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HCL Sametime vs Webex 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
Webex
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
125
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.5%, down from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 16.2%, up from 15.3% 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…
Wajid Khattak - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use, enables remote meetings, and saves time and money
We deployed the product in our headquarters and connected our four plants. It enables us to meet remotely. We use the tool for remote meetings. I work in the manufacturing sector The product is easy to use. We are very comfortable with it. The video call features are compatible with different…

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."
"It allows me to conduct meetings, share files, record events, chat, and have presentations with co-workers."
"It is very powerful and stable."
"The video conferencing quality is better than that of other solutions."
"The product's initial setup phase is very straightforward."
"It's a nice tool for virtual meetings and I'm satisfied with its performance."
"The camera moves in tandem with the person who is using it to communicate with the other participants."
"Webex is a collaboration tool that helps you with remote support and collaboration."
"The product is quite secure. Other products, such as Zoom, have had security issues raised in the media."
 

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."
"Although we utilize it for team collaboration, it's not very efficient. Most people don't bother turning on their video during meetings. We feel stuck in the past, relying on outdated technology."
"I think it's very inconvenient to have to enter my email address all the time just to be a visitor."
"Sometimes the call quality is not that great. When you call in, especially in an international situation, or if you have people calling from different continents or geographical locations, there can be issues with the call itself."
"An opportunity they could benefit from would be a version that includes meeting transcription. I usually use a third-party product to do transcription."
"I would like to see more integration, with respect to some more unified communication activities."
"Usability needs improvement. Webex is more complex compared to Zoom."
"Webex is a very demanding application, so it requires a very heavy bandwidth."
"The solution could improve by having better integration with other platforms."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The solution is low-cost for a hybrid model."
"You need to make yearly payments towards the licensing charges of the product. You need to opt for a subscription-based licensing model for your organization. The product is a bit expensive."
"I use the free version, not the enterprise version. The only compelling reason to go for paid WebEx pay is if you're hosting large meetings."
"There is a license needed to use this solution."
"The price of Webex is in the middle range compared to the market."
"We paid for our Webex license as a bundle."
"There is a need to pay the licensing charges to use Webex Enterprise Edition."
"Licensing is subscription-based and the cost varies depending on how many minutes are included in the plan."
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861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

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 Webex?
Webex improved our overall team collaboration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Webex?
Webex is expensive. If it weren't that expensive, we would probably use it for all our telecommunication needs, not just for telemedicine.
What needs improvement with Webex?
Usability needs improvement. Webex is more complex compared to Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ). Zoom ( /products/zoom-reviews ) has a big advantage in simplicity, especially for the other side to c...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Lotus Sametime, IBM Lotus Sametime
Cisco Spark
 

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
Seagate Technology, Kohn Pedersen Fox, World Vision International, Glen Raven, University of Notre Dame, CEV Multimedia, The Food Group, LUMEDX, California Baptist University, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Sametime vs. Webex and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.