HCL Connections vs Yammer comparison

Why PeerSpot?

HCLSoftware and Microsoft are both solutions in the Enterprise Social Software category. HCLSoftware is ranked #9, while Microsoft is ranked #6 with an average rating of 7.7. HCLSoftware holds a 2.8% mindshare in ESS, compared to Microsoft’s 5.2% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of HCLSoftware users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 77% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

HCL Connections

Read 55 HCL Connections reviews

3,772 Views
2,112 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Yammer

Read 64 Yammer reviews

3,895 Views
3,272 Comparison Views

77% willing to recommend

HCL Connections

Yammer

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 23, 2025

Yammer and HCL Connections are competing in the workplace communication and collaboration space. Yammer has the upper hand with its pricing and customer support, while HCL Connections offers a wider range of features.

Features: Yammer provides seamless team communication through Microsoft's ecosystem, integrates with Office 365, and supports mobile use. HCL Connections offers enterprise social networking, advanced collaboration tools like file sharing and wikis, and strong community support.

Room for Improvement: Yammer can improve in user adoption and expanding its functionality beyond being just a communication tool. HCL Connections could work on making the user interface more intuitive, reducing complexity in its application, and enhancing mobile app capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Yammer's cloud-based model eases deployment and benefits from Microsoft's robust customer service. HCL Connections allows for on-premise or hybrid models offering customization, but this can require more complex support and deployment effort.

Pricing and ROI: Yammer presents a cost-effective option with clear pricing, often included with Microsoft subscriptions enhancing ROI. HCL Connections may involve higher initial costs due to its extensive features, potentially yielding higher long-term ROI for businesses needing comprehensive collaboration capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed HCL Connections vs. Yammer Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

HCL Connections vs. Yammer

September 2026

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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 Connections

Ranking in Enterprise Social Software

9th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Corporate Portals (Enterprise Information Portals) (5th)

Yammer

Ranking in Enterprise Social Software

6th

Average Rating

7.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Enterprise Social Software category, the mindshare of HCL Connections is 2.8%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Yammer is 5.2%, down from 6.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Social Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Yammer	5.2%
HCL Connections	2.8%
Other	92.0%

Enterprise Social Software

Q&A Highlights

it_user120486

Works

Jul 10, 2014

How do Sharepoint and Yammer match up to IBM’s connection solution?

Hello, Looking at my referrers, I noticed that this question pointed out to my comparison between SharePoint & Connections (see previous discussions for the link). I didn't compare Connections and SharePoint/Yammer yet but just Connections & SharePoint Social. Now that I have a little bit more experience with Connections & IBM Products in general, I'd consider choosing either of those products the following way: - Do you plan for onpremises or a Cloud-based solution? - Do you plan for 100% out of the box or should you be able to customize the product? - Do you plan to use *only* the Social piece of Connections or do you plan to also store your documents in it? If yes, what kind of documents, Office (integration isn't as in SharePoint).? - Are you already working with SameTime or with Lync? Clearly, I'd choose Connections if : - I'm already using Sametime and/or other IBM products since you'd have an SSO for free using the LTPA tokens - I don't plan to customize the product heavily. - I don't plan to have a real document management system in it (Files+CCM) or only with PDF and non Office Documents If I'd need more than what's listed above, I'd go for SharePoint which doesn't only offer Social Capabilities but also other workfloads such as an extensive Search Engine, LOB integration, WCM, Collaboration, Social and three development/deployment models (Full Trust Solutions, Sandboxed, Apps). My experience now with Connections is that it's a nice product but it's harder to customize than SharePoint. It doesn't offer many APIs and it's rather hard to find valuable technical documentation on the product. It's also way harder to find non-IBM people working on the product. With SharePoint, you can really have an industrialization & full ALM of your devleopments and it's quite easy to find .NET/SharePoint developers all around without the need to involve Microsoft. In conclusion, for pure Social related stuff, Connections is better than SharePoint and maybe even better than Yammer but don't try to do anything else with the product nor to interoperate with other products, especially if these are not IBM ones or headaches will start :)

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Featured Reviews

Hasnain Zahid

Talent acquisition & development specialist at Software Productivity Strategists, Inc. (SPS)

A stable tool useful to manage marketing-related activities

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten. Sometimes, the portal hangs because I find that if I am on a web page, I have to log out, and then I have to log in to the portal again. Since I see that the portal hangs at times, I have to move from one side of the portal to the next, making me feel that some things are scattered in the product. I attended a meeting with IBM recently, and they are improving a few of the things, in my opinion. The concerns that I have related to the product are being improved since I think many other users have reported issues similar to the ones I faced.

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Deep Bhowmik

Senior Technical Product Manager at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Creates user groups and streamlines communication

I think we should have some improvements in Yammer, similar to what we have in Facebook and others, where we can have targeted communications, so that we can filter some communications to go to a specific subset of that group, not to everybody. We would love to have some AI technologies included in Yammer, but I do not have a specific use case in mind right now.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"IBM Connections is a good product with many functions."

