SharePoint migration tools have become essential for organizations facing the staggering volume of content stored in on-premises environments. As we approach 2025, the demand for secure, enterprise-ready migration solutions is at an all-time high, making tool selection a critical first step in any migration strategy. When evaluating sharepoint migration tools comparison options, we've discovered there's simply no one-size-fits-all solution. However, choosing the right tool can significantly reduce the complexity of moving years of SharePoint data to the cloud. From Microsoft's free SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) to specialized solutions like Tzunami Deployer for large-scale enterprise migrations, each option offers distinct advantages for specific scenarios.
In this comprehensive guide, we'll examine eight leading sharepoint data migration tools that have been rigorously tested by over 1,000 administrators. We'll analyze their core capabilities, performance characteristics, and optimal use cases to help you make an informed decision for your organization's specific migration requirements.
After evaluating dozens of migration solutions, experienced SharePoint administrators have consistently recommended eight standout tools that deliver exceptional results across different migration scenarios. Each tool offers unique capabilities designed for specific migration challenges.
ShareGate stands out for its intuitive, user-friendly interface that requires minimal technical expertise. Its drag-and-drop functionality makes it accessible even for beginners while still offering powerful migration capabilities. ShareGate excels at supporting a wide range of data types and complex migration scenarios while providing robust reporting tools for tracking progress and troubleshooting issues. Its governance features enhance policy management and monitoring capabilities, making it ideal for organizations of all sizes seeking simplicity without sacrificing functionality.
AvePoint's migration platform delivers comprehensive capabilities specifically designed for enterprise-scale migrations. Its Fly solution ensures migrations are efficient, accurate, and built to scale regardless of whether you're consolidating tenants, modernizing legacy systems, or moving to the cloud. Notable features include zero-impact execution that keeps both environments online during migration, real-time dashboards with one-click reports, and comprehensive migration of settings, configurations, permissions, and metadata. Additionally, AvePoint offers free pre-migration discovery to accurately scope projects, giving enterprises complete visibility across their entire data estate.
Kernel Migration for SharePoint excels at preserving critical metadata and permissions during migration processes. The tool supports cross-version SharePoint migrations from SharePoint Server 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 or SharePoint Online while maintaining site metadata, permissions, and objects. It allows mapping of source and destination tenant users to preserve site membership including owners, members, site admins, and visitors. Furthermore, Kernel Migration offers advanced filtering options for selective migration, supports version history preservation, and enables bulk migration of SharePoint sites and sub-sites with all content types.
Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) provides a no-cost solution for organizations with straightforward migration requirements. As Microsoft's native tool, it integrates seamlessly with SharePoint Online and OneDrive, supporting content migration from SharePoint Server 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019, as well as file shares. SPMT preserves file structures, metadata, permissions, and version history during migration. Recent updates include support for SharePoint Designer workflows, SharePoint Server 2019 migration, and files up to 100GB. The tool also offers PowerShell capabilities for large-scale enterprise migrations.
Quest Content Matrix simplifies migration for hybrid SharePoint environments, enabling high-speed, high-fidelity migration of content from previous SharePoint versions directly into newer SharePoint sites or Microsoft 365. The tool maximizes migration speed while eliminating downtime, with fewer scripts and more automation. Content Matrix preserves metadata, customizations, permissions, information architecture, and Nintex forms and workflows. Its distributed migration capability automatically allocates workloads across multiple machines, allowing simultaneous migrations for enhanced scalability and performance in complex hybrid scenarios.
Tzunami Deployer specializes in Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system migrations to SharePoint, both on-premises and in the cloud. As a multi-source tool, it handles diverse enterprise migration requirements with support for SharePoint 2019, 2016, 2013, and SharePoint Online. Tzunami offers rapid deployment of SharePoint structures, cost-effective migration, and scheduling capabilities including delta migration "at a press of a button." The tool preserves security, metadata, and permissions while providing advanced configuration options like content modeling, property mapping, and virtualized SharePoint migration for organizations with complex ECM integration needs.
BitTitan's MigrationWiz delivers a fully cloud-based migration solution optimized for moving data between cloud environments. This tool excels at migrating user documents across different platforms including OneDrive, Google Drive, and Box. MigrationWiz supports migration of files, folders, permissions, and metadata while maintaining file structures and access levels. Its automation capabilities significantly reduce manual tasks and minimize migration time. For SharePoint-specific migrations, it supports document libraries up to 100GB per library and preserves folder structures, permissions, and custom metadata, making it particularly effective for Microsoft 365 migrations.
