Are you wondering when to create a SharePoint team site and when to create a communication site? In this SharePoint Online tutorial, we are going to discuss what are SharePoint Online Team sites and communication sites. Also, we will see the differences between the SharePoint Online Team site and the Communication site.
So. let us explore, SharePoint Team site vs Communication site in detail.
What is a SharePoint Team site?
A SharePoint Online Team site is a place where team members can collaborate with each other. We can store, and share documents with others using various SharePoint document libraries. Also, Team members can have conversations with your team, and track the status of a project.
What is a SharePoint Communication site?
A SharePoint Online Communication site is a place where you can convey information like news, updates, etc, to the entire organization. It is visually attractive, and Communication site are used for Presenting beautiful content to people in your Organization to keep them informed and to be engaged on projects or topics.
Difference between SharePoint Team site and SharePoint Communication site
Here, we are going to discuss the SharePoint Team site vs the SharePoint Communication site.
Team Site | Communication Site |
---|---|
The SharePoint Team site is a place, where we collaborate among different team members working on the same project. | The SharePoint Communication site is a place for the entire Organization. |
A place where members of a workgroup or a Project team can collaborate on project delivery, Track the status of a project, or exchange ideas, for that we need a SharePoint Team site. | A place where we want to “broadcast ” messages, Share Content for viewing(not editing) to large audiences or entire organizations, and for that, we need a SharePoint Communication site. |
The Team site has a navigation bar on the left. | The Communication site has a navigation bar along the top. |
On the SharePoint Team site all members, have an editing option. | On the SharePoint Communication site, only a few have editing options. |
By default, the SharePoint Team site is private | By default, the SharePoint Communication site is public |
On the SharePoint Team site, where we can add members directly, and also we can invite members to collaborate via emails to access the site. | On the SharePoint Communication site, where we Invite members to collaborate via emails to access the site |
Discussion Board it’s a web part that is available on the Classic SharePoint Team site and it is used for team collaboration. | On the SharePoint Communication site, we can’t add a Discussion board to the site. |
On the SharePoint Team site, by default -> external sharing is enabled, if required we can disable it | On the Communication site, External sharing is disabled but it can enable by only SharePoint Admins. |
Example: For example, an organization’s Finance team can store Finance-related documents so their team members can access and work on them. | Example: For example, in an organization, you can create a communication site for Travelling. They can publish guidelines about corporate travel. |

Conclusion
In this SharePoint Online tutorial, we have learned what are the differences between SharePoint Team site and the SharePoint Communication site.
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Bijay Kumar Sahoo is a highly accomplished professional with over 15 years of experience in the field of SharePoint and related technologies. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) more than 9 times, starting from April 2014, for his exceptional contributions to the SharePoint community. Bijay is also a prolific author, having written two books on SharePoint – “Microsoft Power Platform – A Deep Dive” and “SharePoint Online Modern Experience Practical Guide“. His deep insights into SharePoint are also shared on his popular YouTube channel EnjoySharePoint where he teaches SharePoint to a global audience (From various countries like the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc). Read more…