Can you compare Microsoft Search vs Glean for finding knