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Document Management (DMS)

Microsoft SharePoint

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Panel rating · 6 judges · How to read the stars

Category median

Sovereignty: not determined

0–5 in half steps. 5 means the rubric's top anchor is met on the evidence.

by Microsoft Corporation · www.microsoft.com

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Microsoft SharePoint: AI-assisted analysis on whats-best.ai Microsoft SharePoint: AI-assisted analysis on whats-best.ai (dark)

Add ?theme=dark to the image address for dark backgrounds. The badge shows the category and the month of the latest evaluation, and EU-Made where that is the product’s provenance. It never shows a score.

Microsoft SharePoint at a glance

Vendor
Microsoft Corporation
Headquarters
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
Data hosting
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
Free plan
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
Panel verdict
The AI panel rates Microsoft SharePoint 1.5/5, the mean of 6 judges. SharePoint scores strongest as a public platform and weakest at document intake. how scores are made
As of
Vendor pages captured 1 Oct 2026 to 13 Oct 2026; evaluated by the panel 15 Oct 2026. all sources

Microsoft SharePoint alternatives, European ones first →

Read this page as one judge. Each weighs the same scores by what they care about.

The Records Manager

Weighted verdict

Owns the filing plan and gets the call when a contract from 2019 cannot be found. Wants metadata that is set at capture rather than typed later, version history with restore, search that respects permissions, and a bulk export that keeps metadata and versions together.

Same scores as the panel view — this lens weights them the way this judge cares.

Scored by The Records Manager

Panel median The Records Manager This judge’s scores over the panel median. Each label opens its reasoning below.
Scores per criterion, in stars out of 5
Criterion Panel median The Records Manager
Capture, OCR & indexing 1 of 5 0.5 of 5
Versioning, permissions & audit trail 2 of 5 1.5 of 5
Audit-proof archiving & retention 2 of 5 2 of 5
Document workflows & integrations 2 of 5 2 of 5
Search, retrieval & exit 2 of 5 2 of 5
European sovereignty 1.5 of 5 1.5 of 5
Pricing transparency 1.5 of 5 1 of 5

Capture, OCR & indexing

How this is scored

How documents get in and become findable: scanning and email intake, OCR, classification and metadata extraction, and whether incoming e-invoices (XRechnung, ZUGFeRD) are read as structured data rather than as pictures.

0 — Manual upload only; no OCR, no metadata beyond file name and folder.

3 — Upload, drag-and-drop and scan import with OCR mentioned, but indexing is manual and no word on email intake or e-invoice formats.

5 — Scanner, email and folder intake, full-text OCR, document types with metadata fields, and automatic extraction of common fields (date, sender, amount) documented.

8 — AI- or rule-based classification and field extraction with confidence and a validation step, XRechnung and ZUGFeRD read as structured data, mailbox and Microsoft 365 intake, and duplicate detection documented.

10 — Capture is engineered and shown: classification and extraction trainable per document type, validation queues, e-invoice validation against the standard, intake channels listed with their limits, and where AI processing runs (location, model provider) stated.

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The Records Manager

Document libraries with versioning and file management between OneDrive and SharePoint are the only intake the captured pages document, plus a developer mail API for building apps that process email. We found no public information on OCR, scan import, classification, metadata extraction at capture, or whether XRechnung and ZUGFeRD are read as structured data — for a filing plan that must be set when the document arrives, that is almost nothing to work with. 2 4

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Versioning, permissions & audit trail

How this is scored

Who may see and change which document, what happened to it, and whether earlier states can be recovered: version history, check-in and check-out, role- and attribute-based rights, and an audit trail of reads and changes.

0 — Files overwrite each other; rights only at folder level or not described; no log of who did what.

3 — Version history and folder permissions exist, but no check-out, no record-level rights and no documented audit log.

5 — Version history with restore, check-in and check-out, roles and groups with document-type or record-level rights, and an audit log of changes documented.

8 — Metadata-driven permissions (by department, client or confidentiality), audit trail covering reads, exports and deletions, single sign-on and directory sync (Entra ID, LDAP) documented, and administrators' own actions logged.

10 — Access is provable: the audit trail is tamper-evident and exportable, permission changes are themselves versioned, field-level rights and need-to-know access for HR or legal records documented, and the log retention period stated.