"IBM Connections is born for collaboration and one of the easiest steps is starting a community with a set of great collaborative, built-in applications and starting to collaborate over a project."

"The possibility to share files in a unified way helps our organization."

"Communities are a popular way of combining blogs, wikis, files, and activities centered on a common objective or subject which proves popular and increases collaboration across people and teams."

"For example, you can really collaborate in multiple channels, using Connections, so whether it's cognitive collaboration, or file or content collaboration, it makes it much easier."

"File sharing, especially within the communities, is a valuable feature."

"IBM Connections is a great product, with new functionality each year."

"Communities and activities are very useful for team collaboration and project level communication."

More HCL Connections pros

"Yammer shows the post’s actions, comments, and how people react. We can quickly see what's going on."

"Yammer is useful since it is a product you can easily integrate into our system since Microsoft supports it."

"Co-workers feel comfortable creating groups for collaboration, communication, and non-work related, personable groups."

"It was a stable solution...It was a highly scalable solution considering it was used in a very big company."

"The solution was stable."

"External collaboration with partners: There is a unified way to send updates about departments and the enterprise, rather than sending separate communications."

"Yammer provides a simple to use, intuitive platform for enterprise collaboration within the social networking information model."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is the communication events."

More Yammer pros

Cons

"Mac users currently only have File Sync support and no plugins are available for Linux desktop users, leaving these users heavily dependent of the web user interface."

"We hear complaints from our users that Connections, and other IBM products, are not intuitive."

"The product has a pretty flat structure for communities; they are in principle a long list."

"The file plugin for Mac need some improvement."

"Level 1 sometimes seems as if they are part of a call center."

"Technical support is hit-and-miss. In general, the support staff is willing, but there is a large range of capabilities among them, from mediocre to excellent."

"Support needs improvement. The product seems to be released with a lot of bugs."

"The UI and UX portions definitely need to be improved."

More HCL Connections cons

"If you are not an Office 365 shop, then there are probably better options (i.e., Slack, Facebook for Work)."

"The solution's feature for sharing could be better."

"I'll give it a six out of ten because I'm comparing it to what's out there."

"There are many competitors that are overlapping. Since Microsoft bought Yammer, it tends to be in the shadow."

"There is room for improvement in the customization and administration aspects of the product."

"It has a very limited use."

"The lack of integration into the Microsoft Office 365 made it difficult to champion throughout the organization."

"They need to somehow enable better document sharing features. They need to provide joint drafting of documents."

More Yammer cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"I don't know about the pricing. Now that Microsoft has bought Yammer, it should be a part of our subscriptions for Office 365."

"We get it as part of our Office 365 subscriptions, so I don't think we pay any additional cost for Yammer. It's included in the Office 365 subscriptions."

"Compared to other products like Amazon, Yammer's pricing is fine."

"Yammer is a pretty cheap solution, and it's included in multiple subscriptions."

"Its cost is included in the license bundle for Microsoft."

"The pricing is not bad."

"I think that there is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs of the solution."

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Answers from the Community

it_user120486

Works

Jul 10, 2014

How do Sharepoint and Yammer match up to IBM’s connection solution?

2 out of 9 answers

it_user128490

IT Leader at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Jul 1, 2014

I have experience using Yammer, Sharepoint, IBM -Sametime, Cisco-webex as a social platform. I liked Cisco - webex for various reason - Easy to use, online conferencing, blog, message broadcast, desktop share, meeting scheduler and seamless integration with MS office calendar. I found webex connect to be feature rich and meets most of our Orgs social needs. Many Thanks Pratyush

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it_user131589

Works

Jul 1, 2014

IBM Connections Integrates well with SharePoint. Post the integration configuration, most of the time, we should be able to get our SharePoint Libraries and Mysite integrated with connections. By having Microsoft Windows Authentication, we would be able to see the teamsitres, contents etf through SharePoint APIs on Conections page.Availability of Uploading docs are also single click away.Its visa versa from SharePoint as well. Questions regarding MS Yammer or IBM Connections would be subject to business decision however it would also be dependent on wheather we have Connections in the system or Yammer. if its a fresh new set up planning then in long run SharePoint with Yammer negates the need to have IBM connection and have more cost effective solutions. Best regards, Kumar

Read full answer

See all 9 answers

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

18%

Construction Company

17%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

15%

Construction Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	26

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	31

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with HCL Connections?

The support is an area where the product can improve. My company faces some support-related issues because whenever we create or generate a ticket, it takes two days for the product's support team ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for HCL Connections?

I use HCL Connections for marketing purposes. The IBM product in our company already provides us with direct links to the marketing and HR sides.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Yammer?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Yammer?

We create user groups in Yammer, so we use it mainly for communications and engagement. The features in Yammer that I find most beneficial for team collaboration, communication, and engagement are ...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Yammer?

