AllyMatter vs SharePoint
SharePoint, used as a policy manager
Many companies on Microsoft 365 keep their policies in a SharePoint library, with a Form for acknowledgments and a Power Automate flow for approvals and reminders. This page looks at SharePoint only as a policy manager, against AllyMatter: how a policy is approved, who it reaches, who acknowledged which version, and what you can show an auditor later.
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One policy, one year
Nothing here is a fault in SharePoint. It is what happens when a policy manager has to be assembled from libraries, Forms and flows, and the cost lands months later.
- JanuaryApproved
In SharePointContent approval on the library, or a Power Automate flow someone built. Editing the file cancels a pending request.
AllyMatterApproved in up to four steps and locked while in review. One version goes out, and it is the approved one.
- MarchSent to staff
In SharePointA link goes out by email or in Teams. A Microsoft Form collects names, and nothing ties them to the version.
AllyMatterEach acknowledgment keeps the name, the time, and the version and statement the person confirmed.
- JuneNew hire joins
In SharePointLibrary permissions let them open the policy. Nothing asks them to read it, and nothing flags that they have not.
AllyMatterTheir tags bring them every policy that applies to them, and the record shows they have not acknowledged yet.
- SeptemberPolicy changes
In SharePointThe re-send flow was built by someone who has since moved on. Nobody is sure it still runs.
AllyMatterThe approved change goes back to everyone it applies to, with the changes shown word by word.
- NovemberReview falls due
In SharePointA Purview disposition review is a records clock, not a policy review. The review date sits in someone’s calendar.
AllyMatterA review alert in the app and by email. Past its expiry date, the policy is hidden from its readers.
- DecemberThe auditor asks
In SharePointThe audit log shows who opened the file. Who acknowledged which version sits in Forms responses and flow runs, if they were kept.
AllyMatterExport the log of approvals, distribution and acknowledgments as a PDF or CSV.
SharePoint can do most of this if someone builds it, keeps the flows running and owns the record. The cost is that person’s time, and the gap they leave when they move on.
The trade-off
SharePoint can do much of a policy manager’s job, once someone builds it out of libraries, Forms and flows. Here is where it holds up, and where AllyMatter does the job SharePoint leaves you to build.
Where SharePoint is stronger
- Approvals on any list or library, with any one approver or all of them, and approval flows in Power Automate.
- Version history keeps up to 500 versions by default, and two versions can be compared in Word.
- Retention labels can start a multi-stage disposition review through Purview.
- Policies stay in your Microsoft 365 tenant, under its permissions and its audit log.
Where AllyMatter fits better
- Acknowledgment by name, reminders and re-acknowledgment on change are part of the product, not a flow to design, test and keep running.
- Each acknowledgment is tied to the version and the statement the person confirmed.
- Review and expiry dates sit on each policy, with alerts in the app and by email, and an expired policy is hidden from its readers.
- Approval is required for every document before it goes out, and the document is locked while it is under review.
- Readers are free, and so are approvers who are Viewers, however many you add.
- It handles the policy layer of the standards you work to, such as ISO 9001, HIPAA or ISO 27001: every policy the standard asks for, approved, kept current, acknowledged and kept with its history.
Side by side
From approval to the record you hand an auditor.