Metalogix Content Matrix (now part of Quest) provides powerful capabilities for migrating heavily customized SharePoint environments. It enables direct migration into SharePoint 2019 or SharePoint Online in a single hop without incremental upgrades. The tool migrates metadata, customizations, workflows, permissions, and information architecture with zero downtime. It particularly excels at handling Nintex forms and workflows, special character attachments, and complex customizations. Content Matrix also provides automatic identification of migration roadblocks, supports incremental migration to shorten timelines, and offers conversion of classic SharePoint pages to modern pages, making it ideal for organizations with complex, customized SharePoint implementations.
Evaluating the right SharePoint migration tool requires understanding key technical features that directly impact migration success. Here's what experienced administrators prioritize:
Thorough pre-migration assessment prevents costly surprises. The SharePoint Migration Assessment Tool (SMAT) scans your environment without affecting production systems, identifying potential migration issues. Effective tools should inventory source content, understand information architecture, assess data volume, and identify customizations that might impact the project. This critical step helps organizations recognize what content actually needs migration, often reducing migration scope by up to 70%.
Delta migration transfers only changes made since the last migration rather than moving everything again. In Migration Manager, this means skipping previously migrated files and transferring only updated or newly created content. Quality tools offer scheduling capabilities for delta syncs, automatically managing incremental changes while minimizing transfer volume and time.
Maintaining metadata integrity is non-negotiable for enterprise migrations. Top tools preserve file structures, access rights, version histories, comments, timestamps, and embedded links. Without proper preservation, organizations risk broken permissions hierarchies and lost contextual information.
Migration from legacy Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems requires specialized compatibility. Effective tools provide pre-configured tasks and templates that reduce custom coding requirements while supporting diverse source systems. This capability is essential for organizations transitioning from established ECM platforms to SharePoint Online.
Migration performance varies dramatically based on content type. Light content (ISO files, videos) can achieve up to 10TB/day, while heavy content (list items with custom columns) typically reaches 250GB/day. Tools should distribute workloads across multiple machines to enhance throughput.
Migration involves temporary data exposure, requiring robust security protocols. Premium tools employ encryption for data in transit, secure authentication practices, and compliance with data protection regulations. For regulated industries, tools should maintain detailed audit trails tracking exactly what data moves where.
Manual SharePoint migration is time-consuming and risky.
Without proper tools, businesses may face:
A Microsoft SharePoint migration tool simplifies the process, ensuring a secure and efficient upgrade. It automates data transfer, preserves metadata, and ensures compliance with business policies.
Beyond feature comparisons, successful SharePoint migrations demand a strategic approach to tool selection. First, conduct a thorough environment audit to inventory existing content repositories, workflows, and customizations. This assessment helps identify outdated content that needn't be migrated, potentially reducing migration scope by up to 70%.
Understanding your organization's business objectives is crucial. Are you migrating for compliance, cost savings, or to become AI-ready? These goals directly influence your SharePoint migration utility selection criteria.
Cost considerations vary dramatically between options. While Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool offers a free entry point, enterprise-grade solutions range from $20,000 to $70,000 depending on complexity. Be aware that bandwidth charges may apply when using Azure Storage during migration.
Migration timing deserves careful attention as throughput is highest during off-peak hours. For migrations exceeding 100TB, submit a support request to Microsoft with your estimated timeline.
Instead of attempting a complete migration at once, implement a phased approach. Begin with sandbox environments or non-critical departments before full deployment. This strategy minimizes business disruption while allowing for process refinement.
User adoption ultimately determines migration success. Even flawlessly executed technical migrations fail without proper training and post-migration support. The best sharepoint migration tools include post-implementation analytics capabilities to monitor usage patterns and identify adoption challenges.
Choosing the right tool is just one step. Businesses need expert support to ensure a smooth migration. Company offers:
Choosing the right SharePoint migration tool is critical to project success. This analysis covers eight top solutions tested by 1,000+ admins, each tailored to different needs—scalability, metadata, or customization. Key factors include pre-migration analysis, delta transfers, budget, and security. A phased approach and strong user training are essential. Prioritize tools with reporting features to track adoption and ensure a smooth, high-value migration with minimal business disruption.