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HCL Domino vs Oracle Application Express (APEX) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

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
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
17th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Oracle Application Express ...
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
61
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (2nd), Low-Code Development Platforms (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of HCL Domino is 0.9%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Application Express (APEX) is 6.1%, down from 8.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rapid Application Development Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Oracle Application Express (APEX)6.1%
HCL Domino0.9%
Other93.0%
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Featured Reviews

PB
Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
Experience complete control and security in managing sensitive information and internal applications
One challenge I faced with HCL Domino was fully understanding its capabilities because initial use may lead to misconceptions based on simpler platforms. Exploring and comprehending what is possible takes time and effort, as understanding the full range of functionalities requires a mindset shift to leverage the platform's capabilities effectively. I believe HCL Domino is on a good improvement path, although a limitation is the lack of many service providers offering the platform, making initial setup more time-consuming for organizations without the expertise. If there were more subscription-based service providers available, it could enhance usability significantly, especially for organizations lacking the resources to install and configure systems.
Rodrigo-Mesquita - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Software developer at QV Systems
Rapid application development empowers big projects in months
The ability to quickly develop applications without needing to code a lot is very valuable. It is very quick to create a page, and one can use AI to speed up software development. It is easy to learn. In my company, we could develop a very big application in a couple of months.

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."
"The pricing is excellent."
"We have been able to set up a portal using a special XPage application that gives our customers access to this system."
"HCL Domino is the best product from a security point of view."
"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."
"Overall, I would rate HCL Domino as eight out of ten. I would recommend HCL Domino and Notes applications for small and medium-sized companies since it offers a good return on investment."
"The most valuable feature of HCL Domino is how robust it is."
"The email system is the most valuable feature."
"I like that Oracle Application Express (APEX) is powerful and attractive, allowing my organization to modernize forms within two months. I also found its PWA feature very powerful because you can produce substantial mobile applications."
"The autonomous database is valuable and provides the main structure for code development."
"I like the way that it automatically goes into the spreadsheets and the users can deal with it."
"Quick development and the connection with the database are the most valuable and useful features. It is also very stable, scalable, and easy to set up. Its support is also good."
"I like how we can actively develop and customize APEX because it's on the same database."
"In our experience with Apex, we find that minimizing reliance on HTML and JavaScript is preferable, especially considering our background as seasoned programmers adept in PL/SQL. Incorporating HTML and JavaScript can pose challenges due to potential compatibility issues when updates are made to JavaScript. We also make use of JAPER report integration for generating reports, a practice integral to our reporting procedures."
"The solution can build functionalities in a very short time."
"A user interface is relatively simple to create."
 

Cons

"The solution is expensive."
"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."
"It would be advantageous if the web server could seamlessly pick up configuration changes without the need for a complete restart."
"When you compare with Microsoft Exchange, the UI could be more user-friendly."
"HCL Domino needs to be more user-friendly."
"For me, the one thing missing is a really good reporting engine."
"The speed of the Notes client is an area that could be improved."
"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 solution does not support the Linux platform."
"Occasionally when trying to un a page, I would be faced with an error number; however, not much information would be provided on the error itself outside of the programming language. It would be nice if more information could be provided."
"The solution could provide more AI functionalities or AI assistance."
"Another issue I used to encounter was with the debugging functions. I believe this is an area where Oracle APEX could improve significantly in terms of displaying error messages or error pages. It is very difficult to detect bugs or which bugs you are having when it comes to errors or which errors you have."
"The product must provide more triggers."
"The grid reports contain a lot of bugs."
"One area for improvement in Oracle APEX is its workflow orchestration capabilities."
"The format is not recognized by Microsoft Word products."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We're happy with the price of our license — it's pretty standard."
"HCL Domino is costly, but it still depends on how your organization views it price-wise."
"The license for Domino is yearly. The price is high."
"It is less expensive compared to other vendors."
"I'd rate it a seven out of ten in terms of price."
"HCL Domino has reasonable pricing. It's not expensive."
"HCL Domino's pricing depends on the number of users, but its license is not cheap."
"Customers have to pay for a license for the Notes Client, not for the Domino database. There is a quarter license that we use."
"I do not think this would be an ideal option for a small sized company or a startup when considering the salary requirements for Oracle DBA'a and developers."
"We have an Oracle basic product license, and then we can use Oracle APEX for free. We have many licenses for Oracle for approximately 20 processors."
"It is expensive in comparison to other products."
"It is expensive, but I don't know what the licensing cost is."
"The pricing is very good and less expensive than Mendix or OutSystems."
"When you have a licensed database in an Oracle environment, APEX is free."
"The tool is free with the Oracle Database license."
"I rate the product's price as ten on a scale of one to ten, where one is a high price, and ten is a low price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
7%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business29
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise28
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HCL Domino?
The most valuable features of the solution are security and integration.
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?
One challenge I faced with HCL Domino was fully understanding its capabilities because initial use may lead to misconceptions based on simpler platforms. Exploring and comprehending what is possibl...
What needs improvement with Oracle Application Express (APEX)?
I have only tried it with an Oracle database, not with other databases. For beginners, understanding the installation process can be challenging because documentation is limited. It is hard to unde...
 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Domino, Lotus Domino
Oracle APEX
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

A1 Telekom, Acubiz, Afrisam, E. A. Juffali & Brothers, Fiducia & GAD, and Pakistan State Oil
Hepart AG, pharmasol, SATLOG, Collège Bois-de-Boulogne
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Domino vs. Oracle Application Express (APEX) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.