# Haystack, Microsoft SharePoint vs HCL Connections Comparison

| | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.7 out of 5 | 4.0 out of 5 | 3.9 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 246 | 8,937 | 518 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Mid-Market (69.2% of reviews) | Enterprise (49.8% of reviews) | Enterprise (48.9% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | Contact Us | $20 user/month | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Haystack

Pros:
- Ease of Use (60 reviews)
- Navigation Ease (28 reviews)

Cons:
- Search Difficulty (8 reviews)
- Confusion (6 reviews)

### Microsoft SharePoint

Pros:
- Ease of Use (130 reviews)
- Team Collaboration (113 reviews)

Cons:
- Understanding Difficulty (43 reviews)
- Difficult Setup (41 reviews)

### HCL Connections

**Not enough data**

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.3 (206 reviews) | 8.5 (7536 reviews) | 8.3 (434 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 9.3 (213 reviews) | 7.8 (7586 reviews) | 8.2 (438 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 9.2 (85 reviews) | 7.5 (2039 reviews) | 7.4 (98 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 9.4 (49 reviews) | 7.6 (1689 reviews) | 7.4 (95 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 9.3 (151 reviews) | 7.9 (5768 reviews) | 8.0 (377 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.6 (46 reviews) | 8.2 (1517 reviews) | 8.1 (91 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.2 (209 reviews) | 7.1 (7340 reviews) | 6.9 (428 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Haystack

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Click Below for More!

Price: Contact Us

Key Features:
- Get a custom quote

[Learn more about Haystack](https://www.g2.com/products/haystack-2024-05-28/reviews)

#### Free Trial

Yes

### Microsoft SharePoint

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Office 365 Enterprise E3

Price: $20 user/month

Description: annual commitment

Key Features:
- Team Sites
- External Sharing
- Content Management

[Browse all 3 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-sharepoint/pricing)

#### Free Trial

No

### HCL Connections

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

Yes

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Team Collaboration

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Haystack** | N/A | N/A |
| **Microsoft SharePoint** | N/A | N/A |
| **HCL Connections** | N/A | N/A |

#### Communication

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Status Updates** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Instant Messaging** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Activity Feed** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Notifications** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Comments and Voting** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Discussions** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **User Directory** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Online Status of Coworkers** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Content Management

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **File Sharing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Document Collaboration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Version Control** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Tagging** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Knowledge Base** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Surveys** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Productivity Tools

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Task Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Calendar** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Search** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Mobile** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Multi-Language Support** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Administration

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Moderation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **User, Role, and Access Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Performance and Reliability** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Employee Communications

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Haystack** | 9.0/10 | 128 |
| **Microsoft SharePoint** | N/A | N/A |
| **HCL Connections** | N/A | N/A |

#### Information Distribution

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **News Feed** | 9.4 (120 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Newsletter** | 9.1 (110 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Notifications** | 9.0 (117 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Email** | 8.7 (104 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Multi-Channel Sharing** | 8.7 (101 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Employee Engagement

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Employee Generated Content** | 9.1 (114 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Confirmation** | 8.9 (101 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Comments** | 9.2 (114 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Inline Translation** | 8.1 (87 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Administrative Access** | 9.0 (98 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Content Interaction** | 9.5 (38 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Surveys (global & local)** | 8.5 (34 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Chat** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### User Experience & Accessibility - Employee Communications

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Native Mobile Application** | 8.7 (36 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Branded Experience** | 9.3 (35 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Personalized Ux Experience** | 9.0 (36 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Audience Management & Creation** | 9.0 (36 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Content Distribution - Employee Communications

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Newsfeed** | 9.3 (38 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Newsletter Engine** | 8.9 (34 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Multi-Channel Sharing** | 9.0 (34 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Additional Features - Employee Communications

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Emergency Notifications** | 8.7 (35 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Analytics** | 8.5 (34 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Integrations** | 8.5 (33 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Employee Communications

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Cross-system Integration** | 8.6 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Natural Language Interaction** | 8.8 (12 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Enterprise Social Networking (ESN)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Haystack** | 8.2/10 | 11 |
| **Microsoft SharePoint** | N/A | N/A |
| **HCL Connections** | N/A | N/A |

#### Content & Community Features - Enterprise Social Networking (ESN)

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Gamification** | 6.8 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Community Building** | 8.6 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Knowledge Sharing** | 8.8 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **User Generated Content** | 8.8 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Admin & Reporting Features - Enterprise Social Networking (ESN)

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Content Moderation** | 8.2 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Polls & Surveys** | 8.2 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Content Management** | 8.0 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Analytics & Reporting** | 7.7 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **User Management** | 8.8 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Enterprise Social Networking (ESN)

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Multi-step Planning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Natural Language Interaction** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Employee Intranet

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Haystack** | 8.3/10 | 31 |
| **Microsoft SharePoint** | 8.3/10 | 313 |
| **HCL Connections** | N/A | N/A |

#### Agentic AI - Employee Intranet

| Feature | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | 8.2 (30 reviews) | 8.2 (241 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | 8.3 (30 reviews) | 8.4 (239 reviews) | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (1):** [Employee Intranet Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/employee-intranet)

**Unique to Haystack (2):** [Enterprise Social Networking (ESN) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/enterprise-social-networking-esn), [Employee Communications Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/employee-communications)




---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Haystack | Microsoft SharePoint | HCL Connections | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 12.0% | 17.0% | 23.3% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 69.2% | 33.2% | 27.8% | 
| **Enterprise** | 18.8% | 49.8% | 48.9% | 

