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HCL Sametime vs Webex comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

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 Sametime
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
17th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Webex
Ranking in Virtual Meetings
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
125
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Virtual Meetings category, the mindshare of HCL Sametime is 0.6%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Webex is 13.1%, down from 16.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Virtual Meetings Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Webex13.1%
HCL Sametime0.6%
Other86.3%
Virtual Meetings
 

Featured Reviews

Bogdan Chechlowski - PeerSpot reviewer
Stable product, communicate very fast and allows to see who's online in the office or work environment
It was used for communication through text messages, primarily Being able to see who was online and communicate very fast was a good feature.  The security was quite good. However, when we tried to implement it for email at a high level, we had to use another solution, FortiMail Gateway. I view…
Wajid Khattak - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use, enables remote meetings, and saves time and money
We deployed the product in our headquarters and connected our four plants. It enables us to meet remotely. We use the tool for remote meetings. I work in the manufacturing sector The product is easy to use. We are very comfortable with it. The video call features are compatible with different…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I can view the status and availability of colleagues or team members, which makes it easy to approach them when they are available."
"The security was quite good."
"The most valuable feature is Webex's user-friendly video conferencing."
"The product's initial setup phase was very easy."
"Seamless integration with Microsoft Outlook."
"The most valuable features are video conferencing, the integration with Outlook, and scheduling meetings."
"The solution is very valuable for conference calls, as a lot of businesses are switching from work-from-home."
"What I value most about Webex is its stability compared to other solutions."
"Webex has frequent updates and it is very good."
"During Cisco training sessions, I found Webex effective in improving productivity. I benefited from the training. However, I can't speak for others using Webex for daily work or jobs."
 

Cons

"It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or other files."
"The webinar should be integrated into Sametime for a larger number of participants."
"I have had issues with the frequent updates from Webex."
"The pricing could be improved."
"I would like to see additional online chat capabilities"
"One area that could use improvement in Webex is the connection speed."
"Performance of this platform needs improvement. There was a stability issue, particularly glitches that kept it from running smoothly."
"The interface could be a bit more user-friendly."
"Cisco could maybe make Webex more integrated and compatible with other platforms."
"I would like to see more integration, with respect to some more unified communication activities."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The cost is pretty high compared to the competitors."
"There is a subscription needed to use this solution and we pay approximately $5,000 per year."
"I have recently switched to a different solution. WebEx is more costly. There are equivalent solutions at a lower cost."
"There is an annual license required for this solution."
"You can opt for yearly licensing with Webex."
"I rate the product price a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is high price, and ten is low price."
"There is a license needed to use this solution."
"We purchase the product's yearly license. It is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Government
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise60
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HCL Sametime?
I view it as part of HCL Notes and Domino, and my opinion is similar to those products. It lacks some features compared to modern solutions. For example, it doesn't allow sending screenshots or oth...
What is your primary use case for HCL Sametime?
It was used for communication through text messages, primarily.
What advice do you have for others considering HCL Sametime?
Overall, it was quite good. I would rate it an eight out of ten. It's a better product than some others from HCL, but overall, I wouldn't recommend it, given the availability of superior alternatives.
What do you like most about Webex?
Webex improved our overall team collaboration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Webex?
Webex is expensive. If it weren't that expensive, we would probably use it for all our telecommunication needs, not just for telemedicine.
What needs improvement with Webex?
I would appreciate improvements in communication stability and performance. Sometimes we experience a poor communication stream, but I am uncertain whether it is due to the internet link or somethi...
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Also Known As

Lotus Sametime, IBM Lotus Sametime
Cisco Spark
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Connect2Cloud, Superior Group, Daifuku Co. Ltd., Seaward, The City of Fort Worth, Christian Brothers Services, Berlitz, Deutsche Notes User Group, Danske Fysioterapeuter, Slumberland, La Vacanza, Rheinmetall AG
Seagate Technology, Kohn Pedersen Fox, World Vision International, Glen Raven, University of Notre Dame, CEV Multimedia, The Food Group, LUMEDX, California Baptist University, and Georgetown University Law Center.
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Sametime vs. Webex and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,089 professionals have used our research since 2012.