YesPartly, or done another wayNot listed on the vendor’s site
| Feature | AllyMatter | SharePoint |
|---|---|---|
| Published price | $29 a month (Startup) or $49 (Scale); yearly $290 or $490 | Included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic $7, Business Standard $23.50 and Business Premium $32 a user a month, paid yearly |
| What the price follows | Editors: up to 20 on Startup, unlimited on Scale. Viewers and external users are free | Each user; 1 to 300 employees on these plans |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card, then a 30-day money-back guarantee | One month free; a credit card is required |
| What you need to run it | A browser, with your data in the US or the EU. Sign in with email, Google or Microsoft | A Microsoft 365 plan for each user; Business Basic has web and mobile apps only |
| Acknowledgment by name | Yes: Yes, signed in, with name, email, date and time | Not listed: Not listed for SharePoint; Microsoft Forms can record names for people signed in with a work or school account |
| Acknowledgment tied to the version | Yes: Yes, with the statement the person confirmed | Not listed: Not listed |
| When a policy changes | Yes: The new version is approved, then goes back to everyone it applies to. Small edits too, since even a comma can change a meaning | Not listed: Not listed |
| Reminders | Yes: Automatic, on a cadence you choose when you send | Partly: A Power Automate reminder flow emails the person who sets it up before a date column; Purview disposition reviewers get a weekly reminder. Reminders to readers not listed |
| Approval before it goes out | Yes: Required for every document: up to 4 steps, any or all approvers | Yes: Yes: Configure approvals on lists and libraries, any one approver by default or all by a toggle; editing a file cancels a pending request. Power Automate approval flows are also documented |
| Version history and compare | Yes: Word-by-word compare with a count of what changed | Partly: Version history keeps the last 500 versions by default; two versions can be compared in Word and Excel |
| e-sign | Yes: Native, an add-on on Scale | Yes: Microsoft 365 eSignature for PDFs and Word, billed pay-as-you-go through an Azure subscription; Adobe Acrobat Sign and Docusign are also integrated |
| Public policy pages | Yes: Yes. Any approved policy can be published to a page that anyone can open without signing in. On Scale, the page sits on your own domain | Partly: Anyone links work without sign-in when the admin allows them; they can expire and be view-only |
| Review and expiry dates | Yes: Both, with in-app and email alerts; expiry hides the document | Partly: Partly: a retention label can start a disposition review, up to 5 stages, when the retention period ends |
| Export of the record | Yes: Document log as PDF or CSV, plus the workspace audit log | Partly: List to Excel or CSV (CSV up to 30,000 rows, lists only); libraries export to Excel |
| Consultants with several clients | Yes: One login across client workspaces; each client owns and pays for its own | Not listed: Not listed |
Facts about SharePoint come only from Microsoft’s own website, read on 22 October 2026. Prices are shown as Microsoft publishes them; where none is published, we say so. “Not listed” means we did not find it on Microsoft’s site, which is not the same as the product lacking it. We make AllyMatter, so read its column as our own description. Something wrong or out of date? [email protected], and we will correct it and date the change.
Sources
- Published price: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/compare-sharepoint-plans
- What the price follows: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/compare-sharepoint-plans
- Free trial: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/compare-sharepoint-plans
- What you need to run it: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/compare-sharepoint-plans
- Acknowledgment by name: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/forms/set-up-your-survey-so-names-aren-t-recorded-when-collecting-responses
- Acknowledgment tied to the version: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/compare-sharepoint-plans
- When a policy changes: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/compare-sharepoint-plans
- Reminders: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/create-sharepoint-reminder-flows
- Approval before it goes out: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/data-and-lists/approvals-in-lists-document-libraries
- Version history and compare: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/documents-and-library/how-versioning-works-in-lists-and-libraries
- e-sign: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/documentprocessing/esignature-overview?view=o365-worldwide
- Public policy pages: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-au/sharepoint/collaboration-options
- Review and expiry dates: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/purview/disposition
- Export of the record: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/lists/data-and-lists/export-to-excel-from-sharepoint-or-lists
- Consultants with several clients: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/sharepoint/compare-sharepoint-plans
Questions
Which is the better fit for a small team, SharePoint or AllyMatter?
SharePoint is the better fit if your company already runs on Microsoft 365, someone on the team builds and looks after Power Automate flows, and you are content for the acknowledgment record to live in Forms responses and flow history. AllyMatter fits when every policy needs approval before it goes out and several people or departments write them.
How do the prices compare?
SharePoint is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($7), Business Standard ($23.50) and Business Premium ($32) a user a month, paid yearly; Microsoft shows no standalone SharePoint price. AllyMatter is $29 a month on Startup or $49 on Scale ($290 or $490 a year), with readers free and a 30-day trial with no card.
Can SharePoint run approvals and reminders on its own?
Microsoft documents approvals on lists and libraries, and reminder flows built in Power Automate. It does not list an acknowledgment by name tied to a version, or a re-send when a policy changes, so those are flows you build, test and keep running yourself.
Can AllyMatter handle the policies a standard asks for?
Yes. AllyMatter handles the policy layer of a standard: the written policies and procedures it asks for, each approved, kept current, sent to the people it covers, acknowledged, and kept with its version history and review dates.
Can we move from SharePoint to AllyMatter?
Yes. Start a 30-day trial with no card, and migration is free on yearly plans. If AllyMatter is not right after you subscribe, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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