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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    HCL Notes

    Score3.5 out of 10
    N/ANotes from HCL (formerly from IBM, acquired by HCL in late 2018) is a collaboration platform based on the Lotus platform.N/A

    Slingshot

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/ASlingshot, from Infragistics, helps users manage work from a single app. The solution brings all the apps that a team already uses into the Slingshot workflow.

    $12

    per year per user

    Pricing
    HCL NotesSlingshot
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Slingshot
    $12
    per year per user
    Slingshot Enterprise
    $20
    per year per user
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    HCL NotesSlingshot
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    HCL NotesSlingshot
    Project Management
    Comparison of Project Management features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    6.9
    10 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Slingshot
    -
    Ratings
    Task Management7.09 Ratings00 Ratings
    Gantt Charts6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Scheduling8.09 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow Automation5.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile Access8.010 Ratings00 Ratings
    Search6.09 Ratings00 Ratings
    Visual planning tools8.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Communication
    Comparison of Communication features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    9.2
    10 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Slingshot
    -
    Ratings
    Chat6.010 Ratings00 Ratings
    Notifications9.010 Ratings00 Ratings
    Discussions9.57 Ratings00 Ratings
    Surveys9.14 Ratings00 Ratings
    Internal knowledgebase10.06 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with GoToMeeting10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Outlook10.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    File Sharing & Management
    Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    7.6
    9 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Slingshot
    -
    Ratings
    Versioning9.04 Ratings00 Ratings
    Video files6.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio files6.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Document collaboration8.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Access control6.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Advanced security features8.08 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrates with Google Drive10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Device sync8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    BI Standard Reporting
    Comparison of BI Standard Reporting features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    -
    Ratings
    Slingshot
    9.1
    2 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Customizable dashboards00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Report Formatting Templates00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Ad-hoc Reporting
    Comparison of Ad-hoc Reporting features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    -
    Ratings
    Slingshot
    9.1
    2 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Formatting capabilities00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Report sharing and collaboration00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Report Output and Scheduling
    Comparison of Report Output and Scheduling features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    -
    Ratings
    Slingshot
    9.1
    1 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Publish to PDF00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Data Discovery and Visualization
    Comparison of Data Discovery and Visualization features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    -
    Ratings
    Slingshot
    9.1
    2 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Pre-built visualization formats (heatmaps, scatter plots etc.)00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Location Analytics / Geographic Visualization00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Predictive Analytics00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Access Control and Security
    Comparison of Access Control and Security features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    -
    Ratings
    Slingshot
    9.1
    2 Ratings
    7% above category average
    Multi-User Support (named login)00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Role-Based Security Model00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Multiple Access Permission Levels (Create, Read, Delete)00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Single Sign-On (SSO)00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
    Mobile Capabilities
    Comparison of Mobile Capabilities features of HCL Notes and Slingshot
    Feature
    HCL Notes
    -
    Ratings
    Slingshot
    9.1
    2 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Responsive Design for Web Access00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Mobile Application00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Dashboard / Report / Visualization Interactivity on Mobile00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    HCL NotesSlingshot
    Small Businesses
    Flock
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Cyfe
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Microsoft Viva Engage
    Score7.8 out of 10
    Zendesk Explore
    Score8.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Google Keep
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Jaspersoft Community Edition
    Score9.7 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    HCL NotesSlingshot
    Likelihood to Recommend
    7.0
    (16 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    1.7
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Availability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    HCL NotesSlingshot
    Likelihood to Recommend
    HCLSoftware
    I often work with teams from other country and regions, hence HCL Notes is a very useful platform for internal company management operations. It standardized organisational work standards in most of the offices worldwide. HCL Notes also enables chat with other team around the world that I find very helpful when initiating conversation or just want to have a quick update rather than sending emails and waiting for replies. However, HCL Notes is not very efficient in web browsing and user still need to use other internet service providers.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    Slingshot has improved communication, streamlined task, and project management, and provided data-driven insights, resulting in increased productivity, efficiency, and the ability to get the work done on time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    HCLSoftware
