SharePoint vs OneDrive: my files, or our files?
OneDrive is for your own work files; SharePoint is for team sites and shared libraries that belong to the business, not one person. You rarely pick one: every Microsoft 365 business plan includes both, starting at $7.00 per user a month (Business Basic, paid yearly) with 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user. The real question is where each file should live.
Key takeaways
✓ Prices checked October 14, 2026
| OneDrive | SharePoint | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Personal cloud library for one user’s work files (and files you send in Teams chats) | Team sites and shared document libraries (the storage behind Teams files) |
| Who owns the files | The individual user; when the account is deleted, the manager gets access by default and the OneDrive is removed after a 30-day default retention period | The organization; files stay on the site when people come and go |
| Default access | Private until you share | Everyone who is a member of the site or team |
| Storage in Microsoft 365 business plans | 1 TB per user on Business Basic, Standard, Premium and Apps for business | Shared pool: 1 TB plus 10 GB per license purchased, up to 25 TB per site |
| Included in | Business Basic $7.00, Standard $23.50, Premium $32.00, Apps for business $10.00 (per user/month, paid yearly) | Business Basic, Standard and Premium; not listed in Apps for business |
| Standalone plan price | See current price (Microsoft’s OneDrive business page lists only Microsoft 365 bundles) | See current price (SharePoint Plan 1 and 2 exist as standalone options, but Microsoft’s plan page shows no price) |
| Home plans | Microsoft 365 Basic $19.99/yr (100 GB), Personal $99.99/yr (1 TB), Family $129.99/yr (2 TB shared) | Not offered for home use |
| File size limit | 250 GB per file | 250 GB per file |
| Sync to your computer | Yes | Yes, libraries sync through the same OneDrive app |
| Best for | Drafts, personal notes, files only you work on | Department files, client folders, anything the business must keep |
| See OneDrive plans → | See SharePoint plans → |
The difference in one line: who the file belongs to
Microsoft’s own advice is short: if you are working on a file by yourself, save it to OneDrive; if the file is for your team, save it where the team works, in Teams or SharePoint. OneDrive files are private unless you share them. SharePoint files sit on a site that a group of people can already open.
Under the hood they are the same technology. Microsoft says SharePoint provides the content services for all files in Microsoft 365, and OneDrive is the personal slice of it. That is why the limits match: both take files up to 250 GB each, and the same sync app on your computer handles both your OneDrive and any SharePoint libraries you sync.
Price: you almost never pay for one without the other
Microsoft sells OneDrive and SharePoint for business inside Microsoft 365 plans. On its plan pages today, every price is per user per month, paid yearly on an annual subscription:
- Business Basic, $7.00: web and mobile Office apps, business email, Teams, SharePoint, 1 TB of OneDrive per user.
- Business Standard with Copilot, $23.50: adds desktop Office apps and Copilot in the apps.
- Business Premium with Copilot, $32.00: adds device management and stronger security.
- Apps for business, $10.00: desktop apps and 1 TB OneDrive, but SharePoint and email are not in the plan highlights.
Versions without Teams cost less ($5.40, $20.30 and $28.80). Microsoft also lists a one-month free trial on business plans and a 7-day window for a prorated refund once a paid subscription starts.
Standalone SharePoint Plan 1 and 2 exist (Microsoft’s limits page lists them as a standalone option), but none of Microsoft’s public plan pages showed a price today, so we do not print one. For most small businesses Business Basic is the cheaper route anyway, because it adds email and Teams. For a full suite comparison see Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace.
Storage: per person vs one shared pool
OneDrive storage is per user: 1 TB on each business plan. SharePoint storage is a pool for the whole organization: 1 TB plus 10 GB for every license you buy. Ten users on Business Basic get 1 TB each in OneDrive and about 1.1 TB shared across all SharePoint sites. One site can hold up to 25 TB if the pool has room.
That shared pool is the number to watch. A team that dumps years of video into SharePoint can run out long before anyone fills a personal OneDrive. Compare it with other services on our cloud storage plans page.
What happens when someone leaves
This is the practical reason to keep business files in SharePoint. When an admin deletes a user, Microsoft gives that person’s manager access to their OneDrive by default, and the OneDrive is cleaned up after a retention period that defaults to 30 days. Microsoft also archives OneDrive accounts that sit unlicensed for 93 days. Files on a SharePoint site do not depend on any one account, so nothing needs rescuing.
Sharing and sync
Both let you share a file or folder directly with other people. The difference is the starting point. In OneDrive you share item by item. In SharePoint, membership of the site is the share, so new hires see the right files on day one.
Both sync to Windows and Mac through the OneDrive app. Moving a file from OneDrive to a team site breaks links people had to the old copy, so it pays to save team files in the right place from the start.
Verdict: who should pick which
- Use OneDrive for files only you work on: drafts, personal notes, your own exports. It is private by default and syncs to your computer.
- Use SharePoint (or the Files tab in Teams, which is SharePoint) for anything a team or the business needs to keep: client folders, contracts, shared templates.
Comparing Microsoft with other storage? See OneDrive vs Google Drive, Dropbox vs OneDrive, Box vs Dropbox, or every service on the cloud storage plans page.
SharePoint vs OneDrive FAQ
Is OneDrive part of SharePoint?
Effectively, yes. Microsoft says SharePoint provides the content services for all files in Microsoft 365. OneDrive is the personal library for each user; SharePoint sites are the shared ones.
Do I need to pay for SharePoint if I have OneDrive?
Not if you have Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard or Premium; SharePoint is included. Apps for business ($10.00 per user a month, paid yearly) does not list SharePoint, and Microsoft 365 home plans include only OneDrive.
Should I store company files in OneDrive or SharePoint?
SharePoint. OneDrive belongs to one user, and after that account is deleted it is removed once the retention period ends (30 days by default). SharePoint files belong to the site.
How much storage do OneDrive and SharePoint include?
OneDrive: 1 TB per user on Microsoft 365 business plans. SharePoint: 1 TB per organization plus 10 GB per license purchased, as of October 14, 2026.
Can I sync SharePoint to my computer like OneDrive?
Yes. SharePoint and Teams libraries sync through the same OneDrive app. On Windows they appear in File Explorer in a folder named after your organization.
What is the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint in Teams?
Files you send in a one-to-one or group chat are stored in your OneDrive. Files in a Teams channel are stored in that team’s SharePoint site.
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