HCL Notes is the client for HCL Domino. It brings mail, calendar and the company's own applications together in one place. It used to be called Lotus Notes and IBM Notes.
HCL Notes is the program users open on their PC to read mail, manage their calendar and work in the company's own Notes applications. It talks to one or more HCL Domino servers, where the data and applications live. The client is available for Windows and macOS.
From Lotus Notes through IBM Notes to HCL Notes
The product came to market in 1989 as Lotus Notes. IBM bought Lotus in 1995 and renamed it IBM Notes in 2013. In 2019 the Indian company HCL took over the whole portfolio, and the product has been called HCL Notes ever since. Many companies still use the old name in daily speech, but technically it is the same platform, developed continuously for more than 35 years.
HCL still releases new versions. Version 12 arrived in 2021, version 14 in 2023 and version 14.5 in 2025. The newer versions have a more modern interface, a better calendar, integration with Microsoft Teams and AI through Domino IQ.
What do companies use HCL Notes for?
Many think of Notes as a mail program. But the biggest value usually lies in the business applications the company has built over the years: case management, quality systems, customer records, order handling and document management. These applications run in the same client as mail and calendar, so users have everything in one place.
- Mail and calendar with meeting invitations, resource booking and delegation.
- Business applications built in Domino Designer with forms, views and LotusScript.
- Offline work through replication, where a local copy of the database is synchronised with the server.
- Security with encryption, digital signatures and access control down to document level.
Notes on other devices
Besides the PC client there is HCL Nomad, which runs Notes applications on mobile and in the browser, and HCL Verse for mail on web and mobile. Both use the same Domino server, so no data has to move.
Common questions about HCL Notes
Is HCL Notes dying?
No. HCL keeps investing in the product, and new versions ship every year. Many companies still choose to migrate mail to Microsoft 365 and keep Notes for applications, or replace the applications gradually.
What does an HCL Notes licence cost?
HCL sells licences as a subscription per user, called CCB (Complete Collaboration Business). The price depends on the number of users and the term. We are happy to review whether your licensing matches your actual use.
Can HCL Notes integrate with Microsoft 365?
Yes. Notes can integrate with Teams, SharePoint and Outlook through APIs. That is a common setup in a transition period, where mail has moved but the applications still run in Notes.
Help with HCL Notes
We use HCL Notes every day and help with upgrades, errors, development and operations. Read more about our HCL Notes solutions, or contact us for a free half consulting day.