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HCL Sametime vs Zoom Workplace Business comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 31, 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
5.9
Number of Reviews
226
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.6%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoom Workplace Business is 15.0%, up from 11.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Zoom Workplace Business15.0%
HCL Sametime0.6%
Other84.4%
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."
"Zoom is easy to use and does not require much network bandwidth. Additionally, it does not require a lot of configuration which is very good."
"Whiteboard is a good feature for having a meeting in which everyone can join to type or draw, and write. If we have a brainstorming-type meeting, we can share our own ideas with the whiteboard."
"Zoom is very easy to set up. You simply download it and use it."
"It is very easy to use. The utilization of the network is very good."
"Overall Zoom functions well."
"The most valuable features of Zoom are simplicity and reliability."
"When there is a large number of people involved, I can pinpoint a particular person and I can message him in Zoom, rather than messaging everybody involved. I can directly communicate with that person and I find that feature very useful."
"The solution is very user friendly and flexible."
 

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 don't have any particular issues, but I think the user interface could be improved. Previously, I used Microsoft Teams, where the chat, video, and audio options were all easily accessible in one place, making the user experience smoother. In Zoom, it's a bit more manual. For example, we must use external chat options like Slack and manually send the Zoom URL link to initiate a chat. In MicrosoftTeams, you can directly call and chat with someone from the contact list simultaneously."
"Setting up and understanding the tool takes time."
"They may need to scale it some more in terms of global users."
"In general, the price could be a little cheaper."
"When anyone installs Zoom for organizational purposes, then it's fine because all the safety and protection is taken care of by the organization. However, when it's done on a personal basis the terms and conditions, you are not secure."
"Zoom should improve aspects of its security."
"They need to improve the background feature, to be able to set a background without interfering with the current background."
"Nothing is 100% perfect. If I appreciate a product, I typically rate it eight or nine out of ten."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The exact costs are handled on a corporate level, however, I understand that if you just want to own a license for your small business or something like that, it's around $300 a year, which is very reasonable."
"Zoom is a very cheaply priced video conferencing solution, and using this product has saved our business a lot of expense."
"We have subscribed to a package for Zoom and it is a monthly payment."
"The tool's pricing is reasonable. I think we get discounts as an organization."
"The cost for Zoom is reasonable."
"There are both free and paid versions available."
"The price of Zoom is a bit expensive."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Performing Arts
14%
University
11%
Educational Organization
11%
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?
Zoom offers a free version for up to forty minutes.
 

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: September 2025.
869,566 professionals have used our research since 2012.