Last updated 9 July 2026 · 5 min read
SharePoint Software: What It Actually Does (and Doesn't)
tl;dr
SharePoint software is Microsoft's document management and intranet platform, sold as part of Microsoft 365. It's built for storing files, publishing internal sites, and automating simple approval workflows across a company. It is not, on its own, HR software or project management software - teams that try to force those jobs into SharePoint usually end up building a maze of lists, folders, and permissions that someone has to maintain forever.
What SharePoint software is
SharePoint is Microsoft's web-based platform for storing files, publishing intranet pages, and managing document workflows.
It launched in 2001 as a standalone server product. Today it ships as SharePoint Online, bundled into most Microsoft 365 business plans.
At its core it's three things: a document library with version control, a site builder for internal pages, and a permissions layer that ties both to your company's Microsoft/Azure AD directory.
Most people encounter it without knowing it - every time you open a file in Teams, that file usually lives in a SharePoint document library behind the scenes.
What companies actually use SharePoint for
- Company intranet - a home page with news, links, and org charts
- Document storage with version history, so nobody emails 'final_v3_ACTUAL.docx' around
- Team and department sites - shared spaces for finance, HR, legal to post files and forms
- Simple approval workflows via Power Automate - expense sign-off, contract review, onboarding checklists
- Search across company documents, when metadata and folder structure are kept clean
SharePoint pricing and plans
SharePoint is priced per user, per month, and rarely sold alone.
SharePoint Online Plan 1 is the entry tier, aimed at file storage and basic sites.
SharePoint Online Plan 2 adds more storage, eDiscovery, and compliance features.
Most businesses get it bundled inside Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Business Premium, alongside Outlook, Teams, and Office apps - which is usually the better deal if you're already paying for email.
Is SharePoint good HR software?
Short answer: not really, on its own.
SharePoint can store HR documents - policies, offer letters, onboarding checklists - and that's genuinely useful.
But it has no employee database, no leave balances, no performance review cycles, no payroll integration. Every HR-specific feature has to be bolted on with SharePoint lists, forms, and workflow rules, built and maintained by IT.
Dedicated HR software (BambooHR, Rippling, Employment Hero, etc.) gives you those as native features, not DIY constructions.
The realistic pattern: SharePoint holds the documents, a real HR system holds the records and workflows.
Is SharePoint good project management software?
This is the 'software pm' question people are actually asking, and the answer is the same shape as HR: SharePoint can support project work, it isn't a project management tool.
SharePoint Lists can approximate a task tracker. Planner (bundled with Microsoft 365) adds boards and due dates on top.
What's missing: dependencies, timeline/Gantt views, capacity planning, and reporting that a dedicated PM tool (Asana, Jira, Monday) gives you out of the box.
Teams that live in SharePoint for project work usually end up exporting to Excel for anything resembling a real project plan.
When SharePoint is the right call - and when it isn't
- Right call: you need a company-wide document library and intranet, and you're already on Microsoft 365
- Right call: compliance and version history on sensitive files matter more than ease of use
- Wrong call: you're trying to replace a CRM, HR system, or PM tool with lists and folders
- Wrong call: you need something a new hire or non-technical teammate can use without a 30-minute walkthrough
- The honest test: if setting up a new SharePoint site for a new use case takes someone on your team more than an hour, the tool is fighting you, not helping you
Where this fits for smaller teams
SharePoint's biggest cost isn't the license - it's the setup and upkeep. Someone has to build the site, structure the folders, write the permissions, and explain it to every new person who touches it.
That's the exact friction small teams run into with most enterprise software: a blank, powerful tool that intimidates people until someone walks them through it by hand.
Synchronise takes the opposite approach for product and go-to-market teams - instead of a site you configure, an AI agent interviews you in a chat and the workspace builds itself around your answers: Outreach here, Content there, no folder structure to design first.
It's not a SharePoint replacement. It's built for teams who want the workspace to adapt to them, not the other way around.
Questions
- What is SharePoint software used for?
- SharePoint is used for company intranets, document storage with version control, and simple automated workflows like approvals and onboarding checklists.
- Is SharePoint free?
- No. SharePoint Online is sold per user per month, either as a standalone plan or bundled inside a Microsoft 365 business subscription.
- Is SharePoint good HR software?
- SharePoint can store HR documents but has no native employee database, payroll, or review cycles - most companies pair it with dedicated HR software rather than replace one with the other.
- What's the difference between SharePoint and Microsoft Teams?
- Teams is the chat and meetings app; SharePoint is the document storage and intranet layer underneath it. Files shared in Teams are usually stored in a SharePoint library automatically.
- Can SharePoint be used for project management?
- It can approximate task tracking through SharePoint Lists or Planner, but it lacks dependencies, timelines, and reporting that dedicated project management software provides natively.
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