Every SharePoint migration project ends in the same conversation: SPMT, Migration Manager, ShareGate, or AvePoint FLY? In 2026, all four are mature and all four move data through the same underlying Microsoft 365 migration API — so the choice is not about raw throughput, it is about which one earns its cost by saving you hours in planning, permissions, and reporting. With SharePoint Server 2016/2019 now past end-of-support, this is no longer a planning conversation — it is an active one. This head-to-head breaks down features, pricing, best fit, and the decision rule we use with clients on cloud migration engagements.

TL;DR — The Decision Rule

Under 2 TB, single admin, on-prem SharePoint or file share → SPMT.
2 TB+ file share needing parallel throughput → Migration Manager.
Rich pre-migration reporting, complex permission remapping → ShareGate.
Notes / Box / Dropbox sources, enterprise change control → AvePoint FLY.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Capability	SPMT	Migration Manager	ShareGate	AvePoint FLY
Cost	Free	Free	Paid, per tenant	Paid, quoted
Where it runs	Desktop app	Cloud-orchestrated + agents	Desktop + cloud	SaaS
Parallelism	Single machine	Many agents	Multi-thread	SaaS scale
Pre-migration reports	Basic scan	Basic	Rich inventory	Rich inventory
Permission remapping UI	None	None	Yes	Yes
SharePoint Server source	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
File-share source	Yes	Yes (large-scale)	Yes	Yes
Google Drive / Box / Dropbox / Notes	No	No	Limited	Yes
Microsoft support	Full	Full	Vendor	Vendor

SPMT — Free, Focused, Still the Default

The SharePoint Migration Tool is a free Windows desktop app. It signs into a Microsoft 365 tenant, pushes data over HTTPS, and handles the common sources: on-prem SharePoint Server (2013 / 2016 / 2019 / SE), on-prem OneDrive and Windows file shares. Because it uses the official migration API, the raw throughput ceiling is the same as any paid tool — the difference is orchestration. For a full walk-through see our SPMT complete guide.

Where SPMT wins: free, Microsoft-supported, no procurement, works day one.
Where it hurts: single-workstation bottleneck, weak reporting, no permission-remapping UI.

Migration Manager — SPMT's Big Sibling for Large Jobs

Migration Manager lives inside the SharePoint admin center. You install lightweight agents on multiple servers, add a file share or SharePoint Server as a source, and the service orchestrates parallel tasks across all agents. It is still free, and it is the right tool the moment a single file share crosses the 2–3 TB range.

Where it wins: parallelism, cloud-orchestrated, best for large file shares, no cost.
Where it hurts: no rich reporting, no permission remapping, learning curve for agent setup.

ShareGate — The Productivity Layer Over the API

ShareGate Migration Tool is a paid Windows app (licensed per tenant, per year) that wraps the same Microsoft migration API with a much richer UI. Its real value is the pre-migration inventory — broken permissions, external sharing, orphaned users, oversized files — and the permission-remapping wizard when identities do not match cleanly between source and Entra ID.

Where it wins: best-in-class inventory reports, permission remapping, Nintex / workflow migration, ongoing SharePoint management features.
Where it hurts: annual license, per-tenant pricing scales up, and the raw data-move step is not faster than SPMT.

AvePoint FLY — Enterprise Change Control and Exotic Sources

AvePoint FLY is a SaaS platform typically quoted per project. It shines when the source is not Microsoft-native: IBM/HCL Notes, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive at enterprise scale, or Slack. It also carries the compliance and change-control paperwork that regulated industries need.

Where it wins: non-Microsoft sources, enterprise governance, regulated industries.
Where it hurts: quote-based pricing, procurement time, overkill for a clean SharePoint-only migration.

Cost Comparison (2026)

Tool	Typical Annual Cost (200-User Tenant)
SPMT	USD 0
Migration Manager	USD 0
ShareGate	USD 3,000 – 8,000
AvePoint FLY	USD 10,000+ (quoted)

The paid tools rarely pay for themselves on data-move alone. They pay for themselves when the permission remapping, workflow migration, or exotic source would otherwise take a consultant 40–80 hours of manual work.

Need help picking the right tool? MSPowerhouse uses all four depending on the job. On a recent nonprofit engagement, we paired SPMT with Migration Manager and delivered the entire cutover at zero tool cost to the client. See how we approach migrations on our data migration service page, or book a 15-minute scoping call and we will tell you which tool fits.

Which One Should You Choose?

For 80% of SMBs planning a migration into Microsoft 365, SPMT (plus Migration Manager for anything large) is enough. Reach for ShareGate when the source is a messy on-prem SharePoint farm with heavy customization or when your auditor needs pre-migration evidence. Reach for AvePoint FLY when the source is not Microsoft-native or the environment is regulated.

Not sure which tool fits your migration? MSPowerhouse runs SPMT, Migration Manager and both paid tools depending on the job. See our data migration service or book a 15-minute scoping call.