I would recommend Yammer to others if someone wants to communicate with a big team and needs a good communication platform. I cannot think of any advice or recommendation to share with users who wo...

See all answers

Comparisons

Drupal vs HCL Connections

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Teams vs HCL Connections

Compared 11% of the time

SharePoint vs HCL Connections

Compared 10% of the time

Atlassian Confluence vs HCL Connections

Compared 8% of the time

Slack Business - Enterprise vs HCL Connections

Compared 8% of the time

More HCL Connections Competitors

Slack Business - Enterprise vs Yammer

Compared 10% of the time

Microsoft Teams vs Yammer

Compared 8% of the time

Atlassian Confluence vs Yammer

Compared 8% of the time

SAP Build Work Zone vs Yammer

Compared 8% of the time

SharePoint vs Yammer

Compared 5% of the time

More Yammer Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCL Connections

October 2026

Download HCL Connections product report

Buyer's Guide

Yammer

September 2026

Download Yammer product report

Also Known As

IBM Connections, Lotus Connections

No data available

Overview

HCL Connections offers a powerful collaboration platform designed for modern businesses, facilitating seamless communication and productivity enhancements.

HCL Connections helps organizations streamline internal communications with an array of tools that promote engagement and collaboration. Its ease of use enables teams to effectively manage projects, share knowledge, and foster innovation. This platform serves as a bridge for integrating social interactions with business processes, ensuring smooth workflows and increased productivity.

What are the critical features of HCL Connections?

Communities: Create and manage groups to collaborate on specific projects or topics.
Files: Share and manage documents securely, ensuring quick access for all team members.
Wikis: Collaboratively write and edit content for team reference and knowledge sharing.
Blogs: Allow individuals to express ideas, insights, and updates within the organization.
Activities: Organize tasks and discussions, enhancing project tracking and completion.

What benefits can HCL Connections bring?

Improved Collaboration: Enhances teamwork through centralized communication and resource sharing.
Increased Productivity: Streamlines workflows by aligning tools and processes.
Knowledge Sharing: Facilitates easy dissemination and accessibility of information.
Enhanced Engagement: Boosts employee involvement with interactive and accessible features.

In industries such as healthcare, finance, and education, HCL Connections is implemented to improve internal and external collaboration, drive competitive advantage, and meet compliance requirements. Its adaptable framework makes it suitable for different sectors, supporting better decision-making and strategic planning.

HCLSoftware

Yammer enhances organizational communication and collaboration. It offers intuitive tools for group interaction, integration with Microsoft apps, and secure information sharing. It supports large-scale discussions and cross-functional collaboration without overwhelming email systems.

Yammer provides a robust platform for effective business communication, serving as a hub for social networking and company announcements. It integrates with Microsoft Office and Teams, facilitating seamless content posting and reducing email dependency. Its design encourages knowledge sharing and adaptable workflows. While Yammer is powerful, users have noted areas for improvement, such as integration with Microsoft Office 365 and search functionality. Enhancements in document collaboration, third-party support, and analytics could make it even more valuable, particularly for large multilingual teams. Improvements in editing, navigation, and user experience could enhance its utility further, along with better onboarding support.

What are Yammer's most valuable features?

Simple Group Creation: Allows quick setup of groups for projects and discussions.
Microsoft Integration: Seamless use with Microsoft Office and Teams enhances productivity.
Mobile Apps: Access Yammer on-the-go with robust mobile applications.
Tagging and Crowdsourcing: Facilitates easy content organization and community input.
Secure Sharing: Protects information while enabling open collaboration.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Enhanced Communication: Streamlines internal and external communication processes.
Improved Collaboration: Supports team interactions and project management.
Cross-Functional Reach: Breaks down silos, encouraging organizational connectivity.
Increased Engagement: Fosters active participation and feedback loops within the company.
Reduced Email Overload: Decreases dependency on email for announcements and discussions.

Yammer is widely adopted across various industries for its communication capabilities. Companies use it for creating channels and managing team interactions, making it ideal for sectors that rely on internal announcements and communication. Its integration with Microsoft tools makes it particularly appealing to those already using Microsoft subscriptions, offering a cohesive platform for corporate communication, knowledge sharing, and team engagement. As a digital workspace hub, it serves industries looking to enhance collaboration and streamline communication.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Yamato Financial Co. Ltd., University of Zurich, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., Telus, Rabobank, Christian Brothers Services, Grupo Financiero Banorte, The Loft Group, Dow Water & Process Solutions, JGC Corporation, College of Medicine, Swansea University, solvito GmbH, Loft Group, Hamm-Reno Group GmbH, Geno SA

Verizon, Rakuten,Nationwide, DHL, Westfield, Telefonica, 7-Eleven, Red Robin, Intuit, eBay,Darden, Suncorp, Tyco, Xerox, and ModCloth.

Buyer's Guide

HCL Connections vs. Yammer

September 2026

Free Report: HCL Connections vs. Yammer

Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Connections vs. Yammer and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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