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HCL Sametime vs Webex comparison

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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
24th
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
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
131
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 1.5%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 5.0%, down from 11.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Webex5.0%
HCL Sametime1.5%
Other93.5%
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…
DO
Web Designer / Developer & Creative Professional at Federal University of Technology Akure
Virtual training has supported collaborative learning and now needs a simpler and clearer interface
Webex can be simplified in terms of user interface, where many features should be displayed in a compact view, with similar features grouped together and a minimalistic design helping users understand what each button does. If specific features are not needed, they should not distract you, and some features should appear as sliding elements for ease of access. Additionally, connecting to Webex can be technical, and it would be beneficial to have a way to connect anonymously using a simple code instead of going through microphone issues.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This solution saves time and cost in communicating with team members, streamlines tasks in my organization by encouraging us to chat directly with the relevant person, and strengthens professional relationships through increased communication among peers."
"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."
"A very good communication and real-time collaboration software, it is simple, fast, reliable, keeps history and the best feature of all is its intelligence."
"Audio and video calls provide faster communication than chat."
"Webex is a collaboration tool that helps you with remote support and collaboration."
"I never had any issues with the stability of the product. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"This is a good software and a powerful tool, I don't have any complaints."
"Overall the quality of the solution is very good."
"My advice to anybody who is considering Webex is that it is a great tool for having meetings and collaborating with customers, suppliers, and employees."
"Webex support is absolutely great."
"I like Webex because it is easy to work with."
"You can configure whatever you want in great detail."
 

Cons

"Sametime hangs sometimes and therefore needs to get restarted."
"It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or other files."
"The interface is too colorful and looks like Windows XP."
"The webinar should be integrated into Sametime for a larger number of participants."
"It seems that the software might in the future, support the software telephony exchange but at the current time, it is not doing that and because of that one key feature of real-time communication is missing from it."
"There are too many issues with getting people connected to meetings. Reliability and consistency need improvement."
"The only improvement I see is related to RAM and CPU usage, as older systems with 4GB RAM or i3 processors might slow down the application."
"It is not so easy to obtain information in areas like the number of participants, comments, and file transfers inside the application."
"Webex support is not good. When we try to open a ticket, it takes approximately 24 hours. With Microsoft, we get support within two or three hours."
"Webex is clunky and it's hard to use. It's not simple. Webex is probably the most user-unfriendly of all of them. Whenever you're trying to get on it, it's an absolute pain."
"The licensing could be a bit simpler."
"The solution's initial setup process is lengthy."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"There are no licensing fees."
"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."
"The solution is low-cost for a hybrid model."
"My organization took care of the licensing. I'm guessing they did some subscription cycle, but I used the free version."
"The cost is pretty high compared to the competitors."
"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."
"You need to make yearly payments towards the licensing charges of the product. You need to opt for a subscription-based licensing model for your organization. The product is a bit expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
16%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Construction Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business41
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise72
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Webex?
My experience with Webex pricing, setup, and licensing has generally been positive. Since Webex is offered as a cloud-based service, deployment and onboarding were relatively straightforward compar...
What needs improvement with Webex?
I would appreciate clearer controls for switching between shared applications during a presentation, with a more prominent indication of exactly what participants can see. I would also appreciate h...
What is your primary use case for Webex?
My main use case for Webex is for conference calls, workshops, and team meetings. I use Webex for communication and collaboration at work, valuing the ability to discuss technical topics directly w...
 

Comparisons

 

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 2026.
921,665 professionals have used our research since 2012.