The most practical intranet buying guide you’ll read this year.

Choosing the right intranet can feel overwhelming. Employee communication has changed, workforces are more distributed than ever and digital noise has skyrocketed. Most organisations reach a point where information flow becomes messy, culture becomes fragmented and employees struggle to find what they need.

That tipping point usually happens once you reach around 200 employees. That’s when an intranet stops being optional and becomes essential.

This guide gives you a clear, structured, honest comparison of the top 16 intranet software platforms so you can choose the one that meets your needs today and scales for tomorrow.

Let’s start with the basics.

What is intranet software?

Intranet software is the internal digital hub where employees access communication, knowledge, updates and tools. It creates a single place for people to stay informed, aligned and connected to their organisation.

Modern intranets typically include:

• Employee news and announcements

• Document storage, policy hubs and knowledge libraries

• Personalised content based on role or location

• Mobile access for frontline and remote workers

• Social features such as comments and recognition

• Integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and HR systems

• Analytics to understand and improve communication

A strong intranet makes the employee experience easier, clearer and more connected.

How do you know you need an intranet?

Most organisations outgrow a mixture of email, Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, noticeboards and file shares long before they realise it. Common signs include:

1. Communication is scattered across too many channels

Important information gets buried or ignored.

2. Frontline or remote workers feel disconnected

Different groups get different messages, creating inconsistency.

3. People ask for documents and policies constantly

Information isn’t centralised or easy to find.

4. Culture feels fragmented

Teams operate in silos and connection suffers.

5. You can’t measure communication effectiveness

Without analytics, you’re guessing what’s working.

6. You have more than 200 employees

If more than one of these resonates, you're ready for an intranet and the ranking below will help you choose the right one.

Why this countdown exists 

Once you realise you need an intranet, the next question becomes:

“Which intranet is actually right for us?”

This is where most organisations get stuck.

Different intranets serve different needs:

• Some excel with frontline workers

• Some specialise in knowledge management

• Some prioritise culture and engagement

• Some are built for global enterprise complexity

• Some are perfect for mid-sized organisations

This countdown was created to help you match your challenges with the platform designed to solve them.

Quick comparison table (before the countdown)

Top 16 intranet software

16. Axero

Axero is a simple and modern intranet for mid-sized organisations wanting a clear, easy-to-manage internal hub. It offers intuitive navigation, team spaces, basic social features and straightforward publishing. It's ideal for companies that need a clean platform without complex enterprise requirements.

However, Axero falls short in advanced governance, deep personalisation, multi-brand structures and cross-regional communication workflows. It's a dependable fit for 100–1,000 employee companies but not suited to larger enterprise environments that require richer analytics or structured content frameworks.

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15. Microsoft SharePoint

SharePoint excels at document management, permissions, workflows and governance. For organisations that are deeply embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem, it remains a powerful, highly configurable option.

The drawback is that SharePoint often needs customisation to feel like a modern intranet. Adoption challenges are common and non-technical employees may find it overwhelming. SharePoint suits organisations that prioritise document governance and IT-led configuration over employee experience and mobile-first design.

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14. Confluence

Confluence is an excellent knowledge management hub, especially for technical departments. It provides structured documentation, version control and strong collaborative editing.

But Confluence is not designed to be an enterprise-wide intranet. It lacks thoughtful communication flows, personalisation, modern mobile UX and engagement features. For organisations with more than 200 employees, Confluence should be paired with a broader intranet that handles communication and culture across the whole business.

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13. Blink

Blink is a mobile-first platform designed for organisations with a high volume of frontline, shift-based or deskless workers. It offers fast messaging, forms, schedules and a simple employee app that requires minimal training.

Blink excels in frontline communication but does not provide the structured content, policy management or enterprise governance features needed for large or complex organisations. It's ideal as a frontline communication tool, not as a full intranet system for enterprise environments.

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12. Jive

Jive has long been known for fostering collaboration and community-style knowledge sharing. Its discussion forums and community spaces support strong cross-department communication.

However, in today’s market, Jive’s user experience feels outdated and mobile adoption is less competitive. While it remains dependable, its lack of modern UX innovation makes it less appealing to organisations wanting a contemporary employee experience platform.

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11. Simpplr

Simpplr provides a polished, modern intranet experience with clean design, strong personalisation and intuitive navigation. It’s widely used by mid-sized organisations wanting a visually sophisticated intranet without complex configuration.

Its limitations include less flexibility for multi-brand structures, enterprise-level workflows and high governance environments. Simpplr works best for companies that want simplicity and design, not heavy enterprise architecture.

