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HCL Sametime vs Skype for Business comparison

HCLSoftware and Microsoft are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. HCLSoftware is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 7.9. HCLSoftware holds a 0.4% mindshare in VM, compared to Microsoft’s 10.4% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
HCL Sametime
Read 5 HCL Sametime reviews
  • 80 Views
  • 48 Comparison Views
75% willing to recommend
Skype for Business
Read 62 Skype for Business reviews
  • 2,382 Views
  • 871 Comparison Views
79% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between HCL Sametime and Skype for Business based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Virtual Meetings solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed HCL Sametime vs. Skype for Business Report (Updated: January 2025).
Buyer's Guide
HCL Sametime vs. Skype for Business
January 2025
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Helped 831,158 peers since 2012

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
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Skype for Business
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
62
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.4%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Skype for Business is 10.4%, up from 8.7% 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…
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Magdalena Teodorczuk - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers great audio and video quality for virtual meetings
I like the instant messaging feature in the product since I prefer to use the chat functionalities provided by the solution. It is easy to integrate the product with some of the other solutions in the market. I rate the integration capabilities of the product a ten out of ten. The product's user interface is user-friendly. I use the product at a personal level, so I can't speak about the support it provides for the maintenance part. I rate the overall tool a ten out of ten.
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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

"I can view the status and availability of colleagues or team members, which makes it easy to approach them when they are available."
"The security was quite good."
"People are now able to virtually collaborate with their staff and have a conference call. We don't need a phone line to make that conference call and we are saving on that. People are able to share their presentations. Also, they can chat using the Skype"
"The most valuable feature is how useful it has been for virtual meetings during the pandemic."
"The most valuable features are the history tracking which allows us to see who participated and who didn't in the meetings as well as the integration with Outlook."
"The solution is stable and scalable."
"Using this solution has helped us to cut long distance calls, as well as video services from third parties."
"You can do meetings of up to two hundred people in a single conversation."
"We like the tools our administrator can use to identify which calls had quality issues and why. This makes troubleshooting our user experience somewhat easier."
"The security seems good."
More Skype for Business pros
 

Cons

"It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or other files."
"The webinar should be integrated into Sametime for a larger number of participants."
"The group feature of Skype for Business needs improvement. It should also be improved for online lectures."
"Going forward, I would like to see better call quality and reliability."
"The user experience during long sessions could be improved to avoid issues like intermittent disconnections or login failures."
"I feel bored with the look and feel of the tool, so it should be changed."
"The solution should improve the chat and add more flexibility to make a call."
"Skype for Business is not stable."
"The solution has been discontinued by Microsoft."
"Sometimes Skype is slow, and we cannot use other elements of our devices while using the Skype solution."
More Skype for Business cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The licensing is billed on a yearly basis."
"Previously, I did not use another solution."
"Our company pays for a license for us to use the solution."
"When it comes to the pricing of the solution, I rate it as a five out of ten. It falls somewhere in the middle between being cheap and expensive."
"A license is required to use the solution."
"I use the product's open-source version."
"Skype for Business' pricing is reasonable."
"It may be slightly costly, but the features are awesome."
More Skype for Business pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Educational Organization
92%
Financial Services Firm
2%
Government
1%
Computer Software Company
1%
 

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...
See all answers
What is your primary use case for HCL Sametime?
It was used for communication through text messages, primarily.
See all answers
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.
See all answers
What do you like most about Skype for Business?
The solution’s video quality is fine.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Skype for Business?
Skype for Business is affordable and has decent pricing. The video quality is a bit lower than Teams or Zoom, but it remains a good solution overall.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Skype for Business?
The video quality could be improved, possibly due to internet connection issues. However, there is no significant weakness in Skype for Business.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

No data available
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Cisco Unified Communications vs Skype for Business
Compared 22% of the time
TeamViewer vs Skype for Business Logo
TeamViewer vs Skype for Business
Compared 16% of the time
Zoom vs Skype for Business Logo
Zoom vs Skype for Business
Compared 14% of the time
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business Logo
GoToMeeting vs Skype for Business
Compared 8% of the time
More Skype for Business Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Virtual Meetings
December 2024
HCL Sametime reportDownload HCL Sametime product report
Buyer's Guide
Skype for Business
December 2024
Skype for Business reportDownload Skype for Business product report
 

Also Known As

Lotus Sametime, IBM Lotus Sametime
Skype for Business Plan 1, Skype for Business Plan 2, Lync Server
 

Learn More

HCLSoftware
Microsoft
 

Overview

HCL Sametime. Secure Conversations Across Any Device ​

Your company can’t afford to take any data risks, but your teams still need to be able to interact and react quickly, wherever they are working. Sametime offers modern instant messaging, file-sharing, and online meetings with the proven security your business can trust.

Skype for Business offers features including presence, IM, voice and video calls, online meetings, conferencing, and telephony solutions that support enterprise-level collaboration requirements. Skype for Business Record meetings, share your screen, and annotate PowerPoint for real-time collaboration with up to 250 people and use whiteboard, polls, Q&A, and built-in IM during your business meetings to make them more productive. Skype for Business provides new client experience, Skype for Business Server provides several new features to improve manageability of on-premises servers and hybrid solutions. Skype for Business also supports the Lync client experience so that you can choose a phased upgrade approach to the new client experience for users. Skype for Business is also an integral part of Microsoft Office 365, providing PSTN Conferencing, Cloud PBX, PSTN Calling, and Skype Meeting Broadcast capabilities to Office 365 users.
 

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
EmpireCLS Worldwide Chauffeured Services,LA Fitness, MedcoEnergi International, Tampa General Hospital, and HopewellHoldings Limited.
Buyer's Guide
HCL Sametime vs. Skype for Business
January 2025
Free Report: HCL Sametime vs. Skype for Business
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Sametime vs. Skype for Business and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
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We monitor all Virtual Meetings reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.