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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
17th
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
5.6
Number of Reviews
126
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.6%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 13.1%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Webex13.1%
HCL Sametime0.6%
Other86.3%
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…
AlexandruCioruta - PeerSpot reviewer
Used to conduct online third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings
The solution's video conferencing quality is good, and I rate it a nine out of ten. The solution's security features are end-to-end encrypted, and I rate them ten out of ten. The version we're using requires no technical team for deployment and maintenance. The solution has an enterprise version, but we're not currently using it. I would recommend the solution to other users because it has good video conference quality. I mostly leverage the solution for third-party client meetings or third-party vendor meetings. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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."
"Its features are easy to navigate and easy to share, and easy to conduct a meeting."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the fact that it is easy to share screens, a major reason I chose it."
"We use Webex for virtual meetings."
"The most valuable aspect of this solution is that it is the easiest for participants to get connected to."
"The most noteworthy aspect of Webex is its quality, which I found satisfactory without any notable issues."
"The best feature is to be able to share the screen or just some application we want, even a video or audio, then request the remote control of the device with which they have connected."
"The solution has been very stable."
"One of the most valuable features of Webex was that it was easy to use and there were no hassles."
 

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."
"My company does a lot of international calls. For some countries they do not have their local number to call in, all they have is a 1-800 number which is quite hard to find. If they want to improve they should set up the local number to call in. What would be beneficial."
"In terms of features, it would be beneficial for Webex to focus on improving its chat functionality to make it more user-friendly. Additionally, enhancing communication operations to create a friendlier user experience would be advantageous. Other individuals who have tried using it faced challenges when attempting to share content with third parties during conversations or meetings."
"Webex's stability could be improved."
"One area that could use improvement in Webex is the connection speed."
"No private chat option."
"We have had issues where some of the invited participants are not able to join the meeting."
"Nowadays, it is hard to set up meetings using Webex since it has become a complicated process."
"Everything just needs to be shrunk down without sacrificing quality so that not so much bandwidth is needed in order to hold meetings effectively."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We purchase the product's yearly license. It is expensive."
"There is an annual license required for this solution."
"We paid for our Webex license as a bundle."
"The tool is expensive."
"You can opt for yearly licensing with Webex."
"There is a license needed to use this solution."
"Features matter more than the price for us. As long as we get all the features we want and it fits our budget, then the price doesn't matter. I can't speak for other companies. We have tried other applications, and we run into some problems that we don't see in Webex."
"The cost is pretty high compared to the competitors."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Virtual Meetings solutions are best for your needs.
871,469 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
14%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise61
 

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?
I would appreciate improvements in communication stability and performance. Sometimes we experience a poor communication stream, but I am uncertain whether it is due to the internet link or somethi...
 

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: September 2025.
871,469 professionals have used our research since 2012.