Microsoft 365 Business vs Microsoft Office SharePoint Server comparison

Microsoft 365 Business vs. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

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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

Microsoft 365 Business

Ranking in Content Collaboration Platforms

7th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

251

Ranking in other categories

Mobile Device Management (MDM) (2nd)

Microsoft Office SharePoint...

Ranking in Content Collaboration Platforms

5th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

4.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Content Collaboration Platforms category, the mindshare of Microsoft 365 Business is 2.5%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is 3.3%, down from 7.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Content Collaboration Platforms Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server	3.3%
Microsoft 365 Business	2.5%
Other	94.2%

Content Collaboration Platforms

Featured Reviews

Jitender Singh

Principle Consultant at Akaal Cyber Solutions

Comprehensive cloud tools have unified identity security and device management for my clients

I would suggest a lower cost for my clients because Microsoft 365 has many other licenses that provide different types of features. Microsoft 365 Business covers most of their requirements, and for the other parts, they use other third-party tools for cybersecurity. Although Microsoft 365 Business offers some cybersecurity features, it does not offer everything, such as endpoint detection response and mitigation. For those, clients need to buy a higher version of a license, such as Enterprise E1 or E5. I think Microsoft 365 Business can be improved if it adds more features such as endpoint detection or more features from Microsoft Defender, including cloud app security. With cloud app security, the application status or application logs can be monitored. Currently, cloud app security is not part of Microsoft 365 Business. You have to purchase a standalone license for that. If that can be added, it can increase the volume of purchases for Microsoft 365 Business.

Read full review

Daniel Giacomelli

Security and Compliance at a outsourcing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Has transformed how I manage documents through metadata and automation while enabling structured collaboration

Microsoft should restore some functionalities from older versions of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2003 and 2010. Specifically, bringing back something similar to SharePoint Designer would be beneficial. SharePoint Designer was both advantageous and challenging - developers found it limiting and preferred Visual Studio, while non-developers struggled to use it effectively. A new tool for configuring webpage design and development for content pages would be valuable. The current system is too basic. While integration of filtered lists and libraries is possible, it requires knowledge of Python or jQuery. A WYSIWYG editor would be preferable to requiring programming knowledge or Visual Studio.

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

"It is easy to use, and you can access it from anywhere or from any device, whether from a smartphone or a laptop, without installing anything."

"Microsoft 365 Business has helped my organization get organized using email, calendar and contacts all perfectly synchronized with a real time collaboration."

"We are satisfied with the technical support, there are no issues."

"The combination of the products and the integration between all the products such as how Teams is integrated with Outlook, et cetera, is great."

"The product has good pricing. It's quite inexpensive."

"The performance of the solution is very good."

"The data backup is very good; I can use it to access my data from wherever I want, which is a very good feature."

"The user interface is good and it is very easy to use."

More Microsoft 365 Business pros

"The features for low-code and no-code capabilities in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server are among the best, which are very user-friendly and not seen in any other cloud services, such as S3 from AWS and blob storage from Azure."

"The best features of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server are the integration between SharePoint, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, and email."

"The most valuable feature is the "Alert Me", which provides the ability to set an alert when content is either added or changed and that the alerts can be either real-time or aggregated for the day or the week."

"The most valuable feature is that it is very usable. I can navigate it, I can have a media call, I can have a call with my project team, so we can chat with every team kind of like WhatsApp. Any time there are projects or other things, we can chat in a secure way. It's automation-specific secure."

"This product has improved the way our organization functions in the following manner: We are provided with policies and procedures for administration, we can store all the documentation related to all IT projects, and we have developed some workflows for automating licensing requests and other types of requests."

"The Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is a main feature of Microsoft, and I use it for everything I share inside the organization and outside the organization; it's easy to use, easy to share, and easy to manage all SharePoint services."

"The solution is scalable, and you can do both horizontal and vertical scaling."

"Essentially, it is the full suite of Office 365 with the advantage of using the SharePoint database as your list."

More Microsoft Office SharePoint Server pros

Cons

"The configuration could be faster."

"From the perspective of a developer, the interface could be more user-friendly. It is quite difficult to use."

"I have found that the billing model can definitely be improved. Currently, it is not very transparent."

"I have used the normal Excel Microsoft 365 worksheets. When it goes to macro running then 365 is not that user-friendly."

"The solution has a lot of areas to be improved. The tool needs to improve its background synchronization of data between the platforms. It can facilitate better decision-making and analysis of data. The tool should also make improvements to responsive mechanisms which can eliminate any bottlenecks."

