HCL Verse vs Microsoft Exchange Online comparison

HCLSoftware and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. HCLSoftware is ranked #13, while Microsoft is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.7. HCLSoftware holds a 1.6% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 12.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

HCL Verse

Read 3 HCL Verse reviews

673 Views
377 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange Online

Read 91 Microsoft Exchange Online reviews

3,877 Views
3,722 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

HCL Verse

Microsoft Exchange Online

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Microsoft Exchange Online and HCL Verse are competing products in enterprise email solutions. Microsoft Exchange Online seems to hold an advantage in pricing and support, while HCL Verse is noted for its feature set that some find worth the premium.

Features: Microsoft Exchange Online provides seamless integration with Microsoft 365, strong security features, and advanced email management tools. HCL Verse distinguishes itself with intelligent spam filtering, dynamic search capabilities, and personalized collaboration spaces. Both have robust features, but Exchange Online's integration within Microsoft's ecosystem offers a more unified experience.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Exchange Online benefits from extensive deployment tools and a comprehensive support network, allowing smoother transitions. HCL Verse relies on solid support channels, although its deployment complexity can be challenging for some.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Exchange Online's pricing is competitive, delivering substantial ROI due to its integration benefits. HCL Verse may incur higher initial costs, yet its advanced features can yield satisfying ROI in settings valuing collaboration enhancements.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

September 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 871,358 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 Verse

Ranking in Email Applications

13th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Exchange Online

Ranking in Email Applications

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of HCL Verse is 1.6%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange Online is 12.5%, down from 15.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Exchange Online	12.5%
HCL Verse	1.6%
Other	85.9%

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Marcos Roberto Silva

Diretor at MASTERDOM

Stable, scalable, and good interface

HCL Verse has a nice interface and it is a practical email solution. There are a diverse set of features, such as the search bar on top of the screens. The usability from the old applications to the new version has been very good. It was great that we were able to migrate applications from the older version to the new one.

Read full review

NancyHartman

Business Process Manager/ Educational Technologist at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees

Effective collaboration achieved with versatile features and good customer service

There are always improvements needed. My personal issue with using OfficeSuite and the Exchange Server is that one has to cobble together a whole bunch of different applications. Therefore, a lot of scripting and programming knowledge is necessary. I am not an IT person; I am an educator, a trainer, a user. I want to get the work done. However, I find that the Exchange Server and possibly the way our company has set up access permissions require extensive programming knowledge. It might take six to eight weeks to get a programmer's time to build something, whereas I can use something like Smartsheet that will do everything I want without needing a programmer. Smartsheet is more end-user friendly compared to a Microsoft product. Microsoft believes an expert IT person should manage everything, however, I want to manage things on my own in a simplified way. That is not easy using the Exchange Server or Microsoft Office. It is not end-user friendly for development, and a programmer is needed. Once set up, using them as an end-user is fine. I find that the automations are not robust, and the FedRAMP systems are not robust. I have a few issues with Exchange and Office, but there's nothing I can do about it.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"HCL Verse has a nice interface and it is a practical email solution. There are a diverse set of features, such as the search bar on top of the screens."

"The most valuable feature is the mail server."

"Exchange Online doesn't just do email, it allows for collaboration with inbuilt chat and calling facilities and document sharing."

"I have not had issues with stability of the product."

"Microsoft has many consultants who can provide support."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Exchange Online is its ease of use."

"Microsoft Exchange Online is a very stable solution."

"The solution generally works well. We can send and receive emails just fine."

"Tech support has been great, when necessary."

"When you used to write to someone, you would often begin typing their name and their email address would appear; you would simply click and you would have the correct email address. That has been working for a while, but having the location address appear was a pleasant surprise. It was amazing."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pros

Cons

"The solution could improve by allowing us to use a color that we want in the editing boxes."

"Security is very important to us, so improvements to this functionality are welcome."

"The solution could be a bit cheaper."

