HCL Verse vs Microsoft Exchange Online comparison

HCLSoftware and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. HCLSoftware is ranked #13, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.7. HCLSoftware holds a 1.6% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 12.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

HCL Verse

Read 3 HCL Verse reviews

673 Views
377 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange Online

Read 91 Microsoft Exchange Online reviews

3,877 Views
3,722 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

HCL Verse

Microsoft Exchange Online

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Microsoft Exchange Online and HCL Verse are competing products in enterprise email solutions. Microsoft Exchange Online seems to hold an advantage in pricing and support, while HCL Verse is noted for its feature set that some find worth the premium.

Features: Microsoft Exchange Online provides seamless integration with Microsoft 365, strong security features, and advanced email management tools. HCL Verse distinguishes itself with intelligent spam filtering, dynamic search capabilities, and personalized collaboration spaces. Both have robust features, but Exchange Online's integration within Microsoft's ecosystem offers a more unified experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Exchange Online benefits from extensive deployment tools and a comprehensive support network, allowing smoother transitions. HCL Verse relies on solid support channels, although its deployment complexity can be challenging for some.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Exchange Online's pricing is competitive, delivering substantial ROI due to its integration benefits. HCL Verse may incur higher initial costs, yet its advanced features can yield satisfying ROI in settings valuing collaboration enhancements.

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

Buyer's Guide

HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

September 2025

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Helped 871,469 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 Online

Ranking in Email Applications

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of HCL Verse is 1.6%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online is 12.5%, down from 15.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online	12.5%
HCL Verse	1.6%
Other	85.9%

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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NancyHartman

Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees

Effective collaboration achieved with versatile features and good customer service

There are always improvements needed. My personal issue with using OfficeSuite and the Exchange Server is that one has to cobble together a whole bunch of different applications. Therefore, a lot of scripting and programming knowledge is necessary. I am not an IT person; I am an educator, a trainer, a user. I want to get the work done. However, I find that the Exchange Server and possibly the way our company has set up access permissions require extensive programming knowledge. It might take six to eight weeks to get a programmer's time to build something, whereas I can use something like Smartsheet that will do everything I want without needing a programmer. Smartsheet is more end-user friendly compared to a Microsoft product. Microsoft believes an expert IT person should manage everything, however, I want to manage things on my own in a simplified way. That is not easy using the Exchange Server or Microsoft Office. It is not end-user friendly for development, and a programmer is needed. Once set up, using them as an end-user is fine. I find that the automations are not robust, and the FedRAMP systems are not robust. I have a few issues with Exchange and Office, but there's nothing I can do about it.

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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."

"It is a scalable product. We are using it for 500 users."

"Exchange Online is consistent. It's easy to deploy and scale out to all of our organizations."

"The initial setup is straightforward and is definitely easy."

"The data prevention and protection feature is good."

"I like that Exchange Online is easy to use and that I do not need to maintain the previous Exchange Server. I also do not need to worry about the security of the Exchange Server. If there are any issues, then it will be the service provider's problem and not mine."

"Microsoft Exchange Online's resiliency is its most valuable feature."

"Exchange Online plays a significant role in our business. It controls all our emails, so we'd be in a lot of trouble if we didn't have that. It's an essential product."

"Microsoft Exchange Online is a very stable solution."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pros

Cons

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

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

"The solution’s API integrations could be improved."

"The solution could improve with the integrations with some of the known applications is still not possible, there must be more connectors."

"Technical support can be improved by shortening the response time and increasing their knowledge."

"The solution’s pricing could be better."

"For example, recently there were some spam incidents that Microsoft does not currently mitigate because they have another paid solution to do so. It would be nice to integrate the security and the anti-spam (i.e. the fake links, etc.) along with the Exchange Online default."

"When initially setting up, it took a bit of time because we had a lot of PST files with the users, and we had to migrate them batch by batch."

"The solution’s technical support could be improved."

"When we need to purchase additional licenses for additional users, the process is slow."

More Microsoft Exchange Online cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

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

"The solution costs $12 to $16 per user per month."

"This solution requires a license."

"We bought some licenses, and some are within our package or partnership with Microsoft."

"The pricing is really high. It's higher compared to other services."

"The license for the solution is cheap, but it could be more affordable in the long term."

"The licensing cost increased at least 15 to 20 percent recently and it would be helpful for them to be reduced."

"I think that the price is a little high, especially considering that Google have a similar, free email solution."

"The cost of Microsoft Exchange Online is approximately $4 to $36 per user. They do not give a discount which is not good. The solution is expensive if you have 800 to 1,000 users. They should give discounts when you have a lot of users."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

28%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

University

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	40
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	40

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online?

The benefits are widespread and effective communication. We use Microsoft Teams for meetings within and outside our organization. Additionally, Teams can be used for chat, allowing us to track comm...

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

If I segment it into three points: low price, average, and high price, I would place Microsoft Exchange Online between average and high price.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online?

I see no disadvantages currently. From the admin perspective, whenever an admin wants to get the email backup for a particular employee, there are a few challenges in terms of the role assignment o...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

September 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online

October 2025

Download Microsoft Exchange Online product report

Also Known As

Verse, IBM Verse

Exchange Online, Exchange Online Plan 1, Exchange Online Plan 2, MS Exchange Online

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

Exchange Online helps protect your information with advanced capabilities. Anti-malware and anti-spam filtering protect mailboxes. Data loss prevention capabilities prevent users from mistakenly sending sensitive information to unauthorized people. Globally redundant servers, premier disaster recovery capabilities, and a team of security experts monitoring Exchange Online around the clock safeguard your data.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

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

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Blue Star Infotech, Scitec Nutrition, Resolution Films, British Airways, Empire Cinemas, InnoGames

Buyer's Guide

HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

September 2025

Free Report: HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

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