"The technical support could be more knowledgeable."

"The integration with other products is less fluid compared to Zoom and Skype for Business."

"Microsoft needs to offer better technical support. We are not fully satisfied with the level of service we get."

More Microsoft 365 Business cons

"The workflow is very rudimentary."

"The solution needs to be more collaborative. I believe they are just coming up with the themes for this right now."

"It is a bit restrictive to develop in the cloud version. A lot of features are in the cloud now, and you have to develop on the outside. As far as the platform and the programming side of things are concerned, it is moving more towards configuration management rather than programming. When we are doing solutions, we are basically just configuring it to make solutions happen rather than actually using the Visual Studio code and developing from scratch in the cloud. It is almost like creating an app. You have created an app for your phone, but the app doesn't really sit on your phone. It sits somewhere on a server, and the database sits on another server. The app is just pulling and pushing information. The whole development has changed. We used to install things directly on the server and then run the application from the server. Now, it is more of a modular architecture."

"With the complexity and performance, it's hard to work with."

"One of the reasons why we don't recommend the cloud version of SharePoint is the cost."

"The user interface needs improvement because there is a lot of stuff in there."

"The document management features of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server are not very good compared to OneDrive."

"In previous years, there were some challenges when integrating with the email client."

More Microsoft Office SharePoint Server cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"With Microsoft 365 Business, the prices are cheaper if you opt to pay yearly towards the licensing costs rather than monthly."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"The tool’s licensing and pricing are interconnected. There are different levels of licensing."

"It is expensive. It should be cheaper, especially for companies and businesses. Licensing is on a yearly basis."

"The price of users at home the license should be cheaper. We are on an annual subscription."

"The solution is not very expensive."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"It is slightly expensive, but it doesn't have any hidden costs. You know what you're going to spend, and you get a decent ROI on it. It has subscription-based licensing. It helps you to figure out the amount of money that you would spend based on how many mailboxes you would require in a year, which makes it better as compared to a mail server for which you need to consider the licensing cost and the maintenance cost."

More Microsoft 365 Business pricing and cost advice

"Pricing plans may be flexible depending on volume usage and your corporate relationship with Microsoft."

"One of the reasons why we don't recommend the cloud version of SharePoint is the cost. With the on premise version, you pay for the license once. For the cloud version, there is a recurring fee. It is very expensive. They expect everyone to pay $20 or $30 per user per month."

"There are some aggressive discounts offered by Microsoft for organizations that are not for profit, which we are, and it makes it quite attractive to consider."

"It can be expensive for on-premises deployments, especially when you have to support SQL Server as your backend database. That's where the cost comes into play. SQL Server has its own licensing, which Microsoft keeps on changing. Therefore, it can become costly. In the earlier versions of SharePoint, version 2007 or 2010, they had an express version where the SQL Server licensing was free. It wasn't like a full-blown SharePoint. It was only a slimmed-down version. It used to be whatever your hardware costs. You would install the free software and work with it, but you were very limited in what you could do in SharePoint. If you wanted the SharePoint Enterprise Server with all the bells and whistles, then you had to pay more to get the SQL Server license based on the number of users or servers. The subscription model is different for cloud deployments. Licensing is per user and per month. The cost also depends on the storage required. If you have a lot of sites or documents, then you need to expand it based on your needs."

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902,495 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

20%

Marketing Services Firm

11%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	114
Midsize Enterprise	44
Large Enterprise	103

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	13
Large Enterprise	17

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft 365 Business?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing shows that pricing is reasonable, but it depends on the plan, as some advanced security features require higher-tier licenses.

What needs improvement with Microsoft 365 Business?

Microsoft 365 Business can be improved because sometimes the admin portal can be confusing, especially for a new user, and policies are spread across multiple dashboards. Better centralized visibil...

What is your primary use case for Microsoft 365 Business?

My main use case for Microsoft 365 Business is securing collaboration, email security, and identity management across the organization. A specific example of how I use Microsoft 365 Business for em...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server?

I am not aware of the pricing, so I cannot say if the solution is expensive or quite affordable.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Office SharePoint Server?

My expectation when I start using a Microsoft product is that it would be easy to incorporate diagrams and such from other Microsoft Office products. Incorporating a diagram I've embedded in a slid...

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server?

I produce content about the work I'm doing inside the company, making information about IT architecture, work processes within IT architecture, and security reviews of applications or infrastructur...

