HCL Verse vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

HCLSoftware and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. HCLSoftware is ranked #13, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.0. HCLSoftware holds a 1.5% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 11.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

HCL Verse

Read 3 HCL Verse reviews

706 Views
388 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange

Read 94 Microsoft Exchange reviews

3,519 Views
2,921 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

HCL Verse

Microsoft Exchange

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Microsoft Exchange and HCL Verse are enterprise communication solutions. Microsoft Exchange appears to have the upper hand in feature set and integration, while HCL Verse offers a more user-friendly interface and innovative workflow features.

Features: Microsoft Exchange includes a robust email infrastructure, seamless integration with Microsoft 365 services, and extensive security options. HCL Verse has a modern interface, social analytics, and efficient task management features.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL Verse provides a straightforward deployment process with comprehensive customer support. Microsoft Exchange offers a more customizable deployment model with extensive resources for enterprise-level implementation.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Exchange involves a higher setup cost but delivers substantial ROI through its integration and enterprise capabilities. HCL Verse typically presents a lower initial cost, offering cost-effective solutions with valuable returns due to enhanced productivity features.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange

July 2025

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Helped 866,218 peers since 2012

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 Verse

Ranking in Email Applications

13th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Exchange

Ranking in Email Applications

3rd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Wireless Email (2nd), File Archiving (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of HCL Verse is 1.5%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.5%, down from 11.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange	11.5%
HCL Verse	1.5%
Other	87.0%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Marcos Roberto Silva

Diretor at MASTERDOM

Stable, scalable, and good interface

HCL Verse has a nice interface and it is a practical email solution. There are a diverse set of features, such as the search bar on top of the screens. The usability from the old applications to the new version has been very good. It was great that we were able to migrate applications from the older version to the new one.

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Harry Murdani

Manager, IT Security at Averis Sdn Bhd

Helps with email services and communication with internal and external contacts

Everything is useful. The only useful thing Microsoft Exchange could do is give us more of a discount on pricing because it's so expensive. Regarding the calendaring functions of Exchange, there is a problem when scheduling an event for the whole day. When you click the whole day event, the scheduling doesn't really work. For example, if I schedule a meeting with you and block your whole day, instead of just putting a time from morning to afternoon, other people can still block your time, which results in double booking. It's kind of a bug that allows people to double-book. So, the scheduling isn't working properly yet. We also faced challenges with backup services. You need to use a third-party backup solution to back up the whole Exchange server properly. You can't use the native Windows backup services. It's like they're forcing me to buy another product, which means additional costs. The backup solution and the double booking issues. If Microsoft Exchange can fix these two things, then it will be very good.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"HCL Verse has a nice interface and it is a practical email solution. There are a diverse set of features, such as the search bar on top of the screens."

"The most valuable feature is the mail server."

"The initial setup is very simple."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange is its communication capabilities."

"Microsoft Exchange's most valuable feature is that it's old-fashioned communication, meaning it's good for people who aren't able to work comfortably in a cloud environment."

"Internal communication stability within Exchange is ensured by the stability of the internal network which is guaranteed by default."

"It gives me benefit in terms of integration with other services such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and OneDrive. It makes my work much easier."

"Communication is the most valuable feature of the solution."

"I find the desktop version of Microsoft Exchange looks better than the online version. You can make it a white background. You might be able to make the online background white, but I have no idea how to do that. I know how to do it only on the desktop version"

"It's pretty easy to manage."

More Microsoft Exchange pros

Cons

"Security is very important to us, so improvements to this functionality are welcome."

"The solution could improve by allowing us to use a color that we want in the editing boxes."

"Currently, its administration is too cumbersome. It's unwieldy. It's slow. It consumes too many resources. Configuration needs to be much more streamlined and administratively automated."

"Microsoft Exchange could improve by adding artificial intelligence."

"Load balancing is lacking."

"Microsoft Exchange could improve by being more secure. We are always looking to have more security."

"The pricing could be better, and it could have an easier implementation."

"They could continue to improve the consolidation and integration of mailbox services to make them more flexible, easier to deploy, and more manageable."

"In the version we have, I would like to see better communication between the end device and the Exchange server."

"From a security perspective, Microsft Exchange can be improved. All that needs to be added is security, but that's an internal hierarchical problem from the product itself and not the end-users."

More Microsoft Exchange cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"This is an affordable solution but the price could be improved."

"Licensing costs for Microsoft Exchange have increased, but are still fair. For some users, the cost is high considering the number of functions and features they will use."

"Exchange is better for medium to large businesses because it can be quite costly for SMB, which may not need all the options the product provides."

"I rate Microsoft Exchange a four out of ten for pricing because it is quite cheap, and many companies use the solution."

"It's working very well. There is no problem, but the price is not the best."

"The product is quite cheap."

"There are different prices depending on the customer's use cases and amount of users. The price of the solution could improve."

"We are currently using enterprise licenses for the solution. They are different pricing models available. There are individual, cloud-based, and enterprise licenses all with different pricing models. The larger the number of users, the lesser the price. For small to medium companies like us, we feel it is expensive."

"This solution is expensive."

More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

25%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	41
Midsize Enterprise	27
Large Enterprise	35

Questions from the Community

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How does Zimbra Collaboration compare with Microsoft Exchange?

Zimbra is a free, open source collaborative software suite. The features I like best are the ease of integration and the email, calendar, and collaboration server with web interface. In addition, I...

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What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange?

The initial setup was straightforward and fast.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?

Microsoft Exchange is costly, and its licensing model can be expensive over time as more users require licenses.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 10% of the time

HCL Domino vs HCL Verse

Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 17% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 16% of the time

KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 16% of the time

HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 12% of the time

HCL Notes vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

August 2025

Download HCL Verse product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange

August 2025

Download Microsoft Exchange product report

Also Known As

Verse, IBM Verse

Exchange, MS Exchange

Overview

IBM Verse is a powerful email hosting solution that enables users to access their business communications from a laptop or desktop browser or from a mobile device. This email and business messaging experience is based on an innovative user-centric design, including social analytics and advanced search capabilities. IBM Verse helps users quickly find and focus on what content is most important, empowering them to build stronger working relationships while optimizing business results.

HCLSoftware

Built to deliver the enterprise-grade security and reliability that businesses require, Microsoft Exchange provides email, calendar and contacts on your PC, phone and web browser.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Canon Marketing Japan Inc., Australian Trade Commission, BTC, Havas, Canal Barge Co.Inc., RAVInvest, Elemental Path, WDR mediagroup

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting

Buyer's Guide

HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange

July 2025

Free Report: HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange

Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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