Author-it
Author-it is a component content management system that helps you create, manage, and publish high-quality technical documentation and localized content across multiple channels from a single source.
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint is a collaborative platform that integrates with Microsoft 365 to help your organization manage content, share knowledge, and build intranets that improve teamwork across every department.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Author-it | Microsoft SharePoint |
|---|---|---|
| Website | author-it.com | sharepoint.com |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Subscription |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | $5/month |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✓ 30 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 1996 | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Newport Beach, USA | Redmond, USA |
Overview
Author-it
Author-it provides a centralized platform for managing complex documentation through component-based authoring. Instead of managing massive, static documents, you create small components of content that you can reuse across different manuals, help guides, and websites. This approach ensures that when you update a single piece of information, the change reflects everywhere that component is used, significantly reducing manual editing time and errors.
You can streamline your entire documentation lifecycle from initial drafting to multi-channel publishing and translation. The platform is particularly effective for highly regulated industries like life sciences and manufacturing where precision and compliance are non-negotiable. By moving away from traditional word processing to a structured database environment, you gain complete control over your content's consistency and accuracy.
Microsoft SharePoint
Microsoft SharePoint serves as your organization's mobile, intelligent intranet. You can create secure sites to store, organize, share, and access information from any device. It simplifies how you manage documents by providing a central location where your team can collaborate on files in real-time. Whether you are working on a small project or managing a massive corporate library, you can use SharePoint to keep everyone synchronized and informed.
You can also build communication sites and portals to broadcast news and resources across your company. By integrating deeply with Microsoft 365, it allows you to move seamlessly between your email, calendar, and documents. It solves the problem of fragmented data by giving you a single source of truth for all your digital assets and internal communications.
Overview
Author-it Features
- Component Authoring Create small pieces of reusable content once and use them across multiple documents to ensure total consistency.
- Multi-Channel Publishing Publish your content to PDF, HTML5, Word, and mobile formats simultaneously from a single source of truth.
- Variant Management Manage different versions of your products easily by using variables to swap out specific details automatically.
- Translation Management Reduce localization costs by only sending new or changed content components to your translation providers.
- Workflow Automation Track your document progress with built-in review and approval cycles that keep your team on schedule.
- Release Management Control exactly which versions of your content are live and maintain historical records for audit compliance.
Microsoft SharePoint Features
- Real-time Co-authoring. Work on the same document simultaneously with your teammates and see their changes as they happen in real-time.
- Intranet Site Builder. Create beautiful, mobile-ready communication sites to share news, reports, and resources with your entire organization or specific teams.
- Advanced Search. Find exactly what you need quickly with intelligent search that surfaces relevant documents, people, and site content across your network.
- Version History. Track every change made to your files and restore previous versions instantly if you need to revert an update.
- Automated Workflows. Connect with Power Automate to create custom approval processes and notifications that handle your repetitive administrative tasks automatically.
- Granular Permissions. Control exactly who can view or edit your sensitive information with flexible security settings at the site or folder level.
Pricing Comparison
Author-it Pricing
Microsoft SharePoint Pricing
- 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user
- Share files securely inside or outside your org
- Sync local copies of files for offline viewing
- Co-author documents in real-time
- Create team sites and communication sites
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Everything in Plan 1, plus:
- Fully installed desktop Office apps
- Business-class email and calendaring
- Microsoft Teams for chat and meetings
- Standard security and compliance tools
- Web versions of Outlook, Word, and Excel
Pros & Cons
Author-it
Pros
- Excellent content reuse capabilities save significant time
- Centralized database ensures high levels of content consistency
- Powerful multi-channel publishing handles complex formatting well
- Strong support for regulated industry compliance requirements
Cons
- Significant learning curve for users new to CCMS
- Initial setup and configuration requires careful planning
- Interface can feel dated compared to modern web apps
Microsoft SharePoint
Pros
- Deep integration with the familiar Microsoft 365 ecosystem
- Highly customizable to fit specific organizational structures
- Robust document versioning and recovery capabilities
- Excellent mobile accessibility for remote team members
Cons
- Initial setup and configuration can be complex
- Interface feels overwhelming for non-technical users
- Requires significant time to master advanced features