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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    FreeConferenceCall.com

    Score5.6 out of 10
    N/AFreeConferenceCall.com is a free audio conferencing solution with features such as audio and video conferencing, screen-sharing, call recording, transcribed keywords, one-click web controls, transcribed keywords, instant messaging, and integrations with Microsoft Outlook and Google Calendar.

    $4

    per month

    HCL Sametime

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AHCL Sametime (formerly IBM Lotus Sametime, acquired by HCL Technologies from IBM in 2018) is an enterprise-level unified communications and VoIP platform. It includes features such as instant messaging, web conferencing, voice and video integration, telephony capabilities, and presence information.N/A
    Pricing
    FreeConferenceCall.comHCL Sametime
    Editions & Modules
    Suggested Amount
    $4
    per month
    Average Amount
    $8.21
    per month
    Market Rate
    $15
    per month
    Pay what you can
    Customized
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    FreeConferenceCall.comHCL Sametime
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsFreeconferencecall.com is completely free and only asks customers for contributions. The above prices represent suggested monthly payments but also allow customers to pay what they think is fair.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    FreeConferenceCall.comHCL Sametime
    Considered Both Products
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    No answer on this topic
    HCLSoftware
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    78%
    Would buy again
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    89%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    78%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    7 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    FreeConferenceCall.comHCL Sametime
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of FreeConferenceCall.com and HCL Sametime
    Feature
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    8.7
    10 Ratings
    9% above category average
    HCL Sametime
    8.4
    7 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Hosted PBX9.03 Ratings9.02 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)10.02 Ratings9.02 Ratings
    User templates7.52 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Call reports8.18 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Directory of employee names00 Ratings8.07 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of FreeConferenceCall.com and HCL Sametime
    Feature
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    8.0
    8 Ratings
    3% below category average
    HCL Sametime
    8.0
    8 Ratings
    3% below category average
    Answering rules8.01 Ratings8.05 Ratings
    Call recording8.18 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Call park8.02 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Call screening8.03 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Message alerts8.04 Ratings8.06 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of FreeConferenceCall.com and HCL Sametime
    Feature
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    6.4
    10 Ratings
    21% below category average
    HCL Sametime
    8.0
    6 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Video conferencing4.76 Ratings8.06 Ratings
    Audio conferencing4.710 Ratings8.05 Ratings
    Video screen sharing8.05 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Instant messaging8.03 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of FreeConferenceCall.com and HCL Sametime
    Feature
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    8.0
    2 Ratings
    2% above category average
    HCL Sametime
    8.0
    8 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Mobile app for iOS8.02 Ratings8.08 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android8.02 Ratings8.07 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    FreeConferenceCall.comHCL Sametime
    Small Businesses
    CallFire
    Score9.7 out of 10
    CallFire
    Score9.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Fuze
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Fuze
    Score8.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Score8.3 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    FreeConferenceCall.comHCL Sametime
    Likelihood to Recommend
    5.2
    (12 ratings)
    7.0
    (10 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.6
    (2 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.5
    (3 ratings)
    8.3
    (4 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    FreeConferenceCall.comHCL Sametime
    Likelihood to Recommend
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    FreeConferenceCall is well suited for a low price service to connect with others. The onboarding is super simple and easy to use. The ability to record to the cloud is also useful. The ability to host a large number of people is great. The only scenario I can think of less appropriate is that the interface just looks a bit dated, so maybe it is not the best for the wow factor of dealing with clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    Sametime is well suited for very quick conversations, where you know the person is an active Sametime user. It also serves as an easy way to reach out to someone you may not know when looking for an answer to a quick question, as they are likely to be a Sametime user. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt to use Sametime for Audio or Video chat. The quality and reliability are horrendous.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    • The online portal to access call details and recordings is very easy to use.
    • The functions that are offered beyond the free plan are competitive with other providers.
    • I feel that our calls are secure with our own personal access codes and the same number always being used.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    • Sametime's web-based interfaces are "zero load", requiring no plug-ins to be installed to join a meeting, launch a meeting, or use chat in a browser. A plugin is required only if you want to share your screen.