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10. Happeo

Happeo is a social-style intranet built for Google Workspace users. It integrates tightly with Google Drive and Gmail, making it exceptionally easy to adopt for digital-first teams.

Its strengths are simplicity, speed and social interaction. Its limitations involve governance, advanced personalisation and structured content. It’s ideal for Google-first scaleups—not for enterprise organisations with complex communication requirements.

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9. Haiilo

Haiilo blends internal communication with external advocacy, enabling employees to share company-approved content on social platforms. This makes it popular with organisations wanting to amplify their employer brand.

However, its intranet capabilities aren’t as deep as platforms built purely for internal communication and knowledge management. Haiilo works best in marketing-driven organisations where advocacy matters more than structured intranet depth.

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8. MangoApps

MangoApps is a comprehensive all-in-one platform that includes intranet, collaboration, chat, tasks and training. It offers a wide range of capabilities at a competitive price point.

The downside is that its broad functionality can mean shallower intranet depth. Large enterprise environments may find it lacks the refinement, governance and personalisation needed at scale. MangoApps is best for organisations wanting a versatile, budget-friendly suite rather than a specialist intranet.

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7. Igloo Software

Igloo excels in structured content and team-based knowledge management. Its modular design allows departments to manage their own spaces and workflows, making it ideal for organisations with distributed ownership.

However, its user interface and mobile experience feel less modern than newer intranet platforms. Igloo is strong in structured environments but less suited to engagement-focused enterprise organisations.

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6. Interact Software

Interact is built for organisations with heavy policy, governance and compliance requirements. It offers robust content lifecycle management, form workflows and intelligent search that makes policy access simple.

Its focus on structure and governance means it’s less engaging from a social or cultural perspective. Interact is ideal for regulated industries but may feel too rigid for organisations prioritising engagement, community or frontline experience.

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5. Workvivo (by Zoom)

Workvivo is culture-first. It’s built to boost connection through social feeds, recognition, communities and a user-friendly mobile experience.

It thrives in organisations prioritising belonging and transparency but offers limited intranet structure for policies, complex content or workflows. Many enterprise organisations use Workvivo as a complementary engagement layer rather than their core intranet.

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4. Staffbase

Staffbase excels in enterprise-level internal communication, especially for organisations with large frontline populations. It offers branded employee apps, targeted publishing and strong comms campaign tools.

While its communication capabilities are excellent, Staffbase is lighter on collaboration, structured knowledge and advanced governance. It's ideal for communication-heavy organisations, not those needing full intranet functionality.

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3. LumApps

LumApps is a sophisticated employee experience platform with strong personalisation, communities, multilingual support and Google Workspace integration. It’s widely used by global enterprises with complex communication structures.

While LumApps supports Microsoft 365, its strongest advantages remain within the Google ecosystem. Enterprise organisations using Google Workspace will find LumApps a standout choice.

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2. Unily

Unily is an enterprise-scale intranet platform built for global organisations with deep governance, complex structures and multilingual requirements. It offers rich analytics, strong personalisation and excellent scalability.

However, deployment can be lengthy and resource-heavy. It’s a perfect fit for large, structured enterprises but excessive for organisations with simpler needs.

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1. Oak Engage

Best intranet for enterprise organisations with 500+ employees

Oak Engage delivers a modern intranet experience for medium - enterprise sized organisations that brings communication, engagement, personalisation, mobile access and knowledge management into one unified platform. It is designed specifically for enterprise organisations that need to reach hybrid, frontline and desk-based employees in one place.

The platform balances enterprise power with usability. Employees get clear, personalised content built for engagement. Comms teams get control, analytics and targeting. IT teams get strong integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Business leaders get clarity on what employees are engaging with.

Oak Engage fits enterprise organisations with 200 to 50,000+ employees. For companies below this size, it may be more powerful than required  but for enterprise needs, it’s the most balanced and effective intranet available.

Conclusion: choosing the right intranet for the

way your people work

Selecting the right intranet is ultimately about finding a platform that reflects the way your organisation communicates, collaborates and grows. Every business has different priorities, whether that is creating a central source of truth, improving the employee experience, supporting frontline teams or building a stronger culture. The platforms in this list each excel in different areas, which is why matching your challenges to the right solution is more important than following trends.

For enterprise organisations with more than 200 employees, the need for clarity, personalisation and consistent reach becomes even more significant. This is where modern intranet platforms such as Oak Engage stand out, offering an experience that brings communication, knowledge and engagement into one integrated environment. Whatever platform you choose, the aim remains the same: creating a more connected, informed and supported workforce that can do its best work every day.