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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
18th
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 January 2026, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 1.3%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 7.6%, down from 17.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Webex7.6%
HCL Sametime1.3%
Other91.1%
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…
reviewer1959318 - PeerSpot reviewer
Program Manager at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Has delivered consistent performance but would benefit from a more flexible licensing model
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 if I want to implement it for an organization, I need to pay a per-user license, which makes it very restrictive. They should probably reconsider the licensing model to be less restrictive and more adaptable for organizational use.

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."
"The important feature is breakout sessions. We can create a breakout session if you want to hold a conference and make a room only for some people at the meeting."
"Great quality of sound, quality of pics and video."
"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."
"We can access and conduct meetings remotely from anywhere using Webex."
"The most valuable feature is that you can host presentations with a lot of attendees."
"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."
"Webex is easy to use, even for people who are just learning it."
"The transcripts from Webex calls get delivered to the inbox five minutes after the call. However, out of 20 people on a call, maybe only one person bothers to read through the entire transcript, which can be lengthy for an hour-long call."
 

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."
"To make Webex more competitive, I would suggest lowering the price and providing some of the same features that are in Teams or Zoom."
"The scalability and voice quality attached to the solution are areas of concern where improvements are required."
"All the features are not enabled in the web mode of the product."
"There is room for improvement in the chat history and search functionality in Webex, making it easier to find past conversations and commands by keywords."
"Price is a little high."
"Sometimes we've had issues with the connection."
"Webex's stability could be improved."
"The product's price could be better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The price of Webex is in the middle range compared to the market."
"There are licenses for business to use the solution but for end-users, there is not."
"I rate the platform's pricing a six out of ten."
"Webex is expensive, especially compared to Zoom or Google."
"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."
"We paid for our Webex license as a bundle."
"I use the solution for free because I don't use the solution's enterprise version."
"Webex is a cheaply priced tool."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
879,477 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

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: December 2025.
879,477 professionals have used our research since 2012.