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HCL Domino vs Oracle Application Express (APEX) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

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 Domino
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
19th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Application Express ...
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (2nd), Low-Code Development Platforms (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of HCL Domino is 0.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 8.2%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Featured Reviews

FrederickLim - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides mobile email systems with solid stability and easy deployment
The initial setup is easy. You need to sign up. It depends on the scope. It will take longer if there are more than one or more applications. The project usually includes infrastructure and deployment may take anywhere from one month to six months. I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.
Rodrigo-Mesquita - PeerSpot reviewer
Rapid application development empowers big projects in months
The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable. It is very quick to create a page, and one can use AI to speed up software development. It is easy to learn. In my company, we could develop a very big application in a couple of months.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"We can scale it if we want to."
"This solution can be used for workflow application so that applications can be easily developed."
"It serves as a centralized solution that fulfills all my requirements from operating my email server to managing various aspects of my operations."
"HCL Domino is an application development and collaboration platform with strong stability and security. Deployment of this platform is easy and takes only 10 minutes."
"HCL Domino is the best product from a security point of view."
"The most important benefit is security. The security architecture is very good. It's the best part of the solution."
"I like how we can actively develop and customize APEX because it's on the same database."
"By using Express, we are able to load the data and integrate it into our data map."
"Oracle APEX's reporting features are simple yet powerful. The ability to quickly create CRUD screens has simplified many RAD discovery processes, while the APEX environment allows the product owners and dev teams to quickly understand the complex solutions and employ usage statistics to identify areas requiring improvement. The option to add external JavaScript tools in screen development enables the development of complicated mobile or web usage scenarios in rare cases where the APEX UX is not enough."
"It has a well-designed architecture and is a simple 3rd party application."
"I like the way that it automatically goes into the spreadsheets and the users can deal with it."
"It helps us create web pages quickly."
"We set up the HTTP server and installed the Apex Xamarin DB using the Mark Hill SQL packages for an older version. That's the extent of our configuration."
"I like the fact that it is natively integrated into the Oracle database."
 

Cons

"Scalability is also an issue. We have problems with large databases."
"The solution is expensive."
"HCL Domino needs to be more user-friendly."
"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."
"For me, the one thing missing is a really good reporting engine."
"Its performance and integration could be better. It has capabilities for large deployment with several servers, but in the latest interface, running with different servers isn't supported."
"Many people are not very happy with its speed."
"They should provide its integration with other AI applications."
"It can be modern and more user-friendly."
"During the upcoming versions, we can modify the current configuration."
"Better connection and integration with non-Oracle databases is needed."
"The grid reports contain a lot of bugs."
"Another issue I used to encounter was with the debugging functions. I believe this is an area where Oracle APEX could improve significantly in terms of displaying error messages or error pages. It is very difficult to detect bugs or which bugs you are having when it comes to errors or which errors you have."
"It has been reported that the technology is very hard to learn, and the service is expensive."
"Occasionally when trying to un a page, I would be faced with an error number; however, not much information would be provided on the error itself outside of the programming language. It would be nice if more information could be provided."
"You also need an APEX specialist for deployment because not many people use it."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price is reasonable compared to the other solutions."
"We pay annually for the use of this solution and it is only a standard fee."
"HCL Domino is costly, but it still depends on how your organization views it price-wise."
"Customers have to pay for a license for the Notes Client, not for the Domino database. There is a quarter license that we use."
"It is less expensive compared to other vendors."
"We chose to pay for our licensing fees annually."
"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."
"The pricing is subjective and contingent on the intended usage."
"The pricing is mid-range so is neither expensive nor cheap."
"The solution is moderately priced, where it is neither cheap nor expensive."
"It is expensive, but I don't know what the licensing cost is."
"It's a free solution with no additional costs."
"It is expensive in comparison to other products."
"Pricing is expensive, overall on an enterprise system but we consider that it gives corresponding value in the product."
"APEX itslelf is a free product, but you will need to license peripheral components."
"I would rate it around an eight in terms of price, with one being low and ten being high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
Educational Organization
32%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HCL Domino?
The Notes client is very expensive, costing around $105 per client. Overall, HCL Domino is a costly product.
What needs improvement with HCL Domino?
The speed of the Notes client is an area that could be improved. Many people are not very happy with its speed. Additionally, in-line editing of documents and a document viewer are functionalities ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
Oracle APEX is part of our on-premises solution included in our agreement with Oracle E Business Suite, though I don't know the cost specifics. Power BI is licensed by the user.
What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
Using AI to analyze data without needing much code would be better. Also, although the interface is easy to change, it could have more features.
 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino
Oracle APEX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil
Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Domino vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX) and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.