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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Read&Write

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/ARead&Write is a literacy support tool that helps individuals of all abilities read, write, and express themselves with confidence. For education and the workplace, its assistive features include text-to-speech, word prediction, and research tools for users with diverse learning needs.N/A

    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
    Pricing
    Read&WriteHCL Notes
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Read&WriteHCL Notes
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Read&WriteHCL Notes
    Considered Both Products
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    No answer on this topic
    HCLSoftware
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    98%
    Would buy again
    156 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    95%
    Delivers good value for the price
    120 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    154 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    86 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    104 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Read&WriteHCL Notes
    Writing and Proofreading
    Comparison of Writing and Proofreading features of Read&Write and HCL Notes
    Feature
    Read&Write
    6.9
    158 Ratings
    10% below category average
    HCL Notes
    -
    Ratings
    Spelling and grammar check6.7137 Ratings00 Ratings
    Machine translation6.2113 Ratings00 Ratings
    Integrations7.0118 Ratings00 Ratings
    Browser extension7.6141 Ratings00 Ratings
    Speech-to-Text7.6142 Ratings00 Ratings
    Picture Dictionary7.0125 Ratings00 Ratings
    Dictionary7.1138 Ratings00 Ratings
    Highlighters7.4142 Ratings00 Ratings
    Audio maker5.8107 Ratings00 Ratings
    Project Management
    Comparison of Project Management features of Read&Write and HCL Notes
    Feature
    Read&Write
    -
    Ratings
    HCL Notes
    6.9
    10 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Task Management00 Ratings7.09 Ratings
    Gantt Charts00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
    Scheduling00 Ratings8.09 Ratings
    Workflow Automation00 Ratings5.06 Ratings
    Mobile Access00 Ratings8.010 Ratings
    Search00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
    Visual planning tools00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Communication
    Comparison of Communication features of Read&Write and HCL Notes
    Feature
    Read&Write
    -
    Ratings
    HCL Notes
    9.2
    10 Ratings
    14% above category average
    Chat00 Ratings6.010 Ratings
    Notifications00 Ratings9.010 Ratings
    Discussions00 Ratings9.57 Ratings
    Surveys00 Ratings9.14 Ratings
    Internal knowledgebase00 Ratings10.06 Ratings
    Integrates with GoToMeeting00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Integrates with Outlook00 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    File Sharing & Management
    Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Read&Write and HCL Notes
    Feature
    Read&Write
    -
    Ratings
    HCL Notes
    7.6
    9 Ratings
    6% below category average
    Versioning00 Ratings9.04 Ratings
    Video files00 Ratings6.05 Ratings
    Audio files00 Ratings6.05 Ratings
    Document collaboration00 Ratings8.08 Ratings
    Access control00 Ratings6.08 Ratings
    Advanced security features00 Ratings8.08 Ratings
    Integrates with Google Drive00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Device sync00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Read&WriteHCL Notes
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    Flock
    Score9.5 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Ginger Business
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Troop Messenger
    Score9.8 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Ginger Business
    Score7.9 out of 10
    Cisco Business Edition 7000 (discontinued)
    Score9 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Read&WriteHCL Notes
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.5
    (162 ratings)
    7.0
    (16 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    8.1
    (15 ratings)
    1.7
    (5 ratings)
    Usability
    8.1
    (10 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Availability
    9.1
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    7.7
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.9
    (43 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    7.2
    (6 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    5.5
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    7.6
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    8.4
    (5 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    8.5
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    8.5
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Read&WriteHCL Notes
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    Read&Write is especially well-suited to supporting students with reading accommodations during independent work, content-area instruction, and written-response tasks. In my 5th-grade classroom, one of the most effective scenarios is during science and social studies lessons, where students are expected to read complex informational texts independently. There can also be occasional challenges when websites, PDFs, or testing platforms are not fully compatible with all Read&Write features.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Pros
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    • Creates vocabulary lists for students that include symbols, definitions, and space to add additional notes or images (a staff favorite)
    • Intuitive word prediction that supports spelling, grammar, and reduces the number of keystrokes needed
    • Text-to-speech on any digital text using the regular reader or screenshot reader, making almost any content accessible
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Cons
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    • I would like to use the practice reading aloud tool more, but the kids that I work with have a hard time understanding the concept. I think that, while there are a lot of tools available, sometimes they are hard for younger students to understand.
    • The hover to read function is nice as well, but my students struggle with the fact that if you move the mouse once it starts reading it will start all over in a new area. It's not as smooth as I would like it to be.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Likelihood to Renew
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    I'm just really impressed with the software and the access it gives to learners who are used to coming up against barriers in education. It's a quick-fix for a learner - something they can access usefully and productively with very little training. I also love that learners can access Read&Write on their devices at home - that really is a game changer.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Usability
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    I am giving this an 9. Not a perfect score because working on PDFs is better but not yet as easy as I need for it to be. Working with many students who have executive function challenges, I need a smooth simplistic access method. We are not quite there yet for writing on PDFs. Overall the toolbar on Read&Write is super easy to access and I love that the suite includes several tools on the toolbar providing a solution to many accessibility challenges.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Reliability and Availability
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    Seems to be available when Internet is working.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    there are issues with the dictation not running smoothly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    The support team at Texthelp is excellent. They're all super helpful and open to feedback and new ideas. Still, more importantly, they are ultimately fully committed to aligning with us and ensuring they help us provide the best education possible. Furthermore, they're open to new features and always communicate this incredibly well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Online Training
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    It was easy to learn to use
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    It took a solid 2 weeks for R&W to work on our students chromebooks even after reaching out to tech support. The toolbar was greyed out and not accessible to students. Took a long time before tech support helped us solve this problem.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Alternatives Considered
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    We are still learning how to use Equatio. I am not a mathematician and therefore I am finding understanding it a bit more difficult. Once I understand how to use it I will be able to cascade it down. My hope is that it will be as useful as Read & Write
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    The pricing is reasonable. A lower tier with just screen reading and basic functions would be nice, but not a deal-breaker.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    The product can be used on as many devices at once as needed
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Everway (formerly Texthelp and n2y)
    • We are early to deploying Read&Write but hope to see increased test scores
    • We are early to deploying Read&Write but hope to see decreases in student behaviors triggered by challenging ELA assignments
    • We are early to deploying Read&Write but hope to see improvements in student self perception as a result of increased ELA success
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    ScreenShots

    Read&Write Screenshots

    Screenshot of the translatorScreenshot of the text-to-speech functionalityScreenshot of the Similar Word CheckerScreenshot of Screen MaskingScreenshot of a scanScreenshot of the PDF Reader