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Product Reports

Microsoft 365 Business

Download Microsoft 365 Business product report

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

Download Microsoft Office SharePoint Server product report

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server report

Also Known As

Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 F1, MS 365 Business

Office SharePoint Server, MS Office SharePoint Server

Overview

Microsoft 365 Business offers a comprehensive suite of tools for communication, collaboration, and productivity, providing seamless integration and cloud accessibility across apps like Teams, Outlook, and SharePoint, ensuring businesses can operate efficiently and flexibly.

Designed for modern work environments, Microsoft 365 Business enhances productivity through apps like OneNote and Power BI. Its integration across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint enables efficient data management and communication across devices, boosting workflow and collaboration. Despite some limitations in platform integration and scalability, its user-friendly interface, high security, and automatic updates promote broad adoption. Issues with interface complexity, licensing, and responses from technical support require attention. Enhanced AI integration and reduced resource consumption could further improve user experience.

What are the key features of Microsoft 365 Business?

Seamless Collaboration: Facilitates teamwork through integrated apps like Teams, allowing real-time collaboration and communication.
Cloud Accessibility: Ensures access across devices, supporting remote work with cloud-based features.
Integration: Provides comprehensive application bundles including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for consistent data and file management.
Automatic Updates: Delivers regular updates without manual intervention, keeping tools current and secure.
Enhanced Productivity Tools: Features like OneNote and Power BI help streamline tasks and manage information effectively.

What benefits do users gain from Microsoft 365 Business?

Improved Communication: Through tools like Teams and Outlook, promoting effective dialogue within organizations.
Increased Productivity: Quick document sharing and editing enhance efficiency and output.
Flexible Access: Employees can work remotely or onsite with ease, ensuring continuity and adaptability.
Comprehensive Data Management: Centralized and streamlined, ensuring quick access and organization of files.
Support for Collaboration: Facilitates seamless project management with integration across Microsoft Suite components.

Microsoft 365 Business is implemented in diverse industries, supporting sectors like education, finance, healthcare, and tech. It enhances collaboration in remote work environments, enabling secure data management in compliance-focused industries. Features like enhanced email management and cloud-based document storage are leveraged to improve operations and efficiency.

Microsoft

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server enhances collaboration, document management, and version control while integrating seamlessly with Office apps, Teams, and OneDrive for efficient communication and content sharing.

Offering automation, workflow management, and effective metadata usage, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server improves operational efficiency. It's user-friendly with low-code and no-code capabilities, ensuring accessibility for organizations. Robust security measures and access control with Active Directory integration provide secure data handling, while real-time editing allows multiple users to collaborate productively. Its search functionality streamlines information retrieval, although enhancing this feature could further improve usability. Addressing the need for a more intuitive interface, distinct integration between Team and SharePoint sites, workflow simplification, as well as improved performance with large data handling, would add to its practicality. Better third-party application integration, enhanced document sharing, and increased licensing flexibility are areas for potential development.

What are the key features?

Collaboration: Enables seamless team collaboration with integrated Office apps and Teams.
Document Management: Advanced version control and document sharing capabilities.
Automation: Streamlines processes with workflow management and metadata usage.
Security: Robust access control with Active Directory integration.
Real-Time Editing: Allows multiple users to edit documents simultaneously.
Search Functionality: Assists in swift information retrieval.

What benefits or ROI should users consider?

Improved Productivity: Real-time editing and seamless integration enhance work efficiency.
Security Assurance: Strong access control supports safe data management.
User Accessibility: Low-code and no-code features increase ease of use.
Operational Efficiency: Automates workflows and optimizes document handling.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is utilized in industries such as healthcare, finance, and manufacturing for document sharing, collaboration, and internal communications. It supports project management, custom application development, and acts as an enterprise content management system. Organizations leverage its integration with Microsoft Teams for coordination and use it as a corporate portal. It facilitates data management, serves as a document library, and supports workflows with advanced capabilities like integration with Power Apps and Power BI for enhanced data visualization and interaction.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Urban Agriculture Co., The Detroit Wallpaper Co., TransBlue Facility Management, Garner Food Company

Del Monte Foods, Unicredit Leasing, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, Nokia Czech Republic, Perkins Eastman, JLL, ICA, óxito Software, Dorset Software, PKP Cargo, Arcapita Bank B.S.C., AVE CZ, Chesapeake Energy

Microsoft 365 Business vs. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server