ARTICLE SUMMARY
- SharePoint is a document management system that has limited capabilities when it comes to knowledge management.
- Knowledge base software is an impactful replacement for SharePoint when it comes to creating, storing, and sharing your company SOPs and other resources.
- Consider replacing SharePoint with one of the seven suggested software options on this list.
You’ve been using SharePoint to manage your company’s knowledge. And, unfortunately, the biggest result you’ve been getting isn’t accessibility, but frustration.
SharePoint is a nice add-on to your Microsoft 365 suite, but it isn’t meant to be the main player in your knowledge management plan.
Working for ScreenSteps — a knowledge ops solution that simplifies document management — I’ve met with many customers who switched from SharePoint. Why? Their employees couldn't find the guides they needed and it was just messy.
Because of these experiences, they all but lost hope in knowledge management. But, with the right knowledge base, you can centralize your knowledge and improve employee performance.
In this article, I provide a quick overview of SharePoint and the challenges people face when using SharePoint to manage their company’s knowledge. Then I share a few of the best SharePoint alternatives.
JUMP TO SHAREPOINT ALTERNATIVES LIST
SharePoint is most commonly used as a document management system. This means it is used to store PowerPoint, Word docs, Excel files, and PDF files so that employees can access them when needed.
Many companies use SharePoint as a knowledge base. However, SharePoint doesn’t even describe itself as a knowledge base. SharePoint serves more as a document repository or document library.
Companies typically use SharePoint in one of the following ways:
All of the documents you store in SharePoint are separated into folders and sub-folders.
What are your company's knowledge management goals? If they include making your guides more accessible, more organized, and easier to follow, then a knowledge base could help.
Consider switching from SharePoint to an alternative knowledge base if it will help your company achieve your knowledge management objectives.
Typically, a knowledge base helps companies make their guides more accessible, more organized, and more dynamic.
A knowledge base helps you create, store, and share your knowledge. In comparison to SharePoint, a knowledge base provides:
Other "SharePoint alternative" articles I've read on the internet provide a wide variety of software solutions. These best alternative lists have chat messaging platforms as alternatives to managing your company’s knowledge.
While chat messaging platforms like Slack help people know where they can ask questions, it is difficult to return to conversations or search for answers in Slack. Those answers typically work at the moment. It’s not so much of a library of knowledge.
But, I guess that all comes down to this point — you need to know what you want to accomplish by venturing away from SharePoint.
Before you choose a SharePoint competitor, you’ll want to consider what you want to accomplish with your SharePoint alternative. That will help you know what type of software tool you’ll need.
Some of the top alternatives for managing your documents and company knowledge include:
Check out this list of five different software services that support knowledge management. This will help you identify which software you’ll need to align with your company’s goals.
These SharePoint alternatives are all knowledge base software companies that make it easier for content creators to document your procedures and for your employees to find the answers they need.
Here are seven alternatives to SharePoint that help you manage your documents better.
Top 7 SharePoint Alternatives to Manage Your Company's Knowledge
ScreenSteps is more than a knowledge base — it's a knowledge ops solution. The ScreenSteps knowledge ops platform has all the same features as a knowledge base plus additional features to support more efficient knowledge transfer.
Besides the knowledge ops platform, ScreenSteps also offers the Find & Follow Framework to help your business create lasting habits.
The framework helps businesses improve knowledge operations by using best practices to write action-based digital guides, organize your standard operating procedures (SOPs), and train your employees
Compare ScreenSteps to SharePoint here.
Many factors impact the price of your ScreenSteps plan.
For more details, see the ScreenSteps pricing page here.
Confluence is a knowledge management and project management tool. It helps teams align and collaborate as they track their progress and create assets for projects.
The software provides a platform for document collaboration, knowledge sharing, and project tracking.
As part of the Atlassian suite, it integrates easily with other Atlassian tools, including Jira and Trello
The monthly price for Confluence plans are:
Confluence offers a small discount for annual plans. Get the most up-to-date Confluence pricing on atlassian.com.
Google Workspace, which was formally G Suite, is a collection of productivity and collaboration tools. The cloud-based app includes tools that allow you to create documents and store them in your Google Drive.
With Google Workspace, you get well-known applications, including Gmail, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and more.
The cost for a Google Workspace plan is dependent on the number of users and the level of features. The monthly price for Google Workspace plans are:
Get the most up-to-date Google Workspace pricing on workspace.google.com.
Helpjuice is a standalone knowledge base software that specializes in document management. There are both internal and external knowledge base options available.
The cloud-based software allows businesses to create, organize, and share FAQs and support articles. It is primarily focused on customer support.
Helpjuice includes all features with each of its four pricing plans. The monthly pricing for those plans are:
Get the most up-to-date Helpjuice pricing on helpjuice.com.
Image via document360.com
Document360 is a self-service platform that you can use as a knowledge base or wiki. It has both public and private knowledge base sites.
It specializes in technical documentation, FAQs, product guides, and more. Depending on your plan and purchased projects, you can create multiple knowledge base sites.
The pricing for Document360 is dependent on a wide variety of variables. Some plans are only a public knowledge base while others include a private knowledge base. The five plan levels are:
Get the most up-to-date Document360 pricing on document360.com.
KnowledgeOwl is knowledge base software that focuses on creating a single source of truth for your company. It provides tools for creating knowledge bases, manuals, and help sites.
KnowledgeOwl has both public and private knowledge base options available.
The price of a KnowledgeOwl plan is based on the number of users and level of customization. The three KnowledgeOwl plans are:
You can add on additional authors for $20 per month and additional knowledge bases for $40 per month. Get the most up-to-date pricing information for KnowledgeOwl on their website.
via G2 Reviews
Shelf is a knowledge management platform focused on organizing various types of content and making it easily accessible.
The cloud-based software offers a user-friendly and intuitive platform where teams can create, manage, and share content seamlessly. In Shelf, you can store documents, articles, and multimedia.
Shelf pricing plans are based on the number of users. The three plans include:
For the most up-to-date pricing, visit shelf.io.
While SharePoint is easy for uploading documents, it doesn’t have all the knowledge management capabilities of a knowledge base.
The right knowledge base software will help your company get more organized, access the right articles, and improve employee performance and productivity.
With a ScreenSteps knowledge base, your content authors can write articles 75% faster. Then your end-users have all the information at their fingertips. They can find articles in as few as two clicks.
Plus, ScreenSteps integrates with SharePoint (in case you don’t officially want to leave SharePoint behind).
Want to see how ScreenSteps compares to SharePoint? Check out the similarities and differences in how the two platforms help you manage information.