    • It has a really strong and robust database that's extremely scalable and holds up well to thousands of users and many different environments.
    • It has a really good enterprise-grade framework for development custom database applications
    • All of the custom database applications along with the email all have a nice uniform look and feel so their easy-to-use.
    • I really like how it's developed and supported on every client OS (Windows, OSX, Linux)! The competitors definitely do NOT offer this (M$).
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    • Slingshot has a very friendly and easy-to-use interface while at the same time being packed with useful features. I am able to collaborate fast and in context of projects and tasks, as well as find any file easily. Files and documents are pinned directly in the collaboration app, no matter the size, so everyone involved has visibility and the most recent update. The Inbox feature keeps me in the loop with everything I am involved in – my mentions, my messages, my organization updates.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    HCLSoftware
    • Notes' backwards compatibility sometimes gets in the way. Menus are cluttered with extraneous, outdated options and features that modern users will never use, and Preferences are often difficult to navigate for those coming from Gmail or Outlook. We have greatly simplified this via Policies, but users still find it daunting to go through all the options that are available.
    • The IBM Notes client for Windows & Mac is essentially the Eclipse Java development platform...so it is HUGE. Performance initially was very slow but IBM has done a good job of speeding things up. As IBM moves more toward cloud-delivered applications, this will not be as much of a problem.
    • Notes and Domino can be complex to manage for administrators who are more accustomed to ActiveDirectory, Group Policy, etc. Editing a notes.ini file to add a feature, or working with XML files by hand to create a SmartUpgrade kit can be daunting to those coming from more modern administrative roles.
    • Some users claim to "hate" Notes mail. While I have heard this less and less over the past 10 years, we have had 3rd party software offer plugins to Outlook and it's rare to see any for Notes.
    • The client update process should be automated more. I would like to see the Notes client update quietly and quickly more like an Adobe software update. If an update fails it should automatically try again without prompting the user over and over.
    • Notes multiple language spell checking is a downloaded add-on Java-based resource that has to be deployed in a convoluted way that is difficult for users to grasp. Therefore any foreign language spell check updates must be done individually per Notes client by IT, which is unfortunate. I would prefer to see that be a "live download" update option for users to get directly from IBM (don't make me download it and put it on my network).
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    • Slingshot could add more options for task views and a calendar where all tasks and projects are in one place.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    HCLSoftware
    I've been in IT business and as a Programmer/Developer for 20+ years with too many programming languages experiences/back ground (C/C++/Visual Basic/Basic Program/Unix/COBOL/Java). Also with 18+ years with Lotus Notes/IBM Domino, I am still and always think Lotus Notes is the best RAD platform available!. When the time where resource is very limited and the expectation is very high and the turn around is too short, IBM Domino/Notes is the platform to use and it's the only choice available.
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    HCLSoftware
    Easy to use for the user, most of the apps we developed, there is not much need for user training. Most of the times, we just do a demo to the users group and they can pick up from there.
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    HCLSoftware
    I've been using the production for a very long time and very happy with it. Also, all the online resources and forums for notes is very friendly and easy/quick for getting help. I found out that compared to Microsoft or Oracle or any other platforms, IBM Notes online forum is the best I have seen.
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    HCLSoftware
    Implementation is easy and smooth if the requirement is well gathered/documented. Notes is a RAD platform, all projects in Notes is simple in the implementation step.
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    HCLSoftware
    Outlook has been considered for years as a replacement platform. Pricing and support staff made it prohibitive. Our long-time use of Microsoft Office productivity suite naturally led us to consider the adoption of Office365. A recent investigation told us that Azure Cloud services propel an O365 solution to the forefront. Early adopters in international divisions have paved the way for Azure and O365.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    Far superior in its ease of use.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    HCLSoftware
    • Over the years, we have lost countless hours of productivity from the thousands of crashes we have experienced.
    • One benefit of IBM Notes is that it is very simple to train a new user on. Many people prefer and are familiar with Google tools, but those that use IBM Notes have very little trouble acclimating themselves.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Infragistics
    • Slingshot has been a game-changer for task management, resulting in improved productivity.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Slingshot Screenshots

    Screenshot of a team’s work broken down into tasks with due dates, dependencies and blockers, to make work understandable.Screenshot of the consolidated workspace where users can manage, share and access files and documents in the same place collaboration happens.Screenshot of Slingshot’s dashboard templates that have the essential KPIs for each use case, Interactives and features such as drill-down, and exporting to Excel or PowerPoint built right in.Screenshot of where chats and discussions from tasks, dashboards, and pinned content can be created. This allows team to move straight into collaborating with one click and stay informed.Screenshot of Slingshot's range of workspace and project templates, designed for simplicity, that enable users to handle, distribute, and retrieve files and documents while collaborating with a team.