Microsoft Office SharePoint Server vs Office 365 comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Office 365 are both solutions in the Content Collaboration Platforms category. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4, while Office 365 is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server holds a 3.5% mindshare in CCP, compared to Office 365’s 7.2% mindshare. Additionally, 82% of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Office 365 users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Office SharePoint...

Read 40 Microsoft Office SharePoint Server reviews

3,231 Views
2,520 Comparison Views

82% willing to recommend

Office 365

Read 152 Office 365 reviews

9,516 Views
6,756 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Microsoft Office SharePoint...

Office 365

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server and Office 365 compete in enterprise productivity solutions. Office 365 has an edge due to its cloud-based versatility and collaboration capabilities.

Features: SharePoint Server provides document management, version control, and customization, allowing businesses to tailor workflows and templates without extensive coding. Office 365 includes advanced collaboration tools, integration with SharePoint and Teams, and security features like data loss prevention.

Room for Improvement: SharePoint Server could enhance its ease of deployment, reduce IT resource requirements, and simplify updates. Office 365 may improve offline capabilities, further optimize its security features, and expand multi-language support.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Office 365 offers an efficient cloud deployment, reducing maintenance and providing responsive customer service integrated into its model. SharePoint Server's on-premises deployment can be complex, requiring significant IT resources but offers strong data control.

Pricing and ROI: SharePoint Server requires significant upfront investment in infrastructure, suitable for specific customization needs. Office 365 uses a subscription model, offering predictable costs and high ROI through frequent updates and innovative features. Pricing starts at $5 per user per month for basic plans, including access to Office applications and OneDrive storage.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Office SharePoint Server vs. Office 365 Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server vs. Office 365

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

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

Office 365

Ranking in Content Collaboration Platforms

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

152

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Content Collaboration Platforms category, the mindshare of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is 3.5%, down from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Office 365 is 7.2%, down from 9.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Content Collaboration Platforms Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Office 365	7.2%
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server	3.5%
Other	89.3%

Content Collaboration Platforms

Featured Reviews

Tom Runar Lauritzen

Enterprise Architect at Veidekke

Creating internal architecture content has become smoother but embedding linked diagrams still needs work

I'm not currently working with IBM, IBM Controller, or other IBM tools. I still do a little bit of work with my previous company, but it's very minor. I don't work with any software or solutions outside of personal productivity suites such as Microsoft Office and things of that nature. I use Microsoft suite, Exchange, Teams, and so on. Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is more accessible for the average user, but it lacks certain features that more advanced users would look for, making it seem unnecessarily complicated to do simple things or things one expects to be simple. I'm not directly involved in pricing and licensing, but I work closely with people who are, and my company has a third party to help manage licensing. I don't have the impression that Microsoft is regarded as particularly expensive. The product was licensed directly from Microsoft. I would give Microsoft Office SharePoint Server a rating of seven points on a scale from zero to ten, where ten is the best.

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BasilJiji

System engineer at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

Collaboration has transformed how our teams work and Copilot now drives faster daily decisions

The interface for the security and compliance center could be simplified. It changes frequently, which can make it somewhat difficult for admins to stay up-to-date on where specific settings are located. The compliance center modification or improvement of Office 365 needs to be introduced. The rest of the features feel acceptable to me. The reason it is not a ten is because of the complexity of managing the vast array of admin settings, which requires a specialized IT team. Even though it meets industry standards for decent security compliance such as SOC and HIPAA, the complexity of managing the admin settings needs to improve.

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

"Because of the integration of documents stored in SharePoint to be edited by any of the Office Suite products, that overpowers and is a greater good than what DocuShare brought to the company."

"From my partner perspective, the best advantages of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server are that it's easy to use, and we can easily communicate, share documents, and assign permissions to specific people."

"The forms aspect of the solution, for example, the creation of surveys, is its most valuable aspect."

"Microsoft Office SharePoint Server is a scalable solution because our applications are not staying in one place, year on year we are increasing users, so definitely it can scale with what we need."

"I like the collaboration, the ability for multiple users to work on a single document and be able to firstly collaborate and share notes about the document, as well as being able to work on the document without losing the information."

"Enhanced user access management features fully integrated with Active Directory allowed us to gain the trust of the users and they use SharePoint to store and share all company digital content created by them."

"I think SharePoint is a good tool, especially if you are in the Microsoft ecosystem — as in being an Office 365 user — then SharePoint is definitely something you should look at as a solution for collaboration and file sharing."

"Sharing information is the best feature or advantage of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server based on my experience."

More Microsoft Office SharePoint Server pros

"Teams is the most productive feature out of everything in Office 365, thanks to the combination of chat with meetings and centralized file sharing, along with the ability to embed other applications within Microsoft Teams."

"Cost to value is much better than on premise SharePoint."

"The solution is quite stable."

"Office 365 fulfills our basic requirements for developing documents and basic forms; it provides a lot of facilities and options, which are very helpful, and I use it for document creation which saves a lot of time compared to other document creation tools."

"Teams is more usable and has a lot more features."

"I like Office 365's usability."

"I find Office 365 convenient and easy to use, primarily because I have been a Microsoft product user for a long time, and its user-friendly interface and consistent workflow across various Microsoft products are particularly notable."

"The ChatGPT add-in that is accessible now for Excel is one of the most helpful features of Office 365 because it gives you the opportunity to process a lot of data in a really short time."

