SharePoint Modern vs Classic: Key Differences, Benefits & Best Practices!
In today’s digital workplace, every organization relies on efficient collaboration services. One of them which is the most preferred i.e. SharePoint Online. It plays a vital role in collaboration across the organization. Additionally, SharePoint comes with two user interfaces: Modern and Classic. Both are different from each other and offer significant benefits and limitations. In this article, we will explore SharePoint Modern vs Classic which is better.
By the end of our discussion, you have a clear understanding of which option best suits your needs or business requirements. Are you ready for this? If yes, then start discussing with a clear overview of them.
What is SharePoint Classic?
The Classic experience is the default user interface (UI) in the older versions of SharePoint such as 2013, and 2016. This comes with a complicated UI, and fewer options, which is inefficient to use for non-technical users. For customization of the site, users have to get help from SharePoint Designer or coding such as JavaScript. Moreover, it is unresponsive on mobile devices, as it was created at a time when mobile optimization was not a primary focus.
Still, those who have been using this for a long time and in different SharePoint site types found some features which are:
- Customization options are available via coding. This helps developers to create sites, according to their needs, and preferences. Still, if we talk about SharePoint Modern vs Classic, then the Modern experience offered better modification options.
- Sharepoint Classic offers a robust solution to manage and create data i.e. document library. This is best for those who handle large volumes of data.
- It offers granular control over user permissions. With this, the admin will grant specific permissions to users, or groups to avoid unauthorized access.
- Those who still using SharePoint on-premise Classic experience can take the benefit of business intelligent tools by integrating with solutions like SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS). Additionally, users can sync this with Excel services for editing, viewing, or other customization of data.
What is SharePoint Modern?
The Modern experience was introduced with SharePoint Online in 2016. In the comparison of SharePoint Modern vs Classic, the Modern experience offers various features like integration with other Microsoft services like Teams, OneDrive, and more, which enhance the collaboration experience of users. With the help of this, one can access their data from both desktop or mobile devices via the internet, as this is cloud-based. It comes with a simple user interface so that any user can use this effectively.
Let’s understand its salient features:
- It can be accessible from any device such as a tablet, mobile, PC, etc with an internet connection.
- Pre-built web parts offered by this, which help users to add or modify the content effectively, and instantly.
- When considering SharePoint Modern vs Classic, the document libraries available in the modern experience are more advanced and offer various features such as faster search capabilities, better metadata support, and many more.
- SharePoint Modern experience comes with faster performance as compared to the classic. This means modern experience helps sites and content load faster, which saves time and enhances productivity.
- It allows to addition of multiple security measures to the data such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), and others.
- It provides advanced search functionalities with which one can find desired data across SharePoint, OneDrive, and other Microsoft services.
- Unlike the classic experience, SharePoint modern experience helps users to create and modify pages using effective and easy-to-use editors without needing coding.
- Sharing or receiving data to external users or clients becomes secure with modern experience, as it provides robust security.
Related article: Microsoft SharePoint vs Google Sites
SharePoint Modern vs Classic: Key Differences!
Now, it’s time to learn the cut-to-cut comparison of both SharePoint Classic and Modern experiences through this table:
| # | Feature | Classic Experience | Modern Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | User Interface (UI) & User Experience | The interface is complicated and requires technical knowledge for modification. It is not mobile-friendly and requires more time for site or content loading. | Comes with a self-explanatory interface and faster responsive design, and is optimized to work on mobile devices. |
| 2 | Customization & Flexibility | Easily customizable but requires technical and development skills. Plus, it requires proper planning and time, as this modification procedure can be complex. | Allows customization with minimum technical knowledge via web parts. There is no requirement for coding with this, it automatically does everything you want. |
| 3 | Performance & Speed | Its speed and performance are slow, especially with a large volume of content. | Offers faster speed and performance, which minimizes the loading time, even with large data. In the comparison of SharePoint Modern vs Classic, it won in performance and speed. |
| 4 | Mobile Optimization | Trying to access SharePoint Classic Site is not possible, as it shows a cumbersome interface, which can’t even be readable. | It is mobile-friendly and the interface is quite simple, and you can do some modification tasks from your mobile devices (if needed). |
| 5 | Integration with Microsoft 365 | Integration is not possible with the latest Microsoft services, but with old tools, you can sync such as SharePoint Designer, InfoPath, and Outlook. | It can be configured with any Microsoft services like Teams, OneDrive, Word, Excel, and more. This helps organizations to make the collaboration activities seamless. |
Transitioning from Classic to Modern SharePoint!
As we learn various benefits of Sharepoint Modern site over Classic site. So, after understanding SharePoint Modern vs Classic, many organizations decide to migrate SharePoint site to another site and find a way to do so. If yes, then we will explain the ways. For the same, there is no reliable manual method to move content simultaneously. Therefore, it is suggested to opt for SoftwarePro SharePoint Online Migrator which helps you to achieve the desired results.
If you want to move specific data, then use the Date Filter option. For recently arrived data opt for Delta Migration, and for larger data choose bulk migration. This utility offers several other features also such as re-run migration. Furthermore, you can use this tool for SharePoint Online tenant to another tenant transition.
So, what are you waiting for? Opt for this solution and migrate all your data from the Classic experience to the Modern experience, only if it’s in a different tenant.
Author’s Verdict!
In the SharePoint Modern vs Classic comparison, it’s clear that the Modern experience is better due to its faster performance, and intuitive interface. For those who already using SharePoint Online, it is suggested to move from classic to modern to enhance productivity. Still, first, check your organization’s requirements then make a decision. However, if you decide to switch then the specified solution will help in this by migrating all your classic data to modern in a different tenant.
