What to keep in mind when picking a SharePoint migration tool

If you’re planning a SharePoint migration, there’s a good chance you’ve already looked at Microsoft’s SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT). it’s free, it’s native, and for simple “point A to point B” moves, it gets the job done.

But migrations are rarely just “copy and done.” As environments grow, so do the variables: large data volumes, complex site structures, nested permissions, and content types or metadata that need to arrive intact. At that point, the question isn’t just how to move files, but how much planning, validation, and cleanup the migration will need.

That’s where migration tooling choices start to matter.

In this guide, we’ll break down the top factors to keep in mind when choosing a SharePoint migration tool so you can pick the right path for your business—without the midnight troubleshooting sessions. The goal is to help Microsoft 365 IT administrators understand when Microsoft’s native tooling is sufficient—and when a more specialized migration tool may be needed for complex projects.

What to consider when choosing a SharePoint Migration tool

Migration is more than moving files from A to B. Microsoft’s native tools are perfectly capable of moving content, but the real challenge is making sure you land with your structure, permissions, and metadata ready to work. 

The last thing you want is to finish your migration just to realize you’ve signed up for a weeks-long cleanup marathon. You need a SharePoint data migration tool that handles the heavy lifting upfront—mapping permissions correctly and keeping site structures intact—so you can focus on what comes next, not on fixing what broke during the move. 

With that in mind, here are the top things to look for when picking a tool.

Scalability and performance

When you’re dealing with a complex workload or large-scale migration, you need a tool that handles the complexity for you. It’s common for IT teams to start with native tools—they’re built-in, after all—only to hit configuration gaps or missing components that stall the project mid-stream. 

Look for tools that:

• Support large-scale migrations with batching, multi-machine execution, or parallel workflows
• Provide restart and incremental migration capabilities for long-running projects
• Offer both UI-based management and automation options (like PowerShell) depending on your team’s needs
• Help reduce manual effort through centralized monitoring and job control

Fidelity and data integrity

When a tool leaves behind broken permissions, orphaned links, or unmapped metadata, the issues don’t just stay in the migration logs—they ripple into your search results, create compliance and audit gaps, and ultimately erode day-to-day user trust. If people can’t find their files or find themselves locked out of folders they used to own, they’ll see the migration as a failure, no matter how much data you managed to move.

Look for tools that:

• Support metadata and content type migration with high fidelity
• Preserve version history and help teams manage sensitivity labels post-migration
• Support permission migration and identity mapping for users and groups
• Migrate site structures while helping validate navigation and fix broken links

If you’re migrating from SharePoint On-Premise to SharePoint Online, it’s also an opportunity to modernize, whether that means redesigning your site architecture, aligning sites with Microsoft 365 Groups and Teams, or cleaning up legacy permissions. Look for tools that support both lift-and-shift migrations and structured reorganization, so you’re not just moving content, but improving how it’s managed going forward.

Reporting and visibility

Checking whether every single site made it safely through a migration manually would likely take hours of meticulous work. Tools can automate this process, providing you with clear visibility both pre- and post-migration.

Look for tools that:

• Offer pre-migration readiness checks that identify mapping issues, unsupported items, and potential SharePoint Online throttling risks
• Grant detailed post-migration reporting, showing what worked, what failed, and the next steps to take

Automation and scheduling

In a modern migration, you shouldn’t have to pull the plug on productivity. Most migration strategies today—including those using SPMT—rely on incremental or staged moves to keep downtime to an absolute minimum.

Effective scheduling avoids bottlenecking your operations and helps the process run smoothly. Automation further reduces the burden on IT by limiting manual configuration, monitoring, and intervention—saving time and lowering the risk of errors during the move.

Look for tools that:

• Offer migration scheduling that aligns with low-impact windows
• Allow reusable task configurations that you can apply across multiple migration jobs 
• Provide automated reports and logs for post-migration validation

Support and user experience

Migration tools should reduce operational complexity with clear workflows, predictable behavior, and minimal setup friction.

Look for tools that:

• Have a clear, structured UI that helps IT admins manage complex migrations without relying on PowerShell
• Offer timely, knowledgeable customer support through the migration process, particularly during critical migration phases
• Come with documentation and learning resources you can turn to in a pinch

For many IT teams, migration isn’t a one-time event. Tenant consolidations, reorganizations, and ongoing M365 restructuring projects mean you’ll likely need a tool that supports repeatable migrations across workloads (like Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams), cross-tenant scenarios, or even platform migrations like Google Workspace to Microsoft 365.

Comparing Microsoft’s SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) and ShareGate Migrate

Comparing Microsoft SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT) and third-party solutions can get pretty confusing. To help out, we’ve laid out the major differences between SPMT and ShareGate Migrate.

When to use SPMT

If you need a SharePoint-to-SharePoint migration tool, Microsoft’s native platform can absolutely do the job, especially if you’re looking to carry out an On-Premises to Online migration or need straightforward file share services.

You can transfer sites, files, lists, folders, and basic structures. However, things get more complicated when migrating permissions and versions. While SPMT does provide some support, the tool does have its limits. For instance, you won’t be able to migrate “deny permissions," and inherited permissions aren’t migrated at all, which means you’ll need to account for them manually in the new environment. 

But where SPMT really struggles is with more complex moves, such as tenant-to-tenant migrations, restructuring projects or complex reorganization across multiple sites.

SPMT’s metadata migration support also varies significantly by scenario. While it is possible to move metadata, you’ll likely have to spend a lot of time cleaning up and verifying things post-migration.

How ShareGate Migrate supports complex migration scenarios

Companies choose ShareGate Migrate for complex scenarios that go beyond SPMT’s intended scope. This includes content restructuring, data architecture modernization, navigating complex permission models, handling environments with customizations, and supporting tenant-to-tenant migrations. 

With ShareGate Migrate, you have access to:

• High-fidelity migrations: Preserve site structure, permissions, version history, and metadata wherever Microsoft allows.
• Complex restructuring: Reorganize content across sites and tenants through an intuitive UI, with optional PowerShell support for advanced automation
• PowerShell support: Use PowerShell scripts to automate and customize large-scale migration workflows.
• Actionable reporting: Get detailed pre- and post-migration reports highlighting failures and follow-ups.
• Unlimited scale: Migrate unlimited data using multi-machine execution, bulk actions, and delta mode for efficient incremental updates.
• Automatic user mapping: Map users and groups automatically to reduce permission mapping issues and simplify identity resolution.

ShareGate Migrate is an all-in-one SharePoint migration software platform that reduces manual work, simplifies even the most complex moves, and gives you full visibility into every step of the migration process.

Simplify your SharePoint and Microsoft 365 migration journey with ShareGate

Ultimately, the best migration tool choice depends on the scope of your project. SPMT is a solid option when your migration is straightforward and fits within Microsoft’s defined scope. But when your project involves restructuring, cross-tenant moves, complex permissions, or tight validation requirements, you’ll likely need more control and visibility than native tooling provides.

ShareGate Migrate is built for those high-stakes scenarios. It helps IT teams plan, execute, validate, and iterate—without relying on scripts or manual checks. Instead of just moving content, you gain the ability to:

• Fix legacy hierarchies and clean up sprawl during—not after—the move
• Make sure access stays secure and inherited permissions or user mappings get handled correctly
• Use pre-migration checks and post-migration validation to confirm everything landed exactly where it should

If your migration needs flexibility, transparency, and room to adapt as you go, ShareGate Migrate gives you the operational control to get there with confidence.

Request a demo today to learn how ShareGate Migrate can help accelerate your SharePoint migration.