More Office 365 pros

Cons

"The search feature needs improvement. I can never find the information I need when I use it."

"Searching information internally in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server could be better because when we get a lot of information, it is difficult to find."

"Technical support could be improved. They are not fast enough, especially when we'll go deeper in the product itself. More complex issues make it very tough to find someone that can help you."

"The user interface needs improvement because there is a lot of stuff in there. I use five to eight navigation buttons. It should be more user-friendly. Frequently used menu items should be arranged in a proper way. That would be helpful."

"Many of our customers would like to see an OCR feature, so it would be very good to have this in a future release."

"The permission management features need improvement."

"The only complaint we have is about the lack of OCR capability."

"Microsoft Office SharePoint Server could be improved in terms of its user interface. While it is easy to work with, it could be more intuitive and could look more aesthetically pleasing."

More Microsoft Office SharePoint Server cons

"The scalability is okay. However, we have such a large organization, and because IT has to enact it, it takes a while to do each one by one."

"In terms of disadvantages in Office 365, the cost is something some people complain about because I live in South Africa and it is quoted in dollars."

"I'm not sure if there are areas of improvement. For us, it's working quite well."

"Office 365 experiences several performance issues, particularly in Excel and Word, including lagging and delays."

"In the next release, I would like to have a more intuitive tutorial."

"The look and feel of the new Outlook is complex."

"They are a little bit behind Microsoft Word in regards to the ability it has."

"There is not much I would improve for Office 365, though fewer updates would be nice."

More Office 365 cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

"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."

"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."

"I think that we pay $9.99 USD per user, monthly."

"For the moment, we are paying on a monthly basis because we are still adapting the support and how we want to proceed. I think we will move to paying for the annual license."

"Good reporting and good value subscriptions for international calls."

"We have a license to use this solution. We have an E3 license which covers many different solutions."

"The pricing/licensing is easy to manage."

"Licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis, or we prepay them."

"The pricing is good for all the features that we receive, e.g., Skype for Business."

"The price of Office 365 is very expensive."

More Office 365 pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

16%

Construction Company

15%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	62
Midsize Enterprise	31
Large Enterprise	70

Questions from the Community

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Office 365?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Office 365 is that it is moderate.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Office 365?

Office 365 could be improved or enhanced in some ways. It would be better if it were more simple to find the points, or sometimes there are so many possible configurations that it makes you confuse...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Office 365?

Teams and Outlook are important for us, and Teams is central to our operations. I utilize Power Automate for streamlining repetitive tasks in our organization, but not for large tasks. For tasks su...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Hitachi Content Platform Anywhere vs Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

Compared 5% of the time

OpenText Content Management vs Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

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Google Workspace vs Office 365

Compared 19% of the time

Symphony vs Office 365

Compared 12% of the time

Dropbox Business - Enterprise vs Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

Amazon WorkDocs vs Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

Box - Intelligent Content Management vs Office 365

Compared 4% of the time

More Office 365 Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server

October 2026

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server report

Download Microsoft Office SharePoint Server product report

Buyer's Guide

Office 365

October 2026

Download Office 365 product report

Also Known As

Office SharePoint Server, MS Office SharePoint Server

Microsoft Office 365, Office 365 Enterprise, Office 365 Enterprise E1, Office 365 Enterprise E3, Office 365 Enterprise E5, Office 365 ProPlus, Office 365 Business, Office 365 Business Essentials, Office 365 Business Premium, Office 365 F1

Overview

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

Office 365 integrates cloud services for efficient collaboration, offering a set of tools like Teams, SharePoint, and Outlook. Designed for productivity with multi-device access, it supports automation and remote work through its cloud-based features.

Office 365 enhances business efficiency by providing a comprehensive suite of applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, crucial for document creation and management. It offers seamless communication and collaboration via Outlook for email and Teams for meetings. The integration with SharePoint and OneDrive ensures robust document management and storage, facilitating remote access while supporting advanced security and automation features like Power Apps and Copilot. Despite its extensive capabilities, users note room for improvement in areas like cost, external connectivity, and upgrade disruptions. There's a need for better integration with third-party apps, enhanced Excel performance on Mac, and improved AI functionalities to simplify usage.

What are the most valuable Office 365 features?

Integration: Connects various Microsoft services for improved workflows.
Cloud Collaboration: Facilitates teamwork through Teams and SharePoint.
Advanced Security: Includes features ensuring data protection.
Real-time Editing: Allows simultaneous document work.
Automatic Updates: Ensures up-to-date software without manual intervention.
Multi-device Access: Supports various devices for versatility.
OneDrive Storage: Offers scalable cloud storage solutions.
Automation Tools: Power Apps and Copilot increase efficiency.

What benefits and ROI should organizations consider?

Productivity Boost: Streamlined tools for efficient task completion.
Global Accessibility: Work can be conducted from any location.
Cost Management: Flexible licensing aligns with business needs.
Security Assurance: Mitigates risks and protects data integrity.
Support for Remote Work: Enhances collaboration across distances.

In industries such as healthcare, finance, and education, Office 365 is used to manage documents securely, facilitate meetings through Teams, and store sensitive information on OneDrive. Its user-friendly tools support teaching and learning, enhancing productivity and providing robust solutions for document sharing and communication.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

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

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Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server vs. Office 365

September 2026

Free Report: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server vs. Office 365

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Office SharePoint Server vs. Office 365 and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.

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