate well with mobile devices."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"Webex is easy to use, even for people who are just learning it."
"I like how Webex lets you zoom in and out on the presenter's screen. It's silly, but all the solutions have the same features, and I think WebEx is the only one that allows zoom."
"Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"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."
"Webex could be improved by having a password-protected system. I don't remember there being any passwords for the meetings, but, presently, Zoom has meeting protection."
"The solution should come as a big client for the system. It should be able to be used just like chat software when necessary, similar to instant messaging."
"Better integration with other solutions would benefit Webex."
"I would like to see additional online chat capabilities"
"The solution at times is not stable."
"The pricing could be improved."
"It would be better if I could just join meetings directly on the web without extra downloads and steps."
"The solution should have better integration with Microsoft."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"I am not aware of the pricing details."
"This is an expensive product compared to Teams and it should be cheaper."
"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 depends a lot on the type of service required and whether it is for the entire company or only for a few users."
"My organization took care of the licensing. I'm guessing they did some subscription cycle, but I used the free 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."
"The cost is pretty high compared to the competitors."
"Webex is a cheaply priced tool."
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873,003 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise61
 

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 is a fine, perfectly adequate product, and I don't see any room for improvement. From when I last implemented it, I found the price to be expensive. The licensing model doesn't work because i...
 

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: November 2025.
873,003 professionals have used our research since 2012.