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HCL Domino vs HCL Verse comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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 Domino
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Rapid Application Development Software (18th)
HCL Verse
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Email Applications (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

HCL Domino and HCL Verse aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. HCL Domino is designed for Rapid Application Development Software and holds a mindshare of 1.0%, up 0.5% compared to last year.
HCL Verse, on the other hand, focuses on Email Applications, holds 2.3% mindshare, up 1.4% since last year.
Rapid Application Development Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HCL Domino1.0%
Microsoft Power Apps9.0%
ServiceNow6.2%
Other83.8%
Rapid Application Development Software
Email Applications Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
HCL Verse2.3%
Google Workspace14.7%
Microsoft Exchange Online10.6%
Other72.4%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

FN
Owner at Prodej a Správa Nemovitostí s.r.o.
Long-term platform has supported secure mail, custom workflows, and reliable on-premise apps
I have noticed some weak points and downsides. HCL Domino is a Swiss army knife, which is the downside as well. It does many things, which is an advantage. The biggest downside is that it is a good product, but there are not that many applications for it. There are not that many ready-made applications. When they do exist, they tend to be somewhat pricey. I have not actually used HCL Domino's low-code tools. There are no low-code tools. HCL says there are, but frankly speaking, I have tried it and I always come back to the classic, the original HCL Domino. I do not see it as truly low-code. They call it Leap. Even when you want to do something more specific or more complex, you do need programming logic and then it stops being low-code. I would say that there are much better low-code platforms. N8N, for instance, looks nice with nice diagrams, especially for workflow and automation, which is where HCL Domino is lacking. The evaluation of the security features of HCL Domino in handling sensitive business information is that it has a peculiar security model, which I view as acceptable. Sometimes it may get in your way, but sometimes it simplifies things. It depends.
MR
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"HCL Domino is an application development and collaboration platform with strong stability and security. Deployment of this platform is easy and takes only 10 minutes."
"We can scale it if we want to."
"HCL Domino is cost-effective because it serves as a complete platform with a web server, app server, and IT management system, eliminating the need for multiple platforms and complex integrations."
"The DAOS feature is the most valuable. It helps to save some of my storage."
"For workflow applications or general applications, the rapid development capability is what we value most."
"They offer good support and provide a roadmap."
"The email system is the most valuable feature."
"This solution can be used for workflow application so that applications can be easily developed."
"We switched to Verse because of enhanced features, better design, and higher security."
"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."
"This solution is the best one."
 

Cons

"Recently, IBM sold the product to HCL. Since Pakistan and India have some problems on a domestic level, we were actually considering replacing it with Indian products from the organization. We're just facing some regulatory issues."
"Scalability needs to be improved to be on the level that's required. Support could also be enhanced."
"The solution is expensive."
"For me, the one thing missing is a really good reporting engine."
"HCL Domino needs to be more user-friendly."
"An area for improvement in HCL Domino is security. New enhancements in the IT industry mean that security should be improved. The HCL Domino GUI also needs improvement."
"Its performance and integration could be better. It has capabilities for large deployment with several servers, but in the latest interface, running with different servers isn't supported."
"The speed of the Notes client is an area that could be improved."
"Security is very important to us, so improvements to this functionality are welcome."
"Security is very important to us, so improvements to this functionality are welcome."
"The solution could improve by allowing us to use a color that we want in the editing boxes."
"The setup was not very easy due to higher security standards."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is individually determined. For us, in our current deployment, we pay $12.50 Canadian per month per user."
"Customers have to pay for a license for the Notes Client, not for the Domino database. There is a quarter license that we use."
"HCL Domino's pricing depends on the number of users, but its license is not cheap."
"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."
"HCL Domino has reasonable pricing. It's not expensive."
"Price is reasonable compared to the other solutions."
"It is less expensive compared to other vendors."
"HCL Domino is costly, but it still depends on how your organization views it price-wise."
"This is an affordable solution but the price could be improved."
"The price of the solution is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Retailer
7%
Government
23%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HCL Domino?
The Notes client is very expensive, costing around $105 per client. Overall, HCL Domino is a costly product.
What needs improvement with HCL Domino?
I have noticed some weak points and downsides. HCL Domino is a Swiss army knife, which is the downside as well. It does many things, which is an advantage. The biggest downside is that it is a good...
What is your primary use case for HCL Domino?
The primary purposes for which HCL Domino is used are mail and applications.
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Comparisons

 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino
Verse, IBM Verse
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil
Canon Marketing Japan Inc., Australian Trade Commission, BTC, Havas, Canal Barge Co.Inc., RAVInvest, Elemental Path, WDR mediagroup
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, ServiceNow, Oracle and others in Rapid Application Development Software. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.