    • Integration with IBM Notes is very tight. Sametime's chat status can change according to your Notes calendar. You can easily see if someone who just emailed you is available to chat. Your chat History is right inside Notes as well.
    • IBM's mobile apps are top notch. We automated the apps for our users thanks to IBM's work with third party MDMs. This made it very simple for us to deploy the Sametime mobile apps -- Chat and Meetings -- and get new capabilities such as Audio & Video mobilized quickly.
    • No down time, ever. The rock solid WebSphere back-end of Sametime means the environment is always up. Period.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    • Recently callers cannot get onto the call
    • Users on the call get bumped off
    • Non-transparent policy about why problems are occurring. If FreeConferenceCall.com can't reliably provide free service, just tell me that rather than blaming it on a law that changed and local carriers causing the problems. The real problem is that the law did recently change, which allowed companies like FreeConferenceCall.com to collect a revenue share for all calls placed through certain hubs--even free calls. This loophole was removed recently, and I believe the service issues I've been experiencing are being used to extort users to buy a paid service in order to receive trouble-free service.
    • I found customer service representatives rude and dismissive
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    • Not convenient for a large group meeting.
    • Very basic tool for internal communication only not available for third party communication
    • Very basic and limited mobile app features.
    • High speed connection is needed to connect to Sametime
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    It is so user friendly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    Sametime is now an embedded experience for our users. They know it, they like it, they use it, and they expect it to be wherever they are. Because it is pretty easy to use and NEVER goes down, users know they can rely on it and won't be frustrated by it. Sametime is right up with there with Microsoft Office in terms of user adoption and appreciation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    I am and have been extremely pleased with my use of this product.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    Just about everything works the way you expect it would and it's relatively easy for users to figure out. Sametime was one of those things that we started with only a few people as a "test" and before the test period was done we discovered a few hundred people had figured out how to log in and most got it working all on their own. Many of our users want to use Sametime and do so regularly; we do not have to create policies enforcing its usage. Users find it practical to use Sametime to do things like chat, transfer files, share their screen, and so forth.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    No answers on this topic
    HCLSoftware
    Typically if Sametime is not available, it's because Windows Updates were done on the servers and they were not rebooted. However, that's not a problem with Sametime -- in fact, if you have Linux you could probably run Sametime for years without any hiccups whatsoever. We have no internal Linux expertise.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    No answers on this topic
    HCLSoftware
    Generally very good. Occasionally AV or screen-sharing will stutter and every now and then I hear of it dropping out altogether, but in all cases it was easy to re-establish
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    I haven't had the need to call for any support at all yet for FreeConferenceCall.com. It has just worked splendidly for me. That being said, when I first downloaded it and got started using it there was a wizard which made every section and button very clear on what it does. It was easy to get started by following the wizard. I imagine then that their customer service will be just as good.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    I have not needed to use the Sametime support team. Our local support team was able to configure it for me.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    It's a no brainer!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    So this doesn't have the polish that say Zoom or Teams has, but for free, you can't complain. The real big unknown is anything to do with security where a product like Teams is great. Zoom and Teams seem to have become standard that everyone has installed and is familiar with, but the adjustment to FCC is pretty fast and painless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    We use Jabber globally in our company and Symphony (no relevant app in able list) in some of the teams as well. All these are instant messenger tools, but Sametime is the easiest one to be used and its chat history is easy to be searched. Sametime can be used to contact almost all internal staff as it’s included in default computer package. Symphony is used to chat with front end business while Jabber is used for call.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    No answers on this topic
    HCLSoftware
    Sametime is rock solid. It runs on WebSphere, DB2 and other related IBM technologies. This does mean the back-end is highly complex and very difficult to learn and get comfortable with, however.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    FreeConferenceCall.com
    • We pay next to nothing for our access and it creates a professional means of connecting with our clients.
    • Connecting via FreeConferenceCall.com has helped our business stay afloat during this challenging time by giving us multiple ways to connect with our clients.
    • FreeConferenceCall.com has allowed our team to more efficiently collaborate by being able to access calls even when they aren't able to be present during the live conversation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    HCLSoftware
    • Sametime keeps many of our team members in contact throughout the day which leads to increased productivity which makes everyone happy.
    • We use the team chat room feature every day. This allows a team to stay focused on the task without any extra messages that are not on topic.
    • The split between IBM Sametime, Slack and Google Hangouts has caused some issues when team members are not checking for messages on a certain app.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots