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HCL Notes vs Zoho Mail comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 21, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.5
HCL Notes enhances efficiency and secure communication, offering ROI that outweighs its $100 annual cost per user.
Sentiment score
4.5
Zoho Mail offers significant cost savings and efficiency through integrations, providing up to 70% reductions compared to similar tools.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.8
HCL Notes support is praised for knowledgeable staff and quick response, with high user satisfaction but room for growth.
Sentiment score
5.0
Zoho Mail's support receives mixed reviews, with inconsistent response times but appreciated comprehensive guidance on setup and technical issues.
Once Notes is running, it performs reliably without issues.
Architect at a tech consulting company with 501-1,000 employees
I would rate HCL technical support as eight out of ten.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Sometimes I get stuck on API integrations and other issues, and they guide me and take additional sessions to resolve the problems.
Sr Zoho Developer and Consultant at Xpert Prime
When downloading Zoho Mail CRM, an assistant connects with you for any support needed, providing an end-to-end process that strengthens customer experience.
Customer Experience Consultant at Zoho
Sometimes Zoho Mail has fast response times, while at other times they don't.
Founder at Tech Force
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
HCL Notes is scalable, integrates well with major platforms, but may face performance issues with large databases.
Sentiment score
6.4
Zoho Mail scales well for varying organization sizes, but customization is limited and bulk email issues may arise.
The scalability of the product is really good.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Initially, it wasn't very effective, but over time it has improved and become a preferred choice for employers using CRM.
Customer Experience Consultant at Zoho
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
HCL Notes is considered stable, with high ratings despite occasional server issues, enhanced post-IBM with improved features.
Sentiment score
7.7
Zoho Mail is reliable and stable with minor login issues, appreciated for its performance and minimal access difficulties since October.
Zoho Mail is stable because I have never been unable to access my mail.
Head Products & Presales at UniCloudAfrica
 

Room For Improvement

HCL Notes needs modernization with improved interface, reliability, integration, and user-friendliness to compete with alternatives like Microsoft.
Zoho Mail needs better video tutorials, integration, privacy controls, storage, and collaboration tools compared to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
I think HCL can make its product better by being more visible on the market because most companies don't support or use HCL anymore.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
It could be modernized by the development team.
Administration & Technical Director at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Considering how WhatsApp backup automatically goes to Google by default, Zoho Mail could develop similar functionality.
Owner at AATXE
I would like to see the functionality where a client or recipient can indicate their willingness to give feedback on the emails sent to them, as it could enhance the intelligence behind the response management.
Customer Experience Consultant at Zoho
Zoho Mail does not have the capabilities that Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 have, especially in terms of collaboration.
Head Products & Presales at UniCloudAfrica
 

Setup Cost

HCL Notes is praised for cost-effectiveness and adaptability, despite varied perceptions on pricing due to multiple components.
Zoho Mail provides cost-efficient pricing from 499 to 1200 per user, appealing to enterprises and competing with Google Workspace.
Zoho Mail is economical compared to Microsoft and Google Workspace.
Founder at Tech Force
I find the pricing to be reasonable but recognize it can vary based on corporate economic conditions.
Customer Experience Consultant at Zoho
 

Valuable Features

HCL Notes excels in security, integration, ease of development, backward compatibility, and offers cost-effective groupware applications with email integration.
Zoho Mail provides secure, cloud-integrated services with collaborative tools and local data hosting, ideal for small and medium enterprises.
We use HCL Notes for its offline capabilities, including the ability to work offline.
IT Director at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The interconnectivity between these applications makes it particularly useful.
Owner at AATXE
It integrates with Google clients, ensuring a high level of security and reduced spam.
Customer Experience Consultant at Zoho
It fits small and medium businesses who don't want many features and prefer a reasonable price.
Founder at Tech Force
 

Categories and Ranking

HCL Notes
Ranking in Email Applications
7th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.5
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Zoho Mail
Ranking in Email Applications
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of HCL Notes is 3.5%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zoho Mail is 5.3%, up from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Email Applications Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Zoho Mail5.3%
HCL Notes3.5%
Other91.2%
Email Applications
 

Featured Reviews

AM
RPA Developer at Hexaware Technologies Limited
Challenges with efficiency and interface lead to transition while offering some useful organization features
Office 365 has advantages over HCL Notes, offering a better interface and better categorization of emails. We get different kinds of options, including mail suggestions and AI options that can help users. Meetings, calendars, everything is in one place, making it more efficient. Office 365 offers a better interface and categorization of emails, along with options such as mail suggestions and AI features. Meetings and calendars are all integrated in one place.
Antony Munyao Benjamin - PeerSpot reviewer
Customer Experience Consultant at Zoho
Has required technical improvements to better support advanced email feedback and user behavior tracking
Using Zoho Mail is quite easy. Users are able to track if the recipient has received, opened, or clicked on the email, thanks to a very good tracking system, and they can create large campaigns using the unlimited features of the email. The integration with Zoho Projects is a bit technical, as it's part of the CRM with specific routine tasks for projects. Efficiency-wise, it has been great in bringing teams closer together so that every project member can critique the progress of assignments. However, there is a need for improvement in communication style from one module to another. The main benefits that Zoho Mail brings include the ability to send large and secure mails. It integrates with Google clients, ensuring a high level of security and reduced spam. I have utilized it effectively, and clients trust emails from Zoho Mail because of its reputation as a reliable CRM software company.
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881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Government
16%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
16%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HCL Notes?
We don't use team workspace with HCL Notes; we use only Microsoft because it's incorporated with the Microsoft license. Based on my extensive experience with HCL Notes, I think HCL can make its pro...
What is your primary use case for HCL Notes?
We use HCL Notes as an email system. We currently only use it as an email application, though in the past we used it for additional applications.
What advice do you have for others considering HCL Notes?
Regarding HCL Notes supporting various business processes such as CRM, I don't use it, but if I have an issue, I contact the support and we are satisfied with that. I would rate HCL Notes 10 out of...
What do you like most about Zoho Mail?
It also offers the search functionalities. For end users, the search is quite easy to use. There are a few tabs to select to find exactly what you're looking for. It's pretty simple. As long as the...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zoho Mail?
I find the pricing to be reasonable but recognize it can vary based on corporate economic conditions. However, I suggest considering packages for freelancers or independent consultants.
What needs improvement with Zoho Mail?
🎯As a CX professional, I consider the new ZohoMail user interphase to be versatile, the ability to categorize mails from notifications and the inbuilt tools and features like calendly that is after...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

IBM Lotus Notes, Lotus Notes
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Connect2Cloud, Hansgrohe, Sauk County, Blue Water Shipping, FDBR, ibml, Multivac, Aarhus University Hospital, Hendricks Regional Health, Asian Paints, Integra Legal, Sunplus Technology, S¾SS, The Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sports, Nicrometal, Doncasters Group, Practice Plan, Barr, RACV, Neotechnik, Deutsche Notes User Group
BBDO, HuffPost
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Notes vs. Zoho Mail and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.