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HCL Verse vs Microsoft Exchange Online comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 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 Verse
Ranking in Email Applications
13th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Exchange Online
Ranking in Email Applications
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
92
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of HCL Verse is 2.5%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online is 9.3%, down from 14.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online9.3%
HCL Verse2.5%
Other88.2%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

MR
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.
AM
Assistant General Manager, IT Infrastructure at SAMI Pharmaceuticals (Pvt.) Limited.
Offers flexibility and cost-effectiveness with multiple service options but could improve support and mobile features
There are many things to consider about email management in Microsoft Exchange Online. The online management is good, the storage is sufficient, and we use most of the features such as the custom rules in Microsoft Exchange Online, which we cannot find in any other email solution. That is a very good option, as we have many options to create custom rules in Microsoft Exchange Online. Regarding security features in Microsoft Exchange Online, we also use Defender for Exchange which includes the basic Exchange Online protection that has spam and threat controls. The use of Defender is beneficial for our security. The flexibility of choosing plans in Microsoft Exchange Online is good. We have chosen the best plan for our use, including multiple licenses such as plan one and business basics, which leads us towards cost-effectiveness, and the pay-as-you-go option is more flexible. Microsoft Exchange Online is very scalable.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We switched to Verse because of enhanced features, better design, and higher security."
"HCL Verse has a nice interface and it is a practical email solution."
"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."
"This solution is the best one."
"The solution is stable."
"The uptime and stability is far better than any on-prem or hosted solution I have used in the past."
"The online version is faster, as it is a cloud instance. We can have massive mailbox capacity: 100 GB per user, which is huge. We can't provision such capacity internally, as the company would get burnt out paying for mailbox storage."
"I like that Exchange Online is easy to use and that I do not need to maintain the previous Exchange Server."
"The features of Microsoft Exchange Online are very intuitive and well-built, keeping the user experience in mind."
"Exchange Online is the best solution currently available in the market."
"All of the features are beneficial, but the scheduling feature is particularly useful."
"There are many valuable features such as email, calendar, and the ability to share your calendar and documents with coworkers. Knowing that the emails go through the EOP filtering service is nice as well."
 

Cons

"The setup was not very easy due to higher security standards."
"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."
"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 could be a bit cheaper."
"Microsoft Exchange Online could improve the management usage, it should be more user-friendly."
"For non-technical people, some configurations might be a little bit difficult."
"The solution’s pricing could be better."
"I think that the price is a little high, especially considering that Google have a similar, free email solution."
"The integration could be better if it could integrate well with other products and software."
"Also, I think the mobile app on the forms you can improve a little bit more."
"Microsoft Exchange Online could improve the overall protection of the solution."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This is an affordable solution but the price could be improved."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
"The price of Microsoft Exchange Online security could improve. The overall price of the solution is reasonable."
"I have no opinion."
"Microsoft Exchange Online is an affordable solution."
"I think it's just awesome. There's no argument about how much value you get on the per user, for user expenditure. It's really great, I don't have any issues with it. I think it's excellent."
"The pricing could be improved."
"In my opinion, the online license is the best one we have. It is a bundle that we have from Microsoft. It is a bit high in price."
"The pricing for this solution is good. We renew our contract every three years. I would rate the pricing for this solution a three out of five."
"There is a license required for the solution and it is paid annually."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
19%
Comms Service Provider
6%
University
6%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise16
Large Enterprise42
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
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.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online?
There is room for improvement in Microsoft Exchange Online. Technical support for Microsoft is good, but in all fairness, I sometimes think more can be done. I have personally tried exploring with ...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Exchange Online?
I currently work with a Microsoft partner and I support users that use Microsoft Exchange Online. I also use Microsoft Exchange Online myself. I use the shared calendar feature of Microsoft Exchang...
 

Also Known As

Verse, IBM Verse
Exchange Online, Exchange Online Plan 1, Exchange Online Plan 2, MS Exchange Online
 

Overview

 

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
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
896,099 professionals have used our research since 2012.