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The Records Manager

Versioned document libraries with access control and Microsoft Entra ID for identity are documented, which earns the basic level, and a separate Microsoft 365 Backup product promises restoration of lost or corrupted data. But we found no public information on version restore, check-in and check-out, record-level rights, or an audit log of reads and changes — and without that log I cannot prove who touched a file when the 2019 contract goes missing. 2 7

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Audit-proof archiving & retention

How this is scored

GoBD-compliant, revisionssicher archiving: immutability of archived documents, retention schedules and deletion, tax-audit data access, and the independent evidence behind the claim — scored on what is certified and documented, not on the word "GoBD-konform".

0 — No statement on archiving, retention or GoBD.

3 — "GoBD-konform" or "revisionssicher" claimed with no certificate, no description of how immutability is achieved and no retention settings documented.

5 — Archived documents documented as unchangeable, retention periods configurable per document type, deletion after expiry, and a sample Verfahrensdokumentation or GoBD guidance offered.

8 — An auditor's report (IDW PS 880 or comparable) published or named with its scope and date, WORM or equivalent storage described, legal hold, GDPR deletion reconciled with retention duties, and Z1–Z3 tax-audit export documented.

10 — Archiving is evidenced end to end: current Testat with scope covering the cloud and on-premises editions as sold, retention and deletion logged and reportable, long-term formats (PDF/A) enforced, and a documented procedure for the tax audit and for moving the archive without breaking its integrity.

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The Records Manager

Microsoft 365 Archive is documented as compliant cold storage, with an FAQ covering legal hold, searchable archived content and archiving of full sites or single files, and the retention pages describe automated policy enforcement with alerts and scheduled deletions under named regulations. But we found no public information on GoBD, a Verfahrensdokumentation, how immutability of archived documents is achieved, or an auditor's report — and the named regulations are HIPAA, GDPR and SOX, which is not a German tax audit. 6 7

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Document workflows & integrations

How this is scored

What happens to a document after it arrives: approval and invoice workflows, tasks and deadlines, and the connectors that tie the DMS to ERP, accounting, DATEV, Microsoft 365 and the rest of the stack.

0 — No workflows; documents are stored and nothing else.

3 — A fixed approval or sharing step and a handful of named integrations, with no workflow designer and no API documentation.

5 — A workflow designer for approvals and invoice processing, tasks with deadlines and substitutes, Microsoft 365 or Outlook integration, and a documented REST API.

8 — Graphical workflow modelling without code, invoice workflow with ERP or DATEV handover documented, connectors for named ERP systems (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, DATEV) with their scope, webhooks or events, and e-signature integration.

10 — Workflows are a platform: versioned workflow definitions, process reporting with throughput times, a public API reference with rate limits and a sandbox, a partner marketplace of integrations with stated maintainers, and workflow history kept in the audit trail.

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The Records Manager

The developer side is genuinely documented: Microsoft Graph REST APIs with SDKs, change notifications, Teams bots, PowerShell automation, quick starts, code samples and a try-it-in-browser explorer. But we found no public information on approval or invoice workflows, a workflow designer, tasks with deadlines and substitutes, or ERP, DATEV and e-signature connectors — so what happens to a document after it arrives is left entirely to what a customer builds itself. 1 4 5

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Search, retrieval & exit

How this is scored

Finding documents again and taking them with you: full-text and metadata search, saved searches and mobile access, and whether documents, metadata, versions and audit trail can be exported in documented formats when the contract ends.

0 — Folder browsing only; no export beyond downloading single files.

3 — Full-text search exists, but no metadata filters, and bulk export is undocumented or only on request.

5 — Full-text and metadata search with filters and saved searches, mobile or web access, and bulk export of documents with their metadata (for example CSV or XML) documented.

8 — Search across versions and attachments with permissions respected, export of documents in original format with metadata, versions and audit trail in a documented structure, and an import path from other DMS or file shares named.

10 — The exit is designed in: a documented complete export with schema, export available self-service at any time, the post-termination retrieval window and data deletion stated, and archives stored in open formats so a successor system can take them over intact.

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The Records Manager

Copilot Search with natural-language queries, discoverability of content alongside Microsoft 365 files, web and mobile access, and an FAQ confirming archived content stays searchable are documented. But we found no public information on metadata filters and saved searches, and — the part I weigh most — no documented bulk export of documents together with their metadata, versions and audit trail, and no exit terms or retrieval window for when the contract ends. 2 4 6

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European sovereignty

How this is scored

Who the contracting entity and its owner are, where documents and their metadata are stored and processed in the cloud edition, and who the subprocessors are — including any AI provider that reads document content. Independently sourced by the sovereignty pipeline.

