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Document management software · head to head

Microsoft SharePoint vs Box

Priya Nandakumar Written by Priya Nandakumar · Edited by Sebastiaan Smits · Fact-checked by Connor Blake · Published September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

Box is a content platform built around sharing sensitive files securely with people outside the company, with unlimited storage on its Business plans. SharePoint is the library system inside Microsoft 365, stronger on required metadata, check-out and very large files. Firms exchanging documents with clients and partners choose Box; Microsoft 365 organizations managing internal records choose SharePoint.

Side by side

Microsoft SharePointBox
What it isDocument libraries and intranet within Microsoft 365Cloud content platform with security and governance
Best forMicrosoft 365 organizationsCompanies sharing files with outside parties
HeadquartersUnited StatesUnited States
Pricing modelPer user / monthPer user / month
PricingIncluded in most Microsoft 365 business plans priced per user; SharePoint Premium and Purview compliance features cost extra or need higher plans.Free individual plan; business plans priced per user with a three-user minimum and upload limits that rise by tier; Box Governance and Box Shield are sold as add-ons.
Free optionFree trialFree plan
List price
as listed on September 30, 2026		$7.00 per user per month, paid yearly (Microsoft 365 Business Basic, which includes SharePoint)€4.50 per user per month, billed annually, minimum of 3 users (Business Starter; €6 on monthly billing)
Place in our document management software ranking#4 of 16#6 of 16
Websitemicrosoft.combox.com

Both are reviewed in full in Best Document Management Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.

Which one to choose

Choose Microsoft SharePoint if

your documents mostly circulate inside the company, Microsoft 365 is already licensed, and you want required metadata, check-out and approvals run by your own administrator.

Microsoft SharePoint, #4 in the ranking · Visit Microsoft SharePoint →

Choose Box if

your work involves sending sensitive documents to clients and partners, and you want expiry dates, watermarks, download controls, e-signatures and access logs on shared files.

Box, #6 in the ranking · Visit Box →

Where they differ

Sharing outside the company

This is Box's home ground: link expiry, download controls, access logs and unlimited e-signature requests on business plans, with document watermarking from the Enterprise plan. Note that Box Business charges per external collaborator, while Business Plus allows unlimited ones. SharePoint has external sharing switched on by default, through guest accounts or sign-in-free links, but it is a setting to govern, not the product's focus.

Edge: Box

Making metadata mandatory

SharePoint content types can require metadata before a document is saved, and check-out with major and minor versions controls revisions. Box has metadata templates, but they remain optional, and the site's review notes that users slide back to folder habits. SharePoint only delivers this if someone governs it, yet the enforcement mechanism exists there and is weaker in Box.

Edge: Microsoft SharePoint

Which tier holds the records features

Both charge beyond the entry plan, by different routes. Box sells Governance, covering retention policies, disposal and legal holds, as an add-on to its Business and Enterprise plans, and bundles it only in Enterprise Advanced. Microsoft grants retention policy rights for SharePoint with Business Premium, E3, E5 or SharePoint Plan 2, not with Business Basic or Standard. Compare the two at those tiers.

Edge: even

File size and storage limits

SharePoint accepts single files up to 250 GB on every plan. Box caps uploads by plan: 2 GB on Business Starter, 5 GB on Business, 15 GB on Business Plus, 50 GB on Enterprise and 500 GB only on Enterprise Advanced. Box answers with unlimited storage from Business upward, where SharePoint pools 1 TB plus 10 GB per license. For large files, SharePoint is ahead.

Edge: Microsoft SharePoint

Tally: Microsoft SharePoint 2, Box 1, even 1.

When neither fits

Neither is the obvious answer for a small company that wants metadata, approvals and retention without enterprise tiers or Microsoft administration. Folderit offers those at a flat monthly price by tier, and Zoho WorkDrive gives low-cost team folders with permissions, versioning and data templates.

See Folderit and Zoho WorkDrive among the 16 products in Best Document Management Software in 2026.

Questions and answers

Is Box worth paying for if Microsoft SharePoint is already included in our Microsoft 365 plan?

It can be, if exchanging sensitive documents with outside parties is a core activity. Box's expiry, download controls, access logs, e-signatures and watermarking on Enterprise are what it is bought for. If documents mostly stay internal, SharePoint already covers metadata, versions and approvals.

Do Box and Microsoft SharePoint both support retention policies and legal holds?

Yes, at a price. Box Governance adds retention policies, disposal and legal holds as an add-on, included only in Enterprise Advanced. Microsoft lists Business Premium, E3, E5 or SharePoint Plan 2 as the licenses that grant retention policy rights for SharePoint content.

Can a very small business use Box or Microsoft SharePoint?

Box's business plans carry a three-user minimum, so a two-person firm pays for a seat it does not use; Business Starter serves up to 10 users with 100 GB. SharePoint comes with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, priced per user, but it rewards having someone who can administer it.

What do Box and Microsoft SharePoint cost at the entry level?

Box lists Business Starter at €4.50 per user per month on annual billing, or €6 monthly, and Business at €13.50 annually, each with a three-user minimum. SharePoint is part of Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $7.00 per user per month, paid yearly. The currencies differ as listed on each page.

Sources

Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.