What Is SharePoint?
Microsoft SharePoint is a collaboration and document management solution. It has been estimated that 80% of Fortune 500 companies use SharePoint, but they don’t all use it for the same reasons. It can be used as:
- A cloud-based document sharing platform.A business intelligence (BI) platform.
- A collaborative website, document, calendar, or list creator.
- A content management system (CMS.)
Because of this flexibility, SharePoint needs to be programmed to fit the needs of the company. For example, if you wanted to create a data input site on SharePoint that would build or display data in a form unique to your company, you would have to build out that solution using the SharePoint application.
There are individuals and firms that have built entire businesses around creating custom applications for clients in SharePoint.
Why You May Want A SharePoint Alternative
Complexity: SharePoint was created to make collaboration across an organization easier, but it takes quite a bit of time and effort to configure it to actually do that.
Beyond the initial configuration, it requires regular maintenance and upkeep. And if you want to add capabilities down the line, that functionality has to be designed in. As is so often the case with SharePoint, what starts as a simple solution can easily explode into a complex, unmanageable network.
Claim your FREE guide on 4 methods to create effective management reports
Unaccommodating: SharePoint can be a good solution for storing collaborative documents, but may not be as useful for storing comprehensive reports for a review meeting. Why? Because you may have to spend hundreds of hours in SharePoint to finagle that functionality.
Cost: SharePoint doesn’t come in an “out of the box” format—it has to be fully configured. So the sheer cost of your solution—from provisioning, to upgrades, to servers and more—can be a nonstarter.
If you need a solution that can mimic the functionality of SharePoint without some of these frustrating challenges, it’s time to look at alternatives to SharePoint. We’ve listed 12 of the most popular—in no particular order—below.
13 Alternatives To SharePoint
Potential alternatives to SharePoint include ClearPoint Strategy, ClickUp, Glasscubes, Huddle, Samepage, Liferay, Nuxeo, Confluence, Source by IC Thrive, Jostle, G Suite, Redbooth, and Slack. Each of these applications provide similar capabilities to SharePoint while providing some more unique features.
We'll go into each alternative below.
1. ClearPoint Strategy
As far as alternatives to SharePoint go, ClearPoint Strategy is a good for teams looking for a combination of strategic planning, project management, and collaboration. ClearPoint is strategic execution software that helps organizations of all sizes track KPIs and projects, build robust reports, and achieve strategic goals.
All your key strategic and project data is together in one place, and each team member can easily update the status of their work so you’re always in the know. Using the Balanced Scorecard method, ClearPoint helps ensure your most important projects continually align with your strategy and stay on track.
With ClearPoint, you can connect all your strategic and project data together in one place. Create audience-specific reports and informative visuals like charts and graphs.
Drill down into project details to identify issues and roadblocks. Even attach documents to individual pages so teammates can have access to important reference materials. Plus, ClearPoint's customers rave about their customer service.
See ClearPoint Strategy in action! Click here to watch a quick DEMO on the software
2. ClickUp
ClickUp is a powerful productivity platform that offers a feature-rich and completely customizable work experience to manage and monitor project updates, no matter what project style you use.
It's a great Sharepoint alternative because it allows you to create collaborative Docs that can be connected to workflows, making executing ideas with your team easier than ever before.
ClickUp Docs allows team members to work simultaneously using collaborative editing, assign comments, and keep everyone up-to-date with a knowledge base that can be shared publicly via URL.
Add nested pages to your Doc to create a visual hierarchy, then add headers, tables, lists, and styling options to make important points stand out.
3. Glasscubes
Glasscubes markets itself as a top SharePoint alternative. It has similar capabilities to SharePoint, such as enabling document management and intranets, but Glasscubes differentiates itself from SharePoint by focusing on simplicity, both in setup and usability.
Instead of tying up IT, for instance, Glasscubes users can get the solution set up and running themselves. Plus, training other users is a one-day proposition, instead of the weeks SharePoint may require to get users up to speed.
Glasscubes could be a good fit if you often collaborate with internal and external parties. You can take advantage of the solution’s ease of use to avoid spending lots of time teaching clients how it works. It also includes a broad range of collaboration features, including file sharing, project management, customizable workspaces, and more.
4. Huddle
Huddle is a collaboration tool very similar to Glasscubes, though it mainly focuses on document management and file sharing. (Task management is also available, but it isn’t as prominent.) Like Glasscubes, Huddle also claims to be much easier to use than SharePoint, and provides customizable workspaces so your team and clients can securely work together.
5. Samepage
Samepage is also user-friendly and has multiple collaboration capabilities, but it stands out with neat features like real-time page editing with built-in communication methods.
