SharePoint Vs OneDrive 2024
Popular Microsoft products OneDrive and SharePoint have certain features in common.
Because of it, it’s not always obvious how to utilize them or what makes them different from one another.
This comparison of SharePoint and OneDrive has been put together to clear up any ambiguity.
If you would like to have a deeper understanding of SharePoint, check out our SharePoint courses!
OneDrive
Simply said, OneDrive is Microsoft’s online storage service (file-sharing software). OneDrive is available to everyone with a Microsoft account.
To receive 5GB of free storage, you can opt to sign up for any of the OneDrive subscriptions.
As an alternative, you will receive 1TB of data storage when you subscribe to Microsoft 365.
This would be of interest to businesses that require a lot of data storage capacity.
Now, OneDrive is a cloud storage platform, but once you know what a Microsoft OneDrive account is, you can use it for more than just that.
Some businesses use it as a repository for their document management systems, a backup for crucial documents, and a variety of other things.
SharePoint
SharePoint is a web-based collaboration system that enables corporate teams to collaborate using workflow applications, “list” databases, other web elements, and security features.
SharePoint also enables the organisation to utilize the platform to manage information access and streamline workflows between business divisions.
Sharepoint is also considered a file-sharing software – you can find out more about how to Share Files and Folders with it here.
As an “Intranet” platform that spans all business sectors, SharePoint has played a crucial role in boosting working efficiency in Fortune 500 organisations over the past 17 years.
The platform’s various capabilities make it simpler for users to collaborate on one-off projects and create standardised corporate procedures for data recording, document publication, and information sharing.
So the question remains, who is better: Sharepoint vs Onedrive?
What Are The Similarities?
Cloud Storage
Sharepoint vs Onedrive both provide cloud storage, which means that your information is safely kept within Microsoft’s extensive network of data centres.
Microsoft instantly transfers your document from one of these data centres to your phone or PC when you view it, doing all of this without your knowledge or involvement.
A data centre is exactly what? In essence, it is a sizable building that houses servers that house client data.
Imagine a data centre as a modern warehouse (or numerous warehouses) filled entirely with tons of extremely huge hard drives.
The cloud has a place. Therefore, it isn’t just “anywhere.” This takes me to my second point, which is a very, very secure place.
Business-Grade Security
Microsoft security features protections are included in both OneDrive for Business and SharePoint, ensuring that your data is protected at all times.
SharePoint vs OneDrive for Business employ SSL/TLS connections for all online interactions.
The 2048-bit keys used to establish all SSL connections are secure.
Your data is therefore encrypted the whole time you access it to prevent unwanted access.
Imagine that there is a tunnel between your computer and the data centre.
Your data is protected before it reaches the tunnel (see below) (Encryption at Rest).
The data enters the tunnel when you access it, and its active encryption is unbreakable.
If a third party were to attempt to intercept this data before it reached its intended recipient, all they would see is a ton of jumbled data.
Access From Anywhere
The user may access data from either service practically everywhere there is a network connection.
The accessibility of cloud-based storage is the primary benefit.
As a user, as long as you have internet connectivity, you may access your information from nearly any device.
I’ll give you a scenario: You are on vacation when a coworker contacted you regarding a project you have been working on for a customer before the trip.
Although the agreement wasn’t scheduled to be finalised for another two weeks, it appeared that the customer wanted to move the process along and urgently needs the proposal.
This would have been a real disaster for someone without cloud storage.
There would have been nothing you could have done if you had kept the proposal alone on your computer.
You were fortunate to have the proposal stored in your OneDrive, so you were able to access it from your phone (while on the beach, mind you), download it, and then transmit it to your coworker while sitting beachside in a chair in the sand.
Your vacation and business transaction were both rescued.
What Are The Differences?
Sharepoint vs Onedrive, what are the main differences between them? Let’s take a closer look:
Collaborative Versus Individual Storage
Most of the misunderstanding between SharePoint and OneDrive relates to storage use.
Yes, both SharePoint and Onedrive are excellent for cloud-based storage, but what you’ll be putting IN that storage is one of the key differences. OneDrive serves as your own storage space.
Put any files and papers here that you don’t want other employees of your company to have access to.
If you’re working on a paper, for instance, you might not be ready to share files with your coworkers quite yet. In this situation, you ought to store data in OneDrive.
