# SharePoint Team Site vs Communication Site: Which to Pick

> For the full documentation index, see https://250highstreet.com/llms.txt

> Team site or communication site? See how they differ on permissions, navigation, sharing and Microsoft 365 group, plus a simple way to choose for a small team.

Pick a team site when the people who use it also create the content. Pick a communication site when a few people publish and a larger group reads.

## What is the main difference between the two site types?

On a team site, all members are content authors who create and edit content together. On a communication site, a small number of authors publish content for a much larger group of readers.

A quick test is to ask whether the people on the site will mostly write or mostly read. Writers need a team site. Readers need a communication site.

## How do permissions differ?

A team site gets its permissions from a Microsoft 365 group, which has owners and members. Anyone added to that group is added to the site automatically. A communication site uses SharePoint groups instead.

The person who creates a team site becomes a member of the site owners group. You can add or change owners, members and visitors after the site exists.

## What else comes with a team site?

Creating a team site connected to a Microsoft 365 group also gives you a Planner board, a OneNote notebook, a group email address, a shared calendar and a shared mailbox. A communication site gives you only the site.

A team site can be connected to a Microsoft Team. A communication site has no Microsoft 365 group, so it cannot sit behind a team. If chat matters to you, read our guide on [Teams vs SharePoint](/guides/teams-vs-sharepoint/).

## How do sharing and navigation differ?

1.  External sharing is on by default for a team site and off by default for a communication site. A SharePoint admin can change either default.
2.  A team site shows navigation on the left by default. A communication site shows it across the top.
3.  A team site that is not connected to a Microsoft 365 group uses SharePoint groups like a communication site, and its navigation can be changed to the top.

## Which one fits a small team that tracks work?

This is advice, not a Microsoft rule. If your team adds and edits rows in lists every day, a team site fits. Everyone who works on the list is a member, and the list sits next to the shared files and calendar.

If the goal is a page everyone reads, such as policies or news, use a communication site. You can still link to a list from it. See [how to share a list with outside people](/guides/share-sharepoint-list-with-external-users/) and [how to show each person only their own items](/guides/people-see-only-their-own-items-sharepoint-list/).

## How do you create each one?

1.  Sign in to Microsoft 365 and open SharePoint.
2.  Select Create site, then choose Team site or Communication site.
3.  For a team site, pick a template. Standard team works for general use.
4.  Enter a site name and a description. A team site also generates a group email address from the name, and you can change it.
5.  Choose privacy if offered. Public lets anyone in the organization in. Private lets only members in.
6.  Pick a language. The default language cannot be changed later.
7.  Select Create site, then add owners and members.

## Can you change your mind later?

A team site that is not connected to a group can be connected to a group, or turned into a Microsoft Team. The resulting site stays a little different from one built that way from the start. The source does not describe turning a communication site into a team site, so plan to pick well at the start. Menu names can vary between tenants.

Lists work on both types. See [Microsoft Lists vs SharePoint lists](/guides/microsoft-lists-vs-sharepoint-lists/) if the names confuse you, and [adding a list to a Teams tab](/guides/add-sharepoint-list-to-teams-tab/) once you have a team.

## Want help setting up the site and a tracker?

I am Al Davies at 250 High Street LLC. I build SharePoint and Power Automate trackers for small teams, remotely. A first call is free. You can see past work in the [portfolio](/portfolio/).

## FAQ

### Can a communication site be used with Microsoft Teams?

No. It has no Microsoft 365 group, so it cannot be the site behind a team.

### Is external sharing on by default?

On for a team site, off for a communication site. A SharePoint admin can change either.

### Can I change the site language later?

The default language cannot be changed after creation. Alternate languages can be added.

## Sources

- [PnP Community Docs: Team Site vs. Communication Site](https://pnp.github.io/community-docs/articles/team-site-or-communication-site.html)
- [Microsoft Support: Create a team site in SharePoint](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/create-a-team-site-in-sharepoint-ef10c1e7-15f3-42a3-98aa-b5972711777d)

## Related guides

- [Teams vs SharePoint: where should our files and lists live?](/guides/teams-vs-sharepoint/)
- [Share a SharePoint list with a client outside your company](/guides/share-sharepoint-list-with-external-users/)
- [Let each person see only their own items in a SharePoint list](/guides/people-see-only-their-own-items-sharepoint-list/)
- [Microsoft Lists vs SharePoint lists: same thing or not](/guides/microsoft-lists-vs-sharepoint-lists/)
- [Add a SharePoint list as a Teams tab](/guides/add-sharepoint-list-to-teams-tab/)

Source: https://250highstreet.com/guides/sharepoint-team-site-vs-communication-site/