For example, your entire team can chat in the same screen space as the document under discussion, allowing you to work—and talk—in real time.
Samepage could be the right fit for you if your team has files that require lots of synchronous collaboration to get them to the finish line. Of course, this feature may not be as compelling if your team tends to work asynchronously because of, say, significantly different time zones.
6. Liferay
Liferay is a digital experience platform, which goes beyond collaboration. What makes it a SharePoint alternative is the ability for users to spin up robust intranets—wikis, forums, knowledge bases, blogs, and more—to keep employees in the loop regardless of their physical location.
It even features role-based content delivery to present users with information most relevant to their typical needs.
7. Nuxeo
Nuxeo is an enterprise content management (ECM) system uniquely suited to handle content that is complex, large (both in size and throughput), and varied across types and delivery channels.
In addition to standard document management features like classification, search, check-in/out, version control, and auditing, it also employs artificial intelligence (AI).
Through AI, Nuxeo claims to extract more value from your company’s information, including establishing deep contextual relationships across content types and performing in-depth document modeling.
8. Confluence
Confluence is a collaboration software from Atlassian that aims to create a centralized workspace where all team members can interact. Knowledge management and project collaboration are its two largest focus areas. However, it’s biggest selling point is its collection of templates that help teams hit the ground running.
Templates span multiple categories, like business strategy, design, and human resources, and multiple formats, including product requirement sheets, marketing plans, SWOT analyses, career development plans, and more.
If you’re in software development, you can combine Confluence with its sister product, Jira Software, a software development tool that helps agile teams plan, track, release, and report on work.
9. Source by IC Thrive
Lauded as a SharePoint alternative that eliminates complexity, frustration, and custom code, IC Thrive claims to make implementation of Source quick and painless.
Many of the features SharePoint makes complicated to roll out are prebuilt in Source—polls, active directory integration, and policy and procedure management, among others. The solution even has a page dedicated to the reasons customers have switched from SharePoint to their solution.
10. Jostle
Jostle is an intranet solution that promises to “create order out of chaos” and simplifies employees’ work lives. Through Jostle, you can share and stay up to date on company news and safely store files. It features a visual employee directory and a searchable library of documents.
You can also add on additional features like task management, organizational charts, instant messaging and video calls, and a marketplace-like capability for employees to exchange goods and swap shifts.
11. G Suite
If you need cloud-based document collaboration and sharing features, Google offers a great option in G Suite. Between Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Meet, and other included products, you can manage almost your entire business within this comprehensive solution.
From spreadsheets to file storage to communication, G Suite enables you to easily collaborate with teammates across the world.
12. Redbooth
If your main purpose for seeking out SharePoint was to support your project management efforts, Redbooth might be a viable option. You can keep track of tasks in multiple formats—lists, boards, timelines—as well as add and sort tasks by assignees, tags, and due dates.
13. Slack
If you’re looking for SharePoint alternatives that focus on communication, try Slack. Mainly billed as an instant messaging platform, Slack also has a number of other features that make it a great fit for general collaboration. You can create different channels to keep communications organized, make voice and video calls, and even share files.
Slack also has tons of integrations so you can combine other apps to improve your user experience.
Something To Remember...
SharePoint can be a great solution for your business, but there are alternatives available that may better suit your specific needs or use case. It’s important to shop around before you make your selection.
For example, if you are trying to use SharePoint for strategy planning, you may find that its complexity makes the planning process cumbersome and longer than it needs to be.
And when it comes to reporting, it can often feel like the Wild West—you’re spending unnecessary time identifying and tracking down key data and the people responsible for updating it. ClearPoint helps overcome these challenges. You can learn more about how our solution helps you track your course.
Discover the Best Alternative to SharePoint with ClearPoint Strategy Software!
Microsoft SharePoint is a versatile collaboration and document management solution used by many companies. However, its complexity and high maintenance costs can be challenging for some organizations. If you're looking for a more user-friendly and cost-effective alternative, consider ClearPoint Strategy.
Why Choose ClearPoint Strategy?
ClearPoint Strategy offers a comprehensive solution for strategic planning, project management, and collaboration. With ClearPoint, you can:
- Track KPIs and Projects: Keep all your key strategic and project data in one place.
- Create Robust Reports: Generate audience-specific reports and informative visuals like charts and graphs.
- Ensure Strategic Alignment: Use the Balanced Scorecard method to align projects with your strategic goals.
- Simplify Collaboration: Attach documents, drill down into project details, and identify issues and roadblocks effortlessly.
Ready to See ClearPoint Strategy in Action? Book a demo with us today and discover how ClearPoint can streamline your project management and collaboration efforts.
