Microsoft SharePoint may be a powerhouse when it comes to project management and collaboration, but the best SharePoint alternatives prove Microsoft is far from the only option. From individuals to large businesses, productivity, collaboration, and project management apps are a must. SharePoint gives you all of this in one convenient platform, but it gets expensive quickly. Free SharePoint alternatives are ideal for saving money without sacrificing features.
Note: We have also compared SharePoint vs OneDrive for file storage.
ClickUp seeks to be a one-app solution to all of your collaborative needs and works well as a free SharePoint alternative. It’s designed to handle everything from project management to team meetings all in one place.
ClickUp’s intuitive interface makes it easy for teams of any size to start using it. Apps, automations, and integrations give you the power to customize the platform for any type of project, team, or need. Easily create spaces for product design, marketing campaigns, finance, IT support, and much more.
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Also read: What Is Microsoft Lists and How to Get Started with It?
Probably the most famous rival to Microsoft SharePoint is Confluence – a corporate portal app that knows how to keep things simple in the interest of letting many people collaborate on work, share calendars, and much more.
There’s a lightness to using Confluence that you don’t always get with similar software. It’s slick and streamlined when it comes to handling queries and comments and the sharing of team decisions and collaborative ideas. Even though it’s easy to use, it’s also customizable when it comes to creating and organizing data fields that can then be sifted through for information.
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Also read: 10 of the Best Whiteboard Apps for Easier Collaboration
Perhaps the most complete package in this list, Bitrix24 provides an invaluable office platform featuring calendars, social networking features, videoconferencing and more. It goes beyond that, too, into workflow and project management, creating a digital work platform stretching from communication to the nitty-gritty of working on projects.
The free version of Bitrix24 provides a generous package that lets you use most features, even if some features are limited. It’s not just for intra-office matters, either, as it features an intuitive system to follow up on business leads.
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A foundation to a collaborative working environment is a communication platform, and in recent years, Slack has risen to become one of the best out there.
The free version of Slack keeps a log of the last 10,000 messages in your team, allows you to create unlimited private and public channels, and share files with your colleagues. (It also has pretty nifty GIF integration.) Admins can track everyone’s login times and IP addresses, so you can make sure that people aren’t “Slacking off.”
It may not function as anything more than a work chat tool, but it fulfills its sole purpose brilliantly.
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Also read: 12 of the Best Free Slack Workspaces to Join for Networking
Process Street is a great SharePoint alternative for individuals and small teams with a limited free version. It focuses on collaborative workflows to streamline tasks and projects.
While it doesn’t offer the full features of SharePoint, it’s ideal for task management, employee onboarding, managing finances, and a central resource hub. You even get over 1,000 integrations via Zapier to better customize the platform for your team.
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While ONLYOFFICE is better known as a free desktop productivity suite, ONLYOFFICE Workspace is more like Microsoft SharePoint. The free version is only for individuals and small teams but gives you many of the same SharePoint features without the high price tag. The main con is that there aren’t any communication features.
Easily manage documents, emails, projects, tasks, and calendars all in one place. You can even integrate other apps to extend the functionality. Depending on your needs, you can stick with the cloud-based version, host it locally on your own servers, or install via the AWS Marketplace. There’s also a free desktop version for personal/small home business use.
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Also read: ONLYOFFICE Workspace Cloud Review: Secure Online Collaboration
Jostle is an “employee success platform.” It’s designed to improve communications, bring important resources together for easier access, and enable teams to connect whether they’re in the same office or scattered around the world.
Collaboration and communication are the focus for Jostle, and it shows in features like JostleTV, where announcements are broadcast on screens throughout the office. Employees can also easily search for information and people from one central location.
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For individuals looking for a free Microsoft SharePoint alternative, Monday could be the perfect solution. From software development and marketing to HR and task management, Monday has a workflow for pretty much anything you can imagine.
Outside of premium plans, there aren’t any communication features outside of document editing. Even then, you’ll need to use app integrations like Zoom to communicate. However, you can store and share files, track task progress, and automate tasks.
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Also read: How to Efficiently Share or Send Google Docs via Email
While Google Workspace is a premium version of Google’s numerous productivity tools, you can use most of the tools for free with any Google account. In fact, you can access most tools directly from your Gmail account. This includes chat, video calls, docs, sheets, tasks, and even spaces.
By creating shared spaces, you’re able to invite other users to collaborate on projects, share a calendar, and chat in real time. While some features are limited, this is a great SharePoint alternative for small teams that don’t want or need the premium version of Google Workspace.
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An often overlooked options among free Microsoft SharePoint alternatives is WordPress, whether the free WordPress.com version, which is hosted by WordPress, or the self-hosted WordPress.org version. While typically used to create websites, it can mimic SharePoint’s document collaboration and sharing features, along with serving as a private website for teams.
Easily create an interconnected library of resources for employees and teams. Or, share announcements through blog posts. Collaborate on documents by creating a shared post for users to edit in real time. You can even access plugins to add more functionality. There aren’t any communication features, though.
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SharePoint and its alternatives may feel like overkill when it comes to project management. While that is a feature in most SharePoint alternatives, you may not need all of the other features. Instead, try a project management tool that focuses mainly on tasks and goals versus document sharing and communication. A free option many people may not think of is GitHub, which can be used by anyone, not just programmers.
A common problem with many free Microsoft SharePoint alternatives is that they don’t include communication features, but you can use Zoom or a free Zoom alternative to add video and voice calls along with chat features to any tool you choose to use.
Technically, yes. However, the purpose of SharePoint and its alternatives is to combine multiple tools into one platform for easier access. You’d need at least three tools for a viable alternative: project management, communication, and library/resource. You could mesh Slack and WordPress to create a library and have communication features. Add in a project management tool of your choosing and you have an effective alternative that works well for teams of all sizes.
Image: Unsplash Screeenshots by Crystal Crowder
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Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.
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