"The solution’s pricing could be better."

"We'd like to have the ability to recall emails on the web. I'm not sure if that is available yet."

"In terms of areas for improvement, I think Microsoft could enhance security. Right now, there are limited options for security within Exchange Online, and much of it relies on third-party security and compliance tools. I'd like to see more security features directly integrated. One specific area that needs improvement is the configuration of SMTP for third-party applications. It's challenging to manage without an on-premise SMTP server, and this is an issue many organizations face, including ours. If Microsoft could offer better SMTP configuration for third-party applications within Exchange Online, it would greatly benefit us."

"The solution’s technical support could be improved."

"Technical support can be improved by shortening the response time and increasing their knowledge."

"There is an annual enterprise subscription could improve by having more features."

"This solution involves a lot of work for an administrator. It is not always easy to find exactly what you are looking for within the system."

More Microsoft Exchange Online cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This is an affordable solution but the price could be improved."

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"In my opinion, the online license is the best one we have. It is a bundle that we have from Microsoft. It is a bit high in price."

"The costs of this platform vary based on subscriptions, but it is generally reasonable."

"We have an enterprise agreement for licensing."

"We have a three-year license for $25,000."

"Initially, we had issues with the licensing agreement, but we worked it out with Microsoft."

"I think that the price is a little high, especially considering that Google have a similar, free email solution."

"We have a license per user scenario."

"The model is one which is pay-per-use go. There is no license. We are talking about per-user subscription-based use."

More Microsoft Exchange Online pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Email Applications solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

871,358 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

28%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

University

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	40
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	40

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange Online?

The benefits are widespread and effective communication. We use Microsoft Teams for meetings within and outside our organization. Additionally, Teams can be used for chat, allowing us to track comm...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange Online?

If I segment it into three points: low price, average, and high price, I would place Microsoft Exchange Online between average and high price.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Exchange Online?

I see no disadvantages currently. From the admin perspective, whenever an admin wants to get the email backup for a particular employee, there are a few challenges in terms of the role assignment o...

See all answers

Comparisons

HCL Notes vs HCL Verse

Compared 56% of the time

Hub vs HCL Verse

Compared 13% of the time

Huddle vs HCL Verse

Compared 10% of the time

HCL Domino vs HCL Verse

Compared 8% of the time

More HCL Verse Competitors

Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 40% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 14% of the time

Amazon WorkMail vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 10% of the time

Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 5% of the time

KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange Online

Compared 2% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Online Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

September 2025

Download HCL Verse product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange Online

October 2025

Download Microsoft Exchange Online product report

Also Known As

Verse, IBM Verse

Exchange Online, Exchange Online Plan 1, Exchange Online Plan 2, MS Exchange Online

Overview

IBM Verse is a powerful email hosting solution that enables users to access their business communications from a laptop or desktop browser or from a mobile device. This email and business messaging experience is based on an innovative user-centric design, including social analytics and advanced search capabilities. IBM Verse helps users quickly find and focus on what content is most important, empowering them to build stronger working relationships while optimizing business results.

HCLSoftware

Exchange Online helps protect your information with advanced capabilities. Anti-malware and anti-spam filtering protect mailboxes. Data loss prevention capabilities prevent users from mistakenly sending sensitive information to unauthorized people. Globally redundant servers, premier disaster recovery capabilities, and a team of security experts monitoring Exchange Online around the clock safeguard your data.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Canon Marketing Japan Inc., Australian Trade Commission, BTC, Havas, Canal Barge Co.Inc., RAVInvest, Elemental Path, WDR mediagroup

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Blue Star Infotech, Scitec Nutrition, Resolution Films, British Airways, Empire Cinemas, InnoGames

Buyer's Guide

HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

September 2025

Free Report: HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online

Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

871,358 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our HCL Verse vs. Microsoft Exchange Online report.

See our list of best Email Applications vendors.

We monitor all Email Applications 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.