### By Industry

#### Haystack

- **Information Technology and Services:** 8.4%
- **Financial Services:** 7.9%
- **Computer Software:** 6.6%
- **Marketing and Advertising:** 6.2%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 5.7%
- **Logistics and Supply Chain:** 4.8%
- **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 4.0%
- **Construction:** 3.5%
- **Insurance:** 3.5%
- **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 3.1%
- **Other:** 46.3%

#### Microsoft SharePoint

- **Information Technology and Services:** 11.0%
- **Financial Services:** 5.9%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 5.5%
- **Computer Software:** 4.5%
- **Education Management:** 4.0%
- **Higher Education:** 3.9%
- **Accounting:** 3.1%
- **Non-Profit Organization Management:** 3.1%
- **Insurance:** 2.7%
- **Retail:** 2.7%
- **Other:** 53.5%

#### HCL Connections

- **Information Technology and Services:** 6.8%
- **Hospital & Health Care:** 5.3%
- **Retail:** 5.1%
- **Education Management:** 4.4%
- **Higher Education:** 3.6%
- **Automotive:** 3.0%
- **Banking:** 3.0%
- **Research:** 2.7%
- **Food & Beverages:** 2.5%
- **Insurance:** 2.3%
- **Other:** 61.4%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Haystack

- [Simpplr](https://www.g2.com/products/simpplr/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (361 reviews)
- [Workvivo](https://www.g2.com/products/workvivo/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (2659 reviews)
- [Basecamp](https://www.g2.com/products/basecamp/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (5485 reviews)
- [Assembly by Quantum Workplace](https://www.g2.com/products/assembly-by-quantum-workplace/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (3945 reviews)
- [Connecteam](https://www.g2.com/products/connecteam/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (3505 reviews)
- [Viva Engage](https://www.g2.com/products/viva-engage/reviews) — 3.6/5 stars (1441 reviews)
- [DSMN8](https://www.g2.com/products/dsmn8/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (1120 reviews)
- [Softr](https://www.g2.com/products/softr/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (693 reviews)
- [Reward Gateway Employee Experience Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/reward-gateway-employee-experience-platform/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (2882 reviews)
- [Xoxoday](https://www.g2.com/products/xoxoday-xoxoday/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (1580 reviews)

### Alternatives to Microsoft SharePoint

- [Workvivo](https://www.g2.com/products/workvivo/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (2659 reviews)
- [Bitrix24](https://www.g2.com/products/bitrix24/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (608 reviews)
- [Simpplr](https://www.g2.com/products/simpplr/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (361 reviews)
- [Jive](https://www.g2.com/products/jive/reviews) — 3.8/5 stars (309 reviews)
- [Basecamp](https://www.g2.com/products/basecamp/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (5485 reviews)
- [Staffbase](https://www.g2.com/products/staffbase/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (247 reviews)
- [Blink](https://www.g2.com/products/blink-blink/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (290 reviews)
- [SAP SuccessFactors HCM](https://www.g2.com/products/sap-sap-successfactors-hcm/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (1654 reviews)
- [Igloo](https://www.g2.com/products/igloo/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (94 reviews)
- [eXo Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/exo-platform/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (93 reviews)

### Alternatives to HCL Connections

- [Viva Engage](https://www.g2.com/products/viva-engage/reviews) — 3.6/5 stars (1441 reviews)
- [Jive](https://www.g2.com/products/jive/reviews) — 3.8/5 stars (309 reviews)
- [Bitrix24](https://www.g2.com/products/bitrix24/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (608 reviews)
- [eXo Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/exo-platform/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (93 reviews)
- [Simpplr](https://www.g2.com/products/simpplr/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (361 reviews)
- [Workvivo](https://www.g2.com/products/workvivo/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (2659 reviews)
- [Basecamp](https://www.g2.com/products/basecamp/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (5485 reviews)
- [Jostle](https://www.g2.com/products/jostle/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (227 reviews)
- [SAP SuccessFactors HCM](https://www.g2.com/products/sap-sap-successfactors-hcm/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (1654 reviews)
- [Xoxoday](https://www.g2.com/products/xoxoday-xoxoday/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (1580 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Haystack

No discussions available for this product.

### Microsoft SharePoint

- Title: [What is the purpose of this software](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-purpose-of-this-software) — 7 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "SharePoint is an excellent document sharing repository system. You can keep multiple versions of the same document with a detailed document history and track..."
- Title: [What is Microsoft SharePoint used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-microsoft-sharepoint-used-for) — 5 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "Share point is mainly used by organizations in order to store their information in an organized manner which is accessible to all of the employees there..."
- Title: [What are some innovative ways organizations are using Microsoft SharePoint to enhance internal collaboration?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-are-some-innovative-ways-organizations-are-using-microsoft-sharepoint-to-enhance-internal-collaboration) — 4 comments
  > **Top comment:** "SHAREPOINT is best utilized when it's Integrated with teams or any platform because it's the best backend storage."
- Title: [What is SharePoint software used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-sharepoint-software-used-for) — 3 comments
  > **Top comment:** "Storing documents in their original format"
- Title: [How to save multiple files without checking in each file](https://www.g2.com/discussions/13929-how-to-save-multiple-files-without-checking-in-each-file) — 3 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "Unfortunately you cannot. At least not that I’ve seen. It is a headache uploading one file at a time. "

### HCL Connections

No discussions available for this product.

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/haystack-2024-05-28-vs-microsoft-sharepoint-vs-hcl-connections)