SharePoint Alternatives: 10 Tools for Effective Collaboration and Document Management

As a web-based collaborative platform, Microsoft SharePoint has become one of the go-to tools when it comes to storing, organizing, sharing, viewing and accessing information from any device close to you. It is a versatile solution that even lets users create websites to share information and collaborate with their team members.

Despite all these great features, it isn’t without its limitations. After all, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. From pricing to features to functionalities, people are always on the lookout for an alternative tool that suits their needs. The same holds true for SharePoint as well.

In this blog, we’ll shed some light on some of the SharePoint alternatives in the market to help you figure out which one best suits your unique requirements.

Why consider a SharePoint alternative?

Some of the top companies in the world use SharePoint for their collaboration and document management needs. In 2011, it was estimated that SharePoint was used by over 78% of Fortune 500 companies. Since then, multiple competitors have entered the market. Today, there are over 50 players in the market who consider their products to be SharePoint alternatives.

Some of these new vendors have even addressed the traditional pain points associated with Microsoft SharePoint. There are challenges, like inadequate integrations with IT tools and on-premises-to-online-migration difficulties, that present issues to SharePoint users. When unsatisfied customers look for SharePoint alternatives, these new solutions cater to their needs.

Is SharePoint being discontinued?

There is no risk of SharePoint being discontinued anytime soon. However, the software market continues to evolve with the launch of various new solutions. There are concerns about SharePoint not being able to meet the needs of today’s customers who prefer personalization. Certain features, like social tools and advanced search, are only available to enterprise users, while some SharePoint alternatives have them in their standard versions.

SharePoint commands a huge market share in today’s technology world but that doesn’t make it a suitable product for every single business. This is why many SharePoint alternatives managed to chisel away at least a portion of its market share.

Is SharePoint open source?

SharePoint is an enterprise-level intranet service that comes with many sophisticated features. Due to this, it is not an open-source tool. This eliminates the possibility of customization when working on special projects.

SharePoint users have to completely rely on Microsoft for any code updates or new features. The lack of source control management in SharePoint may also present certain challenges when working on integrated projects.

There are, however, a few open-source SharePoint alternatives available in the market. Users who need greater flexibility with their software and wish to integrate seamlessly with other software solutions can try these alternatives.

• dotCMS – This is a java-based open-source alternative to SharePoint. Businesses can use this solution to develop and manage content-based applications such as intranets, websites, mobile apps and more.
• Alfresco – This is another highly customizable open-source platform with unlimited integration capabilities. It comes with a content management system. It also has an affordable price tag that makes it suitable for small organizations.
• eXo – This is a SharePoint alternative that allows users to connect and engage on a single interface. Being on the same interface helps users improve their communication and collaboration with team members. It also enables personalization with the help of its third-party integrations.

Can you get SharePoint for free?

Till SharePoint 2013, there used to be a free version of SharePoint called SharePoint Foundation. This offered many basic features to SharePoint users. With the launch of SharePoint 2016, the free version is ruled out. Although you can still get a trial version for 180 days, it comes with limited features and doesn’t allow you to create pages or sites.

When it comes to SharePoint alternatives, many tools like Confluence and Nuxeo offer free versions for users. You can get started with a free trial on solutions like Alfresco. Ultimately, it depends on the type of features you’re looking for in your intranet solution.

What are the limitations of SharePoint?

Despite being one of the most widely used intranet platforms, SharePoint has certain limitations in terms of overall structure, relationship and granular access control.

Unstructured or flat documentation

There is little consistency or standardization when it comes to information. You don’t know what type of information to capture. This leads to inconsistent service delivery between different techs because of different processes.

Most importantly, there is no relationship between multiple files or information. When you have to move from one file to another, there is no easy functionality to facilitate the process. Also, the search functionality is difficult in SharePoint. You cannot search globally across various locations, clients or asset types.

Security

An intranet solution for today’s age of cyberthreats needs to have top-notch security features. The existing ones in SharePoint leave a lot to be desired. Critical security features, like revision history, audit trail, IP access control, single sign-on, multifactor authentication, etc., are not present here. Compliance issues may also arise if you need a solution with SOC 2 compliance.

Lack of automation

Automation is the need of the hour in today’s competitive world. Businesses cannot afford to spend crucial manhours on mundane tasks that can be automated. The lack of proper structure, along with the lack of relationship between various information, makes it extremely difficult to automate workflows in SharePoint. Since it is not open-sourced, you cannot customize it for integration with other automation tools.

10 best SharePoint alternatives to consider

As mentioned earlier, there are over 50 players in the market promoting their products as SharePoint alternatives. Many of them have some unique features that successfully address the pain points found in SharePoint. Let’s take a look at some of the best tools in the market right now.

1. IT Glue

IT Glue is a cloud-based solution that comes packed with many high-end features. The solution is specifically designed for IT with out-of-the-box IT templates. With IT Glue, you don’t need to spend time on creating the structure required for your documentation. You can simply capture all the information you need to efficiently do your job.

2. Confluence

Although this is more expensive than many other SharePoint alternatives, Confluence is a solid collaboration tool with a lot of great features. It also has a powerful search engine that helps locate documents easily.

3. Google Workspace

Google offers a lot of innovative features that are ideal for small business organizations. In addition to collaboration, users can get access to various tools like Hangouts, Calendar, Drive and more. Despite these benefits, its security features are quite minimal compared to other solutions.

4. Huddle

Huddle is a compliance-friendly tool that comes with a task monitor to track your progress. You can also use the versioning history and social collaboration features to ensure proper teamwork in a secure environment.

5. Samepage

This is a collaboration tool with a focus on mobile features. It has file-sharing abilities that make it look similar to Dropbox. You can also use its API for customization and to add any other desired features.

6. Box

This is a collaborative cloud content management solution that comes packed with many features. It includes document group editing and approval procedures. There’s also a project management toolbox with central workspaces, task lists, project tracking and secure file sharing.

7. Nuxeo

Nuxeo is a content management system that handles complex and large content. Its AI helps users extract more value from all the stored information. It also establishes a contextual relationship between content types and creates a structure for users.

8. Slack

Slack is a tool built with communication in mind. It offers a variety of other features that make it ideal for general collaboration. You can organize your conversations by creating multiple channels, making audio and video chats, and even sharing files.

9. Jostle

With Jostle, you can communicate and keep up with workplace news while also storing files privately. It has a visible personnel directory as well as a searchable document library. It comes with features like task management, organizational charts, instant messaging and video conferencing, as well as a marketplace-like facility for employees.

10. Glasscubes

Glasscubes is a platform that allows for remote involvement and collaboration with other parties. The user interface is praised by users for its clarity, accessibility and ease of use. Glasscubes comes with document management and review tools as well as reporting and analytics.

Superior collaboration & documentation with IT Glue

IT Glue is a solution renowned for its superior collaboration and seamless documentation management. With our powerful platform, you can document all aspects of business and collaborate effectively with your team members. By keeping your documentation up to date and sharing it with your team members through IT Glue, you can boost collaboration and take timely decisions.

IT Glue’s SOC 2-compliant documentation platform features an immutable audit trail, multifactor authentication and next-generation password management engine. You can also integrate these features with your documentation.

To learn more about how IT Glue can help you with documentation and collaboration, request a demo.

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