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HCL Sametime vs Zoom Workplace Business comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 2, 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
Zoom Workplace Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
227
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 Zoom Workplace Business is 13.0%, up from 11.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Zoom Workplace Business13.0%
HCL Sametime0.7%
Other86.3%
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…
Luiz Kazan - PeerSpot reviewer
Utilizing versatile features for efficient personal and work meetings
Zoom offers a number of interesting and valuable features. One of the most interesting is the ability to share only audio and provide ambient music without sharing a screen. The breakout room feature is much more developed than other solutions, allowing users to stay in the same meeting and move to different rooms and back to the main room. The sharing features are great for projecting people who should be in focus. Another valuable feature is the virtual entrance, which uses a username and password recognized by the Zoom system, showing the person's full name and ID. Additionally, the use of video and a good fixed background improves visibility compared to other applications. These features differentiate Zoom from others.

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."
"It was easy to use for screen sharing or sharing applications."
"Zoom has good integration and allows users to adjust the video image, other solutions I have used do not have this feature."
"With Zoom or Teams, it is very easy to share content and the ability to conduct reviews is beneficial."
"It has efficient security features as well."
"Zoom is quite easy to use and user-friendly."
"It is very easy to use. The utilization of the network is very good."
"The most valuable feature of Zoom is having the ability to be able to share your screen and chat whilst you're online."
"The biggest advantage with Zoom, compared to other similar products, is the simplicity."
 

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."
"I can't think of any features that are lacking."
"Variable sound quality."
"If Zoom could be more secure, that would be better. Security is always a highly sensitive matter for everyone today."
"Sometimes when I try to share my screen in a conference room, I have to click the share button more than once. This happens around fifty percent of the time."
"The solution lacks security."
"The voice quality could improve, and there are issues with the background."
"In the past, there were some sound connectivity issues where I would get sound and no picture, and then picture and no sound."
"Zoom's audio quality could be improved. I feel like Teams is more reliable because sometimes the audio is patchy on Zoom, whereas I've never had a problem with Teams."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The price of Zoom is a bit expensive."
"There is a 40-minute time limit when you use the basic version, which is free."
"We are using the free version of the solution."
"I am making yearly payments. So, I am paying 250 USD a year."
"I am using the free version of the solution. However, it has a time limit of 45 minutes for meetings. We do not have meetings longer than 45 minutes, it is fine for us."
"The annual price of approximately $200 for the solution is reasonable."
"I have been using the free version of Zoom."
"There are paid and free personal accounts for Zoom."
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872,846 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Performing Arts
14%
University
11%
Educational Organization
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business97
Midsize Enterprise32
Large Enterprise101
 

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.
LucidChart vs LucidSpark for brainstorming sessions over Zoom
Hi @Krista Thompson ​ - Yes, LucidSpark is a much more nimble and, in some ways, user-friendly tool than LucidChart. LucidSpark is designed to do a better job managing multiple users participating ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoom?
I am not aware of the pricing. My IT staff might know, but I have no information about it.
 

Also Known As

Lotus Sametime, IBM Lotus Sametime
No data available
 

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
Fortinet, Veeva, Proofpoint, Box, Ticketmaster, Trend Micro, Caesars Entertainment, Santa Clara University, Pandora, Stanford Continuing Studies
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Sametime vs. Zoom Workplace Business and other solutions. Updated: November 2025.
872,846 professionals have used our research since 2012.