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HCL Sametime vs Microsoft Teams comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 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 Sametime
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
19th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Teams
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
4th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
166
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Social Software (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.3%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Teams is 2.7%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

Bogdan Chechlowski - PeerSpot reviewer
Stable product, communicate very fast and allows to see who's online in the office or work environment
It was used for communication through text messages, primarily Being able to see who was online and communicate very fast was a good feature.  The security was quite good. However, when we tried to implement it for email at a high level, we had to use another solution, FortiMail Gateway. I view…
Arun Srivastav - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamless presentation and collaboration enhance organizational productivity
There are three main areas for improvement: Firstly, AI capabilities should be integrated into Microsoft Teams to provide better transcript services and offer multiple language support. Secondly, it should allow participants to remain visible during presentations, enhancing interaction. Lastly, it needs broader integration capabilities with other products, like Salesforce ( /vendors/salesforce ), which is currently limited.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The security was quite good."
"I can view the status and availability of colleagues or team members, which makes it easy to approach them when they are available."
"I think it is stable when I use it for meetings with my customers...The initial setup of Microsoft Teams is easy."
"The most valuable features are visual and audio, as they are very clear with no interruptions."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to collaborate."
"Valuable screen sharing feature."
"Microsoft Teams is bundled with Microsoft, so that's the number one valuable feature for me. It's easy to use."
"The tool is simple to use."
"Teams integrates with a lot of our technologies, especially features like the Teams channels."
"Everything is valuable, such as the chats, the calls, and the file sharing."
 

Cons

"The webinar should be integrated into Sametime for a larger number of participants."
"It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or other files."
"There can be more customization and also the task management tools needs better tools for integration."
"The mobile application needs improvement. There are a lot of features on the web and desktop versions that aren't implemented yet on mobile."
"The solution's security feature needs enhancement for external collaborations with business partners and vendors."
"There could be performance spikes and better reliability. We saw a lot of stability issues."
"Allowing you to participate in the conference to which you have been invited regardless of the platform on which it is hosted would be beneficial."
"The solution should include features like scripting, meeting summarization, and automated notes."
"The solution's user interface could be improved because it initially looked complex."
"Teams doesn't always sync to show as Do Not Disturb during Outlook meetings."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The tool's price is part of MS Office 365 and I would rate its pricing five out of ten. The tool's licensing costs are monthly."
"Microsoft Teams comes free if you're using it in an organization."
"Microsoft Teams is a cheap solution because it's included in the Microsoft 365 suite."
"The solution's pricing is reasonable and I would rate it an eight out of ten."
"I use Teams' free version."
"We don't have to pay for the solution."
"I would rate the product's pricing an eight out of ten."
"I rate the tool's pricing a six out of ten. Its pricing is fixed."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
70%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Government
3%
Computer Software Company
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HCL Sametime?
I view it as part of HCL Notes and Domino, and my opinion is similar to those products. It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or oth...
What is your primary use case for HCL Sametime?
It was used for communication through text messages, primarily.
What advice do you have for others considering HCL Sametime?
Overall, it was quite good. I would rate it an eight out of ten. It's a better product than some others from HCL, but overall, I wouldn't recommend it, given the availability of superior alternatives.
What do you like most about Microsoft Teams?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Teams for us is the ability to share files from OneDrive seamlessly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams comes with Office 365 ( /products/office-365-reviews ) licenses like E3, but there are options for those who prefer not to pay for Teams by using alternative products like Slack ( /...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Teams?
The biggest issue with Microsoft Teams is switching identities, especially when communicating with external organizations. Users often don't know they have messages from another company unless they...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Lotus Sametime, IBM Lotus Sametime
MS Teams
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Connect2Cloud, Superior Group, Daifuku Co. Ltd., Seaward, The City of Fort Worth, Christian Brothers Services, Berlitz, Deutsche Notes User Group, Danske Fysioterapeuter, Slumberland, La Vacanza, Rheinmetall AG
Honeywll, AIRFRANCE, AccuWeather, Lilly
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Sametime vs. Microsoft Teams and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
846,617 professionals have used our research since 2012.