HCL Verse vs Office 365 comparison

The compared HCLSoftware and Microsoft solutions aren't in the same category. HCLSoftware is ranked #13 in EA , and holds a 2.3% mindshare in the category. Microsoft is ranked #1 in CCP , with an average rating of 8.6, and holds a 10.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

HCL Verse

Read 3 HCL Verse reviews

758 Views
478 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Office 365

Read 152 Office 365 reviews

3,509 Views
2,562 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

HCL Verse

Office 365

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between HCL Verse and Office 365 based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Email Applications.

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Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

February 2026

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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

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Email Applications (13th)

Office 365

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

152

Ranking in other categories

Content Collaboration Platforms (1st)

Mindshare comparison

While both are Messaging and Collaboration solutions, they serve different purposes. HCL Verse is designed for Email Applications and holds a mindshare of 2.3%, up 1.3% compared to last year.
Office 365, on the other hand, focuses on Content Collaboration Platforms, holds 10.2% mindshare, up 4.9% since last year.

Email Applications Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
HCL Verse	2.3%
Google Workspace	15.1%
Microsoft Exchange Online	11.1%
Other	71.5%

Email Applications

Content Collaboration Platforms Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Office 365	10.2%
Google Workspace	9.3%
Dropbox Business - Enterprise	8.6%
Other	71.9%

Content Collaboration Platforms

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.

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BasilJiji

System Engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Collaboration has transformed how our teams work and Copilot now drives faster daily decisions

The interface for the security and compliance center could be simplified. It changes frequently, which can make it somewhat difficult for admins to stay up-to-date on where specific settings are located. The compliance center modification or improvement of Office 365 needs to be introduced. The rest of the features feel acceptable to me. The reason it is not a ten is because of the complexity of managing the vast array of admin settings, which requires a specialized IT team. Even though it meets industry standards for decent security compliance such as SOC and HIPAA, the complexity of managing the admin settings needs to improve.

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

"The most valuable feature is the mail server."

"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."

"I find Office 365 convenient and easy to use, primarily because I have been a Microsoft product user for a long time, and its user-friendly interface and consistent workflow across various Microsoft products are particularly notable."

"The valuable features of Office 365 include easy integration with different platforms, and it's the standard solution because almost all people use this Microsoft Office solution."

"The features I have found most valuable in Office 365 are Exchange Online and Microsoft Teams, which are the mostly commonly used products in my organization."

"There are no more server and hardware operational costs and downtime, updates, etc. for all the workloads available. Newer features and updates are available immediately. Can be managed from a single web interface. Cloud-based, so same experience for all users, regardless of location."

"There are all sorts of really good tools for use on the information security side that allow us to make sure that our people are doing business and doing business right."

"One of the most valuable features of Office 365 is the collaboration capability; multiple employees can work on the same document at the same time, which enhances productivity."

"Many of the features in Office 365 are good, but I think Excel is a very good tool."

"AI with Office 365 is useful for programming, and sometimes for reporting and creating emails, which is easier."

More Office 365 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."

"Integration between Outlook calendar and Google Calendar would be a good improvement since many of our team use Android phones and personal Gmail accounts as their main calendar application."

"It seems like every other week when we log into the administrative portals, it doesn't matter which one, it could be the active directory portal, it could be the exchange admin center or SharePoint admin center, it seems like Microsoft is consistently updating with new versions of the admin centers, which can be frustrating."

"If two people update the same file, it causes issues."

"Using Office 365 is not that flexible on some mobile devices, like Android."

"The security should be improved."

"Security is still complex, but the admin console improving."

"In the next release, I would like to have a more intuitive tutorial."

"It would be a fantastic opportunity if their solution could be used in combination with VoIP software, allowing you to combine VoIP software and Office 365 on a single platform."

More Office 365 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"The price of the solution is reasonable."

"Licensing, billing, and accounting are available from the management interface."

"We have a license to use this solution. We have an E3 license which covers many different solutions."

"The price of Office 365 is very expensive."

"The pricing is good for all the features that we receive, e.g., Skype for Business."

"The pricing is high and has actually caused us to limit the number of licenses we purchase due to budgeting."

"The pricing/licensing is easy to manage."

"I would rate the solution 3 out of 5 for the price. I think Microsoft presents a good solution concerning the price."

"Good reporting and good value subscriptions for international calls."

More Office 365 pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Government

23%

University

Computer Software Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Marketing Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	62
Midsize Enterprise	29
Large Enterprise	70

Questions from the Community

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Office 365?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Office 365 is that it is moderate.

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What needs improvement with Office 365?

Office 365 can be improved by increasing support, which currently is not efficient and takes a lot of time to resolve issues. It has been observed that support personnel often lack hands-on experie...

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What is your primary use case for Office 365?

Email and collaboration are the main use cases for Office 365 at Omagi Media Labs. It is used for internal and external communication in daily work. Groups and Teams groups are created and used in ...

See all answers

Comparisons

HCL Notes vs HCL Verse

Compared 36% of the time

Microsoft Exchange Online vs HCL Verse

Compared 14% of the time

Hub vs HCL Verse

Compared 10% of the time

HCL Domino vs HCL Verse

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Exchange vs HCL Verse

Compared 7% of the time

More HCL Verse Competitors

Google Workspace vs Office 365

Compared 48% of the time

Symphony vs Office 365

Compared 10% of the time

Dropbox Business - Enterprise vs Office 365

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft OneDrive for Business vs Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

Quip vs Office 365

Compared 3% of the time

More Office 365 Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Email Applications

February 2026

Download HCL Verse product report

Buyer's Guide

Office 365

January 2026

Download Office 365 product report

Also Known As

Verse, IBM Verse

Microsoft Office 365, Office 365 Enterprise, Office 365 Enterprise E1, Office 365 Enterprise E3, Office 365 Enterprise E5, Office 365 ProPlus, Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, Office 365 F1

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

Office 365 is more than just Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It provides powerful services like business-class email, online storage, and teamwork solutions that you can access from anywhere. Bring teams and resources together with solutions like Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business that make working together more productive and enjoyable regardless of where participants are located. Easily implement security and privacy controls to help protect business data and devices against malicious threats and help you meet your compliance obligations. Automatic updates ensure your employees will always have the latest features and security updates.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

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

Me & the Bees Lemonade

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