0 — Non-EU contracting entity, no statement on where documents are stored, and subprocessors unnamed.

3 — An EU entity contracts, but the cloud edition runs on a non-EU-controlled hyperscaler without a stated safeguard, or the subprocessor list is absent.

5 — EU contracting entity and EU data centres stated for the cloud edition, with a DPA, but significant parts of the chain (hosting, AI processing, support) are non-EU-controlled without a stated safeguard.

8 — EU entity, documents and metadata stored in named EU data centres, subprocessor list with locations published, AI processing location disclosed, an on-premises or private-cloud option offered, and certifications (ISO 27001, BSI C5) published.

10 — Sovereign end to end and evidenced: European ownership, EU entity, every processing location and subprocessor European, customer-controlled keys or on-premises operation available, and certifications with their scope published.

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The Records Manager

For EU customers the contracting entity is Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited per the provenance note, though we found no confirmation of this on the vendor's own captured pages, and the vendor is US-based in Redmond. We found no public information on where documents and metadata are stored, on subprocessors, or on where the AI behind the Copilot add-on processes content. 1 2 3

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Pricing transparency

How this is scored

Whether a buyer can compute the cost of a given number of users, storage and modules — including cloud versus on-premises licensing, maintenance, implementation partner fees and price increases — from public pages alone.

0 — No public prices at all; every quote comes from sales or a partner.

3 — A "from" price or a single edition priced, but modules, storage, maintenance and partner implementation are unstated — the real cost is unknowable.

5 — Editions priced per user or per month, but at least one commonly needed cost (storage, archiving or workflow module, maintenance percentage, onboarding) is missing or "on request".

8 — Every edition and module priced publicly, storage limits and overage stated, on-premises licence and maintenance terms given, and contract term and notice period published.

10 — Complete cost computability: a configurator or price list covering users, modules, storage and deployment model, partner implementation priced or bounded, and price-increase terms on a public page.

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The Records Manager

A public comparison page lists three editions with one terabyte of cloud storage per user, a 1–300 user range and round-the-clock phone and web support, but I found no price figures in any capture — not for the editions, not for storage overage, and not for the Copilot add-on, with agents priced only as consumption on a separate Azure subscription. A buyer cannot compute a total cost from these pages. 2

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European sovereignty — proven facts

0 of 4 dimensions proven

Built only from facts shown on the vendor's own pages. A dimension we could not prove is left open, not scored as zero.

Ownership Not determined — uncited Report an error
Data residency Not determined — uncited Report an error
Subprocessors Not determined — uncited Report an error

Questions about Microsoft SharePoint

Is Microsoft SharePoint European?

No. whats-best.ai classifies Microsoft SharePoint as Rest of world.

Where does Microsoft SharePoint store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

Does Microsoft SharePoint have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

What are the best alternatives to Microsoft SharePoint?

As of 15 Oct 2026, the panel rates AMAGNO (3/5), Doxis (3/5) and EASY Archive (2.5/5) highest among the other 14 Document Management (DMS) products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is AMAGNO (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: how scores are made. The full list, with European products first: Microsoft SharePoint alternatives.

Where this could be wrong

What we left out

A claim that does not survive our checks costs us the claim, not the page. This is what was taken off this one.

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Sources (7)

The pages every claim on this page was read from — each one checked, dated, and kept verifiable.

  1. 1 Vendor homepage www.microsoft.com Checked 13 Oct 2026 Details →
  2. 2 Pricing page www.microsoft.com Checked 1 Oct 2026 Details →
  3. 3 Legal notice www.microsoft.com Checked 13 Oct 2026 Details →
  4. 4 Document workflows & integrations — found from sitemap developer.microsoft.com Checked 13 Oct 2026 Details →
  5. 5 Document workflows & integrations — found from sitemap developer.microsoft.com Checked 13 Oct 2026 Details →
  6. 6 Audit-proof archiving & retention — found from sitemap www.microsoft.com Checked 13 Oct 2026 Details →
  7. 7 Audit-proof archiving & retention — found from sitemap www.microsoft.com Checked 13 Oct 2026 Details →