HCL Sametime vs Zoom comparison

HCLSoftware and Zoom Video Communications are both solutions in the Virtual Meetings category. HCLSoftware is ranked #19 with an average rating of 8.0, while Zoom Video Communications is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.3. HCLSoftware holds a 0.4% mindshare in VM, compared to Zoom Video Communications’s 11.9% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Zoom Video Communications users who would recommend it.

HCL Sametime

Read 5 HCL Sametime reviews

80 Views
48 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

Zoom

Read 207 Zoom reviews

6,822 Views
1,299 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

HCL Sametime

Zoom

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between HCL Sametime and Zoom 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.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL Sametime vs. Zoom Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL Sametime vs. Zoom

January 2025

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Helped 831,020 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

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Zoom

Ranking in Virtual Meetings

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Number of Reviews

207

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 Zoom is 11.9%, down from 15.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Virtual Meetings

Featured Reviews

Bogdan Chechlowski

Kierownik Biura Informatyki at EIB SA

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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Kallol Chaudhuri

Principal Consultant at Oracle

Helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done and offers the breakout rooms feature.

We are a team located across various locations. Not in the same geographic location. We are distributed. And it's not possible to physically travel and meet people. Sometimes it's simply not possible. But Zoom has helped us tremendously in collaborating with each other and getting our work done. Without Zoom, it would have been very, very difficult. The breakout rooms feature is also helpful. For example, I have a meeting attended by hundreds of people and want to create subgroups. I typically use it for different role-play scenarios during training if we are trying to conduct some training on presentation skills. So there's a large group, which is initially trained by an instructor. Then you get instructions that the room will be split into smaller breakout rooms. I'll give you a topic, and you'll practice in these smaller groups. That's one way I use it. So it's like a simulation of a real brainstorming session I'd have in a physical space.

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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

"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."

"A good option for online meetings."

"The solution is easy to use with an easy user interface."

"The most valuable feature is that it's easy to use."

"I like Zoom's ease of use and how easy it is for non-tech people to interface with it. Other video conferencing solutions can be somewhat challenging for non-tech people, so you often end up waiting for people to connect."

"As a technical support guy, I think it's crucial to be able to connect with people remotely. Zoom is simple to use because they can share the screen and talk. The user can walk me through the issue they are facing."

"Some of the most valuable features are the performance and ease of use. Also, since everyone knows about and is familiar with Zoom, you don't need to teach them how to use it."

"It is very quick to get a meeting started."

"One of the most valuable features is the user interface. With every new update, they introduce new useful features."

More Zoom 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."

"They could address the product's limitation of the free version, particularly the 40-minute time constraint on meetings."

"We have had some quality and lagging issues with video regardless of connection quality."

"The virtual background could be more smoothly integrated with the rest of the software."

"Zoom is not a good product for webinars."

"It would be useful to be able to share files with my colleagues."

"Zoom definitely has to be more secure, but I can't think of any anything else to change."

"The interface could be more user-friendly."

"Sound is not an issue, however, with video I've always had issues when using the free service."

More Zoom cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"There is a yearly license for this solution. I would like it if they offered better prices."

"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten. It is not affordable for small businesses."

"There is some basic functionality that's free but if you want to host longer meetings and have more participants, then there is a licensing fee."

"I rate the product's pricing two or three on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."

"There are no licensing fees required."

"I use Zoom's free version."

"The cost for Zoom is reasonable."

"The version I am using of Zoom is free."

More Zoom pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Educational Organization

92%

University

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

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...

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What is your primary use case for HCL Sametime?

It was used for communication through text messages, primarily.

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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

LucidChart vs LucidSpark for brainstorming sessions over Zoom

Hi @Krista Thompson - Yes, LucidSpark is a much more nimble and, in some ways, user-friendly tool than LucidChart. LucidSpark is designed to do a better job managing multiple users participating ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Zoom?

The product is scalable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoom?

I use the free version of Zoom and have not encountered significant issues in its use. I also use the free version of Google Meet.

See all answers

Comparisons

No data available

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Compared 25% of the time

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Compared 9% of the time

ON24 Platform vs Zoom

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Virtual Meetings

December 2024

Download HCL Sametime product report

Buyer's Guide

Zoom

November 2024

Download Zoom product report

Also Known As

Lotus Sametime, IBM Lotus Sametime

No data available

Learn More

HCLSoftware

Video not available

Zoom Video Communications

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.

Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done. Our easy, reliable cloud platform for video, phone, content sharing, and chat runs across mobile devices, desktops, telephones, and room systems. Message me to learn more about how Zoom can help your business or organization Visit zoom.com and follow @zoom_us.

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

Fortinet, Veeva, Proofpoint, Box, Ticketmaster, Trend Micro, Caesars Entertainment, Santa Clara University, Pandora, Stanford Continuing Studies

Buyer's Guide

HCL Sametime vs. Zoom

January 2025

Free Report: HCL Sametime vs. Zoom

Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Sametime vs. Zoom and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.

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See our HCL Sametime vs. Zoom report.

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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.