With so many intranet products to choose from it can be hard to know where to start. We routinely monitor the market, and of the 200+ options we’ve reviewed over 75 in depth across our SharePoint intranet in-a-box and independent intranet reports. From those, we have compiled an annual list of ‘Intranet Choices’ – products that we expect would often be on people’s shortlists.

Our Choices are based on our scenario scores, pricing, vendor track record and customer feedback. Note though that we don’t say that the Choices are the ‘best’ intranet products. There is no single ‘best’ intranet; there is only a product that is the best match for your needs (that’s why we encourage potential buyers to do the groundwork on requirements and strategy first). However, we appreciate that in a complex marketplace, some signposting can be helpful.

So, here we present the intranet solutions that we feel stand out for 2021; whether you are looking for a product to transform SharePoint into an intranet or an independent intranet platform.

The ‘Global’ badge reflects those products that have a strong presence in North America and Europe in particular, but also have partners or a good spread of customers across the world. High scores (as detailed in either of our intranet reports), a detailed roadmap, and value for money were also factors as part of our consideration.

Interact have a long track record in the intranet market and this level of experience is reflected in the product. Interact is among one of the highest scoring products in the independent intranet report, with a range of features that makes the experience for end-users smooth and engaging.

Unily is another high scorer in the independent intranets report and has a good track record as being a powerful platform that is capable of supporting large organisations. Even smaller businesses will appreciate the flexibility behind the scenes and the appealing user experience.

Valo is a well-designed product that provides a clean and consistent intranet experience for employees and admins alike. It builds nicely on SharePoint standards while continuing to add value as a well-rounded, mature product that continues to improve.

For our ‘North America’ badge we look for vendors with a strong presence in the region, as well as overall high scores from our expert reviews.

Akumina Employee Experience Platform provides a versatile toolkit that can be configured to push past many of the typical constraints of SharePoint. Akumina’s appeal is in its flexibility; it’s one of the few products that can legitimately claim to be a foundation for a full digital workplace.

Communifire (from Axero) is a well-developed, established intranet product, with a smooth and contemporary user experience. Navigation revolves around Spaces, which is an atypical approach but is done particularly well with a variety of tools and features included in each.

In this category we consider vendors with appropriate European support hours and an established track record in the region, as well as overall high scores from our expert assessments.

LumApps is a well-rounded, feature-rich product. Businesses of all sizes will find something to like among its tools, as it is very flexible at an attractive price. The user interface is intuitive for end-users and administrators alike, which stands out among the products we reviewed.

Omnia has consistently performed well in our reviews over the years, with a volume of services and a flexible approach contributing to scores in the latest review. It continues to be a capable and pleasant product that works elegantly alongside and on top of Microsoft’s applications.

Our ‘Value’ category gives us an opportunity to highlight vendors that offer a strong product at a competitive price. These would work well on the shortlist for smaller or low-budget organisations, but larger organisations will find much to like too.

Elcom is a long-standing and very capable product, which has powerful administration features, an appealing approach to content pages, and an excellent search experience. It is not licensed on a per-user basis, which makes it very attractively priced.

Engage from Sorce is also well-established, with mature and versatile features that work well on mobile too. Engage shows a great deal of depth and can be adapted to meet the needs of many companies and their intranets.

Involv is an attractively priced product that builds on top of Microsoft’s modern communication sites. We feel Involv covers the essential elements of an intranet very well and has been a recipient of this award multiple times.

Need help to choose?

Our intranet choices represent the range of the many product available, but there are plenty of other options that may be a better fit for your company. Our three reports are the most comprehensive guides there are to intranet and employee communication platforms.

Our consulting services are also there to help you choose the right platform. Our services include discovery of user needs, intranet strategy, and support for a vendor selection and RFP process.

See our three digital workplace reports for 100 product reviews.