Liferay DXP vs. Microsoft SharePoint

Microsoft SharePoint and Liferay DXP frequently appear together on enterprise shortlists for intranets, portals, and digital experience initiatives. But beneath the surface, the two platforms are designed for very different purposes. Understanding these differences is essential when planning long-term digital strategy, modernizing legacy environments, or consolidating customer- and partner-facing experiences.

This blog post summarizes findings from a detailed comparison of the two platforms, including licensing structure, total cost of ownership (TCO), governance model, and suitability for internal and external digital experiences. All statements referenced below are supported by publicly available Microsoft documentation, Liferay product materials, or recent analyst research.

Different Purposes, Different Strengths

SharePoint: Built for Collaboration and Document Management

Microsoft positions SharePoint Online as a solution to share files securely, manage content in document libraries, and collaborate across teams.

It integrates natively with Microsoft 365 tools such as Teams, OneDrive, and Office apps, making it a strong choice for organizations that standardize on Microsoft’s productivity stack.

Key strengths include:

Document libraries and version control
Native co-authoring within Office apps
Deep integration with Microsoft 365 (Teams, Outlook, OneDrive)
Familiar employee experience
Foundational intranet capabilities aimed at internal audiences

However, SharePoint is not positioned as a full digital experience platform (DXP). External-facing use cases can require additional tools or licensing and organizations frequently restrict external sharing due to governance and security challenges.

Analyst research continues to categorize SharePoint within the intranet market rather than as a multi-audience or customer-facing digital experience platform.

Liferay DXP: Designed for Multi-Audience Digital Experiences

Liferay DXP supports internal and external audiences, including employees, customers, partners, and vendors.

The platform enables organizations to unify portals, intranets, websites, and customer experiences on a single foundation.

Core differentiators include:

Multi-site and multi-brand management
Fine-grained roles, permissions, and governance
Personalization and segmentation
Headless and API-led integrations with core business systems
Flexible deployment: SaaS, PaaS, public cloud, private cloud, on-premises
Support for authenticated customer and partner portals

Where SharePoint focuses heavily on collaboration and productivity, Liferay DXP focuses on the ability to deliver personalized, authenticated, multi-audience journeys at scale.

Pricing and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

SharePoint Online

SharePoint Online Plan 1 is listed at $5 per user per month (annual commitment). Many Microsoft 365 bundles include SharePoint, but the pricing structure remains fundamentally per-user.

Additional costs may apply for:

Power Automate flows and automation
Power BI for analytics
Azure AD B2B for external identities
Premium governance or records-management features

SharePoint Server (On-Premises)

Microsoft licenses SharePoint Server using a Server + CAL (Client Access License) model. Microsoft reaffirmed this model in its licensing documentation and increased on-premises server product and CAL Suite pricing in 2025.

On-premises deployments also introduce:

SQL Server dependencies
Patching and infrastructure maintenance
Monitoring and upgrade cycles
Migration requirements due to end-of-support dates for SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 (July 14, 2026)

Liferay DXP

Liferay employs a subscription-based business model. Customers pay for an enterprise subscription, which includes support, maintenance, and legal protections. Unlike Microsoft, Liferay offers a perpetual license, enabling customers to continue using Liferay DXP even if they no longer have a commercial relationship with Liferay.

Pricing is based primarily on capacity and deployment model (SaaS, PaaS, Self-Hosted). This blended model helps enterprises avoid runaway costs as digital experiences grow.

Comparing Total Cost of Ownership

Cost Category	SharePoint	Liferay
Pricing Model	Per-user for SharePoint Online; Server + CAL for SharePoint Server.	Subscription-based; enterprise subscriptions combine capacity and usage tiers rather than strict per-user billing.
Maintenance & Infrastructure	On-premises deployments require separate server licensing, SQL Server, patching, and infrastructure maintenance. Cloud versions reduce but do not eliminate administrative overhead.	Self-hosted deployments require similar maintenance responsibilities to SharePoint Server deployment. PaaS and SaaS deployments include updates, backups, and monitoring within the subscription.
Advanced Capabilities	Advanced automation, analytics, or records-management scenarios often depend on premium Microsoft 365 licenses or third-party add-ons.	Advanced features such as integration, workflow, and personalization are included in bundled offerings, reducing reliance on external tools.
Lifecycle & Migration	SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reach end of extended support on July 14 2026; subsequent upgrades or migrations are required.	Liferay self-hosted and PaaS deployments have fixed maintenance windows of seven years, after which customers must upgrade to remain supported. However, thanks to the perpetual license they receive, customers are under no obligation to upgrade to continue using Liferay DXP. SaaS customers are automatically upgraded to the latest version.

Security, Governance, and Lifecycle Considerations

SharePoint Online benefits from Microsoft’s cloud security model, but organizations remain responsible for governance, external sharing configuration, and customizations. Many enterprises restrict external sharing because of security and access-control challenges.

Liferay DXP offers flexible security models across SaaS, PaaS, and self-managed deployments, with strong identity integration, DevSecOps alignment, and role-based governance.

Which Platform Fits Your Use Case?

Choose SharePoint if…	Choose Liferay DXP if…
Your needs are centered on collaboration and document sharing.	You need to manage internal- and external-facing digital experiences in one platform.
Your organization runs primarily on Microsoft 365.	You require authentication and personalization for customers or partners.
You are building a traditional intranet.	You are building multi-site, multi-brand, or multi-audience experiences.

Final Thoughts

SharePoint and Liferay DXP each excel in different domains. SharePoint is optimized for collaboration; Liferay DXP is optimized for digital experience delivery.

If your organization plans to expand customer-facing, partner-facing, or multi-brand digital initiatives, Liferay DXP offers a unified platform with the governance, flexibility, and scalability required to support them.

To learn more about how Liferay can support your digital transformation roadmap, visit liferay.com or contact us at [email protected].