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Meta has closed Workplace. Its own Workplace page now states that Workplace has closed as of May 2026, so any organisation that relied on it for internal communications needs a replacement. If you use Microsoft 365, the natural replacement is Viva Engage for the social side of Workplace (groups, posts, comments and live events) alongside a SharePoint intranet for news, policies and documents.
What did Workplace do that you need to replace?
Organisations used Workplace for a mix of things: a company news feed, groups for teams and interests, chat, live video, polls and a place to share files and knowledge. When you plan the move, split those into two groups. The conversational, social features map to Viva Engage. The official, reference content (company news, policies, procedures, forms and documents) belongs on an intranet, where it can be owned, reviewed and found through search.
How does Viva Engage replace Workplace groups and feeds?
Viva Engage is Microsoft's employee communities product and works inside Microsoft Teams, on the web and on mobile. It gives you:
- communities, public or private, for departments, locations, projects and interest groups
- a home feed showing activity from communities, leaders and colleagues, including SharePoint news
- discussions, questions, polls, praise and announcements
- storylines, where individuals and leaders share updates with people who follow them
- events within communities where people can ask questions, upvote and watch live or later
The core Viva Engage experience comes with Microsoft 365. Premium features such as leadership corner, Ask Me Anything events, storyline announcements, campaigns and analytics need a Microsoft Viva Suite or Viva Employee Communications and Communities licence.
Why do you also need an intranet?
A social feed is a poor place to keep a holiday policy or an expenses form, because posts get buried and nobody owns them once they are a few weeks old. A SharePoint intranet gives that content a permanent home with owners, review dates and proper search. SharePoint news posts can also be cross-posted into Viva Engage communities and storylines, so an announcement appears in the feed and the comments are kept together across both products.
Where does Omnia fit?
Omnia is an intranet product that runs on top of Microsoft 365 and stores its content in SharePoint, with its own interface, templates and communications tools. It suits organisations that want more than a standard SharePoint intranet, particularly larger or multi-country organisations. Omnia includes:
- communications governance and a communications hub for planning and following up on messages
- audience targeting and multi-channel publishing across the intranet, email, Teams and mobile
- employee onboarding pages, recognition, polls, surveys and feedback channels
- configurable analytics for intranet owners and communications teams
- mobile and frontline worker support, with personalised notifications
For many former Workplace customers, a SharePoint intranet with Viva Engage covers what they need. Where communications are more complex, with lots of audiences, languages or frontline staff, Omnia adds the planning and targeting tools on top.
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How should you plan the move?
- List what you used Workplace for, group by group, and decide which content needs to live on the intranet and which conversations move to Viva Engage communities.
- Agree community owners and intranet content owners before launch, so nothing is left without someone looking after it.
- Check your licences: decide whether the core Viva Engage experience is enough or whether you need premium features.
- Set up Viva Engage and Viva Connections in Teams so people find the new tools where they already work.
- Plan the launch with leaders taking part in communities from day one, not just posting announcements.
If you have run a Valo intranet alongside Workplace, note that Valo has also reached end of life. Our article on Valo intranet end of life covers the options.
Frequently asked questions
Is Meta Workplace still available?
No. Meta's Workplace page states that Workplace has closed as of May 2026. Organisations that used it need to move their communications and communities to another platform.
What is the Microsoft 365 alternative to Workplace from Meta?
Viva Engage is the closest equivalent for communities, feeds, posts, polls and live events, and it works inside Microsoft Teams. Pair it with a SharePoint intranet for news, policies and documents, or with Omnia if you need more advanced communications planning and targeting.
Does Viva Engage cost extra?
The core Viva Engage experience is included with Microsoft 365, covering communities, storylines, discussions, questions, polls and praise. Premium features such as leadership corner, AMAs, campaigns and analytics need a Microsoft Viva Suite or Viva Employee Communications and Communities licence.
How much does a replacement intranet cost?
ThinkShare's pre-built SharePoint intranet costs £12,500 for up to 100 users and £17,500 for up to 500 users, with a quote for larger organisations. Omnia and bespoke intranets are quoted based on scope.
Talk to us
If you are replacing Workplace and want a plan for Viva Engage and your intranet, get in touch or read more about our Viva Engage services.
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