HCL Domino vs Zimbra Collaboration comparison

The compared HCLSoftware and Zimbra solutions aren't in the same category. HCLSoftware is ranked #18 in RADS , with an average rating of 7.6, and holds a 1.0% mindshare in the category. Zimbra is ranked #6 in EA , with an average rating of 8.0, and holds a 6.8% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Zimbra users who would recommend it.

HCL Domino

Read 23 HCL Domino reviews

2,199 Views
1,012 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

Zimbra Collaboration

Read 28 Zimbra Collaboration reviews

2,581 Views
2,478 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

HCL Domino

Zimbra Collaboration

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between HCL Domino and Zimbra Collaboration based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

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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

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Rapid Application Development Software (18th)

Zimbra Collaboration

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Applications (6th)

Mindshare comparison

HCL Domino and Zimbra Collaboration aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. HCL Domino is designed for Rapid Application Development Software and holds a mindshare of 1.0%, up 0.5% compared to last year.
Zimbra Collaboration, on the other hand, focuses on Email Applications, holds 6.8% mindshare, down 9.0% since last year.

Rapid Application Development Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
HCL Domino	1.0%
Microsoft Power Apps	8.3%
ServiceNow	5.4%
Other	85.3%

Rapid Application Development Software

Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Zimbra Collaboration	6.8%
Google Workspace	14.1%
Microsoft Exchange Online	9.8%
Other	69.3%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Filip Navratil

Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.

Long-term platform has supported secure mail, custom workflows, and reliable on-premise apps

I have noticed some weak points and downsides. HCL Domino is a Swiss army knife, which is the downside as well. It does many things, which is an advantage. The biggest downside is that it is a good product, but there are not that many applications for it. There are not that many ready-made applications. When they do exist, they tend to be somewhat pricey. I have not actually used HCL Domino's low-code tools. There are no low-code tools. HCL says there are, but frankly speaking, I have tried it and I always come back to the classic, the original HCL Domino. I do not see it as truly low-code. They call it Leap. Even when you want to do something more specific or more complex, you do need programming logic and then it stops being low-code. I would say that there are much better low-code platforms. N8N, for instance, looks nice with nice diagrams, especially for workflow and automation, which is where HCL Domino is lacking. The evaluation of the security features of HCL Domino in handling sensitive business information is that it has a peculiar security model, which I view as acceptable. Sometimes it may get in your way, but sometimes it simplifies things. It depends.

Read full review

Muhammad Talha Baig

Business Analyst and Associate Project Manager at SAMI Pharmaceuticals

One of the premium features was customized rooms tailored to the collaboration needs

Zimbra's strength lies in its individuality, and it should focus on leveraging its unique features rather than trying to emulate competitors. My organization has certified Zimbra technicians, so we believe we can utilize Zimbra certification. However, I was recently informed by Zimbra that no such certification exists. I have recently completed the test kit, and after the training, I will gain access to tickets. Therefore, if any clients are experiencing issues, we have a certified technical team available to provide support 24/7. This is how we can cater to our client's needs. I recommend Zimbra to small-scale and enterprise customers. Anyone, even those with 5 users, can opt for Zimbra. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

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

"I find the HCL Domino server scalable."

"The email system is the most valuable feature."

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

"For workflow applications or general applications, the rapid development capability is what we value most."

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

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

"The most important benefit is security. The security architecture is very good. It's the best part of the solution."

More HCL Domino pros

"The pricing of the solution is excellent; it's a newer solution with a modern interface and dashboard, the interface itself is very responsive and easy to navigate, the initial setup is very simple and straightforward, the stability is good and keeps getting better with each new update, and the solution really does scale very easily."

"Zimbra Collaboration has integrated a lot of their party tools and they have good documentation available."

"The most valuable feature of Zimbra Collaboration is the cost."

"The web interface is powerful and easy to use."

"Zimbra Collaboration's best feature is its compatibility with Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol, which allows users to use Outlook on Windows or MacOS."

"One of the most valuable features involves the solution's automatic backup, which I find to be pretty simple and straightforward, and obviates the need for additional software."

"The Zimbra Collaboration's most valuable feature is web access."