Although the document is private, you are still free to share it with certain individuals as needed, but your business as a whole won’t have access to it without your express consent.
On the other side, SharePoint is your shared cloud storage. In order to work with a team of coworkers on a document, you would save it here.
This is a simple mnemonic to recall the difference.
Consider OneDrive’s “One” as storage for a single user (you).
Similar to this, SharePoint’s “Share” feature is where you should save items that are suited for collaborative work.
How To Use OneDrive vs SharePoint
You may be asking how to obtain OneDrive and SharePoint for yourself or your company now that you are aware of their importance and interdependence. Fortunately for you, both are present in Microsoft 365 for Business and Enterprise in all of its configurations.
OneDrive and SharePoint are actually only two of the numerous programs and services that Microsoft 365 has to offer.
You can actually even use SharePoint and OneDrive side by side! Find out more on how to Sync SharePoint to OneDrive here.
Pricing And Accessibility
OneDrive Home Pricing
Users of the Standalone plan have the opportunity to increase to 100GB of storage space after receiving the initial 5GB for free by paying just £1.99 per month.
For £59.99 per year or £5.99 per month, the next tier, geared for professional customers, offers 1TB of storage as well as Skype and Office connectivity.
Given that there are few alternatives between 100GB and 1TB, additional selections would be helpful.
Families will require more, which is what the £79.99 per year Microsoft 365 Family plan delivers.
Office programs are accessible to up to six users, and each user receives 1TB of storage.
As a result, it’s a fantastic solution for family members who want their own storage and the flexibility to exchange multiple files together.
OneDrive Business Pricing
The commercial user has four choices.
At the lowest level, £3.80 per user per month, each user has access to 1TB of storage.
You may purchase an additional £3.80 worth of storage space per user.
The service is somewhat constrained because there is no app interaction outside of OneDrive.
Users must choose the Business Basic or Business Standard subscription if they wish to use other Microsoft product programs, such as Teams, SharePoint, and Office.
It’s disappointing that neither Basic nor Standard provide limitless cloud storage.
We interpret this to suggest that OneDrive still does not provide corporate users with the ideal all-inclusive package.
SharePoint Online Plan 1
Small and medium-sized businesses should choose the first package, SharePoint Plan 1.
This plan is included in the overall package for OneDrive and SharePoint.
It costs £3.80 per user every month with a one-year commitment.
The features included in SharePoint Plan 1 are listed below.
SharePoint Online Plan 2
Large-scale commercial enterprises can use the SharePoint Plan 2.
It gives you complete access to Microsoft SharePoint with all of the features and capabilities large enterprises require.
The cost per user/month for SharePoint Plan 2 is £7.50.
In reality, SharePoint Plan 1 and SharePoint Plan 2 are significantly different.
In addition to the advantages that the first plan offers, Plan 2 gives you a lot more features.
Which Should I Use?
Save a file to OneDrive if you’re working on it alone.
Unless you want to share them, your OneDrive files are private, which is particularly helpful if you haven’t yet established a team.
OneDrive for work or school connects you to all of your shared libraries, so if you’re already working as a team—in Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, or Outlook—you should keep your files where your team works.
You can move (or copy) personal files between OneDrive for work or school and a Microsoft SharePoint site when you wish to share them with a new team of individuals or even grant access to other teams.
Files and folders can be moved (or copied) across sites, inside a SharePoint library, or from OneDrive to a SharePoint server.
Even better, you can transfer personal files from another person’s OneDrive to your own.
- Choose Move To after selecting the documents or folders you wish to move.
- Choose the area you wish to relocate to. Sites can be found in the Quick Access area. Depending on where you are, different places emerge. You can view your current library, OneDrive, and other sites if you’re on SharePoint, for instance.
- Choose Move Here to begin moving the things after selecting the place to which you wish to move them.
Conclusion
The key distinctions between Sharepoint vs Onedrive ought to be clearer to you at this point.
Both SharePoint and Onedrive are excellent for sharing and storing files, but as was already said, they require very different approaches to use well.
Of course, adopting SharePoint should be a consideration for those who want more than simply a location to store files and collaborate with essential documents.
OneDrive will be more than enough for individuals who want a straightforward location for their variety of files and may need some productivity features.
Now you can make your pick between Sharepoint vs Onedrive.
Decided on SharePoint? Check out our SharePoint Beginners Guide here!
