HCL Domino vs HCL Notes comparison

The compared HCL Domino and HCL Notes solutions aren't in the same category. HCL Domino is ranked #17 in RADS , with an average rating of 7.4, and holds a 0.4% mindshare in the category. HCL Notes is ranked #9 in EA , with an average rating of 6.3, and holds a 3.1% mindshare. Additionally, 78% of HCL Domino users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 81% of HCL Notes users who would recommend it.

HCL Domino

Read 20 HCL Domino reviews

1,098 Views
513 Comparison Views

78% willing to recommend

HCL Notes

Read 15 HCL Notes reviews

1,624 Views
932 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

HCL Domino

HCL Notes

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

HCL Domino and HCL Notes compete in the enterprise software category. HCL Domino holds the upper hand for its robust enterprise-level capabilities and integration, while HCL Notes is favored for its simplicity in personal management tasks.

Features: HCL Domino is recognized for its scalability, comprehensive application development features, and support for large-scale business processes. It offers strong integration capabilities and security measures. HCL Notes is valued for personal productivity tools, simplicity in task management, and offering straightforward usage for smaller operational needs.

Room for Improvement: Users of HCL Domino point out the complexity in updates, a steeper learning curve, and the need for better user manuals. There is also a call for a simplified update process. HCL Notes users suggest improvements in synchronization capabilities, compatibility with other platforms, and enhancing training materials.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HCL Domino is noted for its comprehensive deployment options and robust customer service, though the process can be intricate and time-consuming. HCL Notes offers a more straightforward deployment path with quicker customer support responses, resulting in a smoother initial setup experience.

Pricing and ROI: HCL Domino has a higher setup cost, but it provides substantial ROI due to its enterprise-level benefits, making it ideal for larger enterprises. HCL Notes offers a lower initial investment, appealing for those seeking immediate cost-effectiveness and proving more attractive for individual or small business users.

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Rapid Application Development Software

November 2024

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Categories and Ranking

HCL Domino

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Rapid Application Development Software (17th)

HCL Notes

Average Rating

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Applications (9th)

Mindshare comparison

HCL Domino and HCL Notes aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. HCL Domino is designed for Rapid Application Development Software and holds a mindshare of 0.4%, down 0.6% compared to last year.
HCL Notes, on the other hand, focuses on Email Applications, holds 3.1% mindshare, down 3.8% since last year.

Rapid Application Development Software

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Jason Levine

CEO, Senior Consultant, Collaboration Platforms at Indeo Oy

A tool that offers great security and integration capabilities

The solution facilitates our company's workflow automation needs since it is a platform that allows users to build whatever workflows they want. The product is used for application development in our organization for our customers, as we operate as consultants. The features of the product that I found to be beneficial for the productivity of my company's team stems from the fact that it can be integrated directly into HCL Notes email so that you can manage your workflows there, and you don't have to change contacts a go to a separate application to deal with a document approval process since it can be done directly from emails. HCL Domino is one of the leading products in the industry, so it is definitely ahead of the other tools in the market. In our company, some departments use HCL Domino for emails rather than other solutions because it is more secure. The tool has an impact on the management of sensitive data in our company. My only suggestion to those who plan to use HCL Domino is that they should not be daunted by the old UI it offers. The collaboration tool of HCL Domino has affected the internal communication processes in our organization. The collaboration tool of HCL Domino is something that the solution has been offering from the time it was introduced in the market as an expensive product. The impact or value on our company from the use of the product can be proven by the fact that with the solution, it is possible to automate processes or workflows while ensuring that there is consistency, lack of human errors, and efficiency. Earlier, I would have rated the tool eight out of ten. Presently, considering the increase in the number of integrations that the product allows and its movement to meet industry standards, I rate the overall tool a nine out of ten.

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Chiheb Charmiti

IS Manager & Consultant HCL Domino at JACOB & ASSOCIATES

Accessible from any device, good support, and works very well for emails, document sharing, and workflows

What I like about this solution is that you can use it for mailing, as a client for email, and you can also use it for workflows. So, you can easily develop applications. Even people who haven't got great IT skills can develop some basic applications to use in the company, especially a workflow application. So, it is for mailing and for applications, which is a great thing about HCL Notes. It is very good for managing and sharing documents on the network or inside the company. It works very well for sharing documents. It is one of the best products in the world for workflow applications. It works very well for workflows or decisional processes where a task needs to be first approved by someone. After that, the task moves to the next or final stage where another person approves it with some notes or attached documents. People who are on the move outside the company but need to interact with the database of the company can do some tasks in the HCL Notes application offline. When they have connectivity, the information is updated or replicated in real-time. They can install the application on different devices. They can use it on mobile phones or iPad.

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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 Domino is the best product from a security point of view."

