Origami vs ShortPoint

Choosing the Right SharePoint Intranet Tool

Origami Connect and ShortPoint are both used to enhance SharePoint intranets. They take different approaches to customization, governance, and intranet structure.
The right choice depends on organizational priorities such as security requirements, design flexibility, and long-term maintainability.

This page outlines the key differences to help teams determine which approach is the best fit.

Deployment & architecture

Origami

• Installed directly into the customer’s SharePoint tenant

• Built using Microsoft’s SharePoint Framework (SPFx)

• Operates fully within Microsoft 365 boundaries

ShortPoint

• Provides SharePoint customization through its own configuration and rendering approach

How teams evaluate this:
Organizations with strict tenant isolation, government cloud requirements, or long-term maintainability concerns often prioritize solutions that stay closely aligned with native Microsoft 365 deployment models. Others value flexibility enabled by additional configuration layers.

Governance & permissions

• Origami relies on native SharePoint permissions, authentication, and governance controls

• No parallel permission models or external admin layers

Fit consideration:
Teams operating in regulated or highly governed environments often prefer intranet tools that align directly with Microsoft 365 governance, auditing, and access policies.

Design philosophy

Origami

• Focuses on modular page designs that work with other SharePoint web parts and components in a single page:

• Emphasizes consistency and faster rollout

ShortPoint

• Often evaluated by teams prioritizing layout flexibility

Trade-off:
Origami is commonly chosen by organizations that want predictable layouts and scalability, while visual builders may appeal to teams that prefer more granular design control.

Data handling & security posture

• Origami runs entirely inside the customer’s Microsoft 365 tenant

• No external hosting of SharePoint content

• No telemetry or usage data transmitted outside the tenant

• No tenant access by default

Evaluation note:
When comparing intranet tools, organizations typically assess how solutions align with their internal security policies, tenant boundaries, and data residency requirements.

Licensing approach

Origami

• Licensed with an initial purchase

• Optional renewal for updates and support

• No forced subscription to continue using installed components

Fit consideration:
Some organizations prefer perpetual-style licensing for predictability, while others prefer subscription models tied to ongoing feature delivery.

Typical organizational fit

Origami is often a strong fit for organizations that:

• Want structured, ready-to-use intranet pages

• Want to use Origami side by side with Microsoft tools and web parts on the same page

• Prefer solutions operating entirely within Microsoft 365

• Require strong governance and predictable maintenance

• Operate in regulated or government environments (including GCC High)

ShortPoint is often evaluated by teams that:

• Prioritize visual flexibility and page-level customization

• Are comfortable managing additional configuration layers

Frequently asked comparison questions

How is Origami different from ShortPoint?

Origami focuses on structured intranet templates and native SharePoint integration. ShortPoint emphasizes layout flexibility. The best choice depends on governance needs, design preferences, and long-term maintenance goals.

Is Origami a hosted intranet platform?

No. Origami runs inside SharePoint Online using SPFx and does not replace SharePoint with a separate platform.

Can Origami be used alongside native SharePoint web parts?

Yes. Origami is designed to work alongside out-of-the-box SharePoint functionality.