"The web interface is powerful and easy to use."

More Zimbra Collaboration pros

Cons

"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."

"They should provide its integration with other AI applications."

"From the Domino side, it should support DKIM and DMARC."

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

"I would say that there are much better low-code platforms. N8N, for instance, looks nice with nice diagrams, especially for workflow and automation, which is where HCL Domino is lacking."

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

"IBM Lotus is good but there is other, better software available with much better pricing, and value-added functionality and features."

"The product's user interface is one of its shortcomings since it is outdated, making it an area for improvement."

More HCL Domino cons

"The support was lacking in my experience. However, recently the support I received was good. Perhaps they have improved."

"The solution could improve by making it easier to use."

"It does have a few bugs. However, they are small and can be worked around."

"The new patches are, at times, not so good, so we don't install them, causing the tool to be not so stable overall."

"I can confidently say that Zimbra is good enough for 2,000 client users. But, at the same time, if my client needs more than that and we have two options—Zimbra or Microsoft—I'm going with Microsoft because many admins will speak to Microsoft's ability to handle that many."

"It would be great if a group chat feature were created to allow for a team environment."

"The solution could use more integration with third-party tools."

"The antispam and antivirus features are hard to understand on mobile devices."

More Zimbra Collaboration cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"HCL Domino is costly, but it still depends on how your organization views it price-wise."

"HCL Domino's pricing depends on the number of users, but its license is not cheap."

"It is less expensive compared to other vendors."

"The pricing is individually determined. For us, in our current deployment, we pay $12.50 Canadian per month per user."

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

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

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

More HCL Domino pricing and cost advice

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive, I rate the price a four"

"The price of the solution is low."

"There is an annual standard licensing fee to use Zimbra Collaboration and there is no other cost."

"If you choose the network edition, it is a little pricier. They have the open-source edition too which is only community supported."

"Zimbra Collaboration is less expensive than Microsoft Exchange. Zimbra works for small companies because it is not expensive. Zimbra Collaboration has more security tools than Microsoft Exchange. If you are choosing between Zimbra Collaboration and Microsoft Exchange, you have to take into account the cost of security tools with Microsoft Exchange. When you purchase Microsoft Exchange, you will also have to purchase tools for security, which adds to the cost. The migration from Zimbra Collaboration to another email solution is very simple and easy. Migration from Microsoft Exchange to another email solution is very difficult. Microsoft doesn't allow migration that easily. In fact, you have to pay for tools to do that. You have to buy some expensive tools to migrate."

"The solution is competitively priced."

"The solution is not expensive compared to other products."

"Zimbra Collaboration is expensive, and there is no perpetual license option."

More Zimbra Collaboration pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	2

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	7

Questions from the Community

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HCL Domino?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL Domino?

The primary purposes for which HCL Domino is used are mail and applications.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zimbra Collaboration?

The solution is competitively priced.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Zimbra Collaboration?

When it comes to administration tasks like configuring specific filters or group signatures, I have to dig into the configuration since there's nothing in the graphical or web interface. The soluti...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange vs HCL Domino

Compared 17% of the time

Microsoft Power Apps vs HCL Domino

Compared 10% of the time

HCL Notes vs HCL Domino

Compared 9% of the time

Google Workspace vs HCL Domino

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs HCL Domino

Compared 8% of the time

More HCL Domino Competitors

Open-Xchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 18% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 10% of the time

Google Workspace vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 10% of the time

HCL Verse vs Zimbra Collaboration

Compared 4% of the time

More Zimbra Collaboration Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL Domino

March 2026

Download HCL Domino product report

Buyer's Guide

Zimbra Collaboration

March 2026

Download Zimbra Collaboration product report

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino

No data available

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.

HCLSoftware

Zimbra Collaboration provides administrators and their end users innovative features that solve the challenges faced by organizations using today's legacy communications infrastructure.

Zimbra

Sample Customers

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

NEC Biglobe, City of Ventura, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Hola Publishing, BIG, Sleepwell, LaFayette College, Xmission, DNA, Ring Line, Future Group, TIGC

Buyer's Guide

Rapid Application Development Software

March 2026

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