"This solution can be used for workflow application so that applications can be easily developed."

"They offer good support and provide a roadmap."

"The DAOS feature is the most valuable. It helps to save some of my storage."

"We have been able to set up a portal using a special XPage application that gives our customers access to this system."

"Domino's dual functionality as both a messaging and application solution is a standout feature compared to Exchange, which solely focuses on messaging."

"The most valuable feature of HCL Domino is how robust it is."

"We can scale it if we want to."

More HCL Domino pros

"The solution provides great security."

"The security and performance of the solution are good even though our platform is variable, except for the mail services."

"HCL Notes is stable most of the time."

"The most valuable feature is the access that it provides to documents. This offers us an easy way to make changes."

"It is one of the best products in the world for workflow applications. It works very well for workflows or decisional processes where a task needs to be first approved by someone. After that, the task moves to the next or final stage where another person approves it with some notes or attached documents."

"It is easy to integrate the product with other services."

"The solution is practical, good interface, and performs well."

"HCL Notes has fantastic built-in security. The email and personal communication components are excellent, but they are some applications provided by HCL that Notes previously provided when it was under IBM and Lotus. Everyone wants email, so that's just part of the product. However, more savvy users can build their own solutions for managing information, and that's the great thing about it."

More HCL Notes pros

Cons

"The solution could improve Kubernetes or Dockers migration to new environments in the cloud."

"The client version of this solution could be faster and be made simpler for non-IT users. You will need to have some knowledge of Notes to correctly install this solution."

"HCL Domino needs to be more user-friendly."

"Scalability needs to be improved to be on the level that's required. Support could also be enhanced."

"It would be advantageous if the web server could seamlessly pick up configuration changes without the need for a complete restart."

"HCL Domino could improve by having integration with other solutions, such as Microsoft 365."

"The solution is expensive."

"An area for improvement in HCL Domino is security. New enhancements in the IT industry mean that security should be improved. The HCL Domino GUI also needs improvement."

More HCL Domino cons

"GUI and replication can be improved."

"We had trouble connecting this solution to the database from Microsoft. We have done it, although it can be easier."

"The performance was terrible because we have a very large database with around three million records, including attachments and scanned comments. It was slow, and integrating new technologies or designs was also slow."

"Web support is very old and needs an upgrade. We can handle a different password for the client to access the mail services, compared to the web services. We need to implement many other components to get access to the web access. There could be a feature to interpret if the web access is available from any end-user equipment."

"I love this product. I have used it for many years, and I have been a developer for it. If anything, it can be faster in the client version. The client version is a little bit hard. It is not fast. This is the only problem I see. Otherwise, it is a very good product."

"Notes needs a major upgrade for the UI."

"I would like to see integration with other solutions."

"I would like to HCL update Notes' development tool and make it more attractive like Microsoft Visual Studio and similar products. For example, there's a programming language that I used for my product Woodpecker called LotusScript. LotusScript has been available since around 1995. When LotusScript was released, it was like the original Visual Basic, but it has improved since then."

More HCL Notes cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price is reasonable compared to the other solutions."

"My company's customers need to make monthly or yearly payments towards the license charges of the product."

"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."

"While I don't have precise pricing information at hand, my understanding is that it tends to be on the higher end."

"It is less expensive compared to other vendors."

"For 30 licenses, we pay $1,500 every year. It is not an expensive product."

"The license for Domino is yearly. The price is high."

"We chose to pay for our licensing fees annually."

More HCL Domino pricing and cost advice

"We pay annually for the use of the solution."

"The price is reasonable."

"I don't remember how much we paid when we first bought the Domino license, but now, we pay only for the passport. For 30 client licenses, we pay about $1,500 per year, and we don't consider it very expensive for the quality of the product. In our case, we need 30 client licenses. So, we buy 30 client licenses independently of the server. It is very easy for us to choose and maintain this kind of license and get the passport advantage."

"It was reasonably priced, but the product itself was not worth the cost."

"We pay licensing fees on a yearly basis."

"The solution is expensive. There are many components or features which make the price very high."

"It is far cheaper to license. It is a third of the cost of our Microsoft license for 10 times the amount of usage. Developing applications cost a fraction of anything else. There are two reasons for that. First of all, applications are very fast to build. All the security is already built into the platform, so you don't have to worry about security at all. The other thing is that because fewer people use it than, for example, Microsoft SharePoint, the salary commanded by programmers is slightly lower. So, it is not only faster; you also get cheaper programmers. So, you really win-win-win on it."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HCL Domino?

The most valuable features of the solution are security and integration.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HCL Domino?

The pricing is individually determined. HCL has a simple pricing model: per user per year. We pay $100 US per user per year. But "guest" users are permitted without any licence requirement. And any...

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL Domino?

Scalability needs to be improved to be on the level that's required. Support could also be enhanced.

See all answers

What do you like most about HCL Notes?

The security and performance of the solution are good even though our platform is variable, except for the mail services.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL Notes?

Some people want something more modern than the Notes current front end, but it works. It's clear and straightforward. Those wishing a newer look can use the alternative HCL Verse product. To moder...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL Notes?

We use HCL Notes / Domino for application development, plus the usual office functions like email, personal and group calendaring, to-do and so on.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange vs HCL Domino

Compared 40% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs HCL Domino

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs HCL Domino

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs HCL Domino

Compared 8% of the time

HCL Verse vs HCL Domino

Compared 6% of the time

More HCL Domino Competitors

HCL Verse vs HCL Notes

Compared 30% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs HCL Notes

Compared 27% of the time

Google Workspace vs HCL Notes

Compared 11% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs HCL Notes

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs HCL Notes

Compared 7% of the time

More HCL Notes Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL Domino

November 2024

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Buyer's Guide

HCL Notes

November 2024

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Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino

IBM Lotus Notes, Lotus Notes

Learn More

HCLSoftware

Overview

HCL Domino (formerly IBM Domino) is a secure, enterprise-grade, application development platform. From IT to business, HCL Domino is the only low to pro-code application development platform that allows your business to build robust applications to solve workflow and process challenges fast. HCL Domino powers businesses around the world with 15,000 customers and 10 million apps built on our platform. HCL Domino has always been a secure, rock-solid, and proven solution.

Low cost of ownership - minimizing administration needs through automated installations, policies and monitoring helps staff focus on higher value tasks.
Minimized infrastructure - reducing costs by using less power, memory, data storage, network bandwidth and servers.
Rich application environment - supporting workflow-driven and people-oriented applications that help a wide variety of business operations deliver enhanced results.
Security-rich - helping protect your critical business assets. You can control information access, protect information and guarantee document authenticity.
High availability - featuring advanced clustering, replication, server fault recovery and automated diagnostic tools.

HCL Notes is a secure on-premises email client that allows teams access to email, calendar, and contact management capabilities. The solution integrates other collaboration tools seamlessly along with HCL Domino business applications, into a single workspace. HCL Notes is most commonly used in corporate environments for email, but can also be used to create websites, custom applications and business workflows, discussion groups, and document libraries. In addition, the solution enhances user experiences, helps internal teams collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, and streamline communication management operations.

HCL Notes is available for Windows, Apple iOS, and Android.

HCL Notes Features

HCL Notes has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

Instant Messaging with HCL Sametime.
Unified Inbox: This HCL Notes feature helps you consolidate multiple email accounts into one viewable platform.
Filters: The HCL Notes filters allow users to filter their emails by sender, date received, opened/unopened, and more.
Reminders: With the reminders feature, users are prompted with reminders to send or reply to emails.
Notifications: HCL Notes notifications feature pings users, notifying them when they receive new emails.
Task Management: HCL Notes has built-in task creation and assignment functionality.
Reporting & Statistics.

HCL Notes Benefits

Some of the benefits of using HCL Notes include:

Mobility and accessibility: HCL Notes provides users with access to their mail and calendar wherever and whenever they are doing work.

Easy integration: With HCL Notes, you can interact with files directly from your email messages — preview, download, follow, comment, or share them with your team.

Better access capabilities: HCL Notes makes it possible for you to access profiles, roles, skill sets, and areas of responsibility for all your contacts. It also allows you to view related blogs and collaboration histories of shared work.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by HCL Notes users.

An Administration & Technical Director at a tech services company says, "Its security is absolutely stratospheric. In an application, you can lock down to field-level security. For example, I could log in and see a field in an HR database with salaries. When you log in, you see exactly the same database, but the field with the salary just isn't there. So, you can literally have field-level security on it, and you can also have secure encryption. For example, I could give you that database allowing you to see the salary, but a calculation that shows how much they get per month in another field is encrypted. So, you won't be able to see that because you don't have the encryption key. You can implement high-level security very simply."

PeerSpot user Bogdan C., Kierownik Biura Informatyki at an insurance company, mentions, “The most valuable feature is the access that it provides to documents. This offers us an easy way to make changes.”

Marcos S., Diretor at MASTERDOM, comments, “The solution is practical, good interface, and performs well. The usability of the old applications to the new version of the client is very good. The migration is very good for some legacy applications.”

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil

Connect2Cloud, Hansgrohe, Sauk County, Blue Water Shipping, FDBR, ibml, Multivac, Aarhus University Hospital, Hendricks Regional Health, Asian Paints, Integra Legal, Sunplus Technology, S¾SS, The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports, Nicrometal, Doncasters Group, Practice Plan, Barr, RACV, Neotechnik, Deutsche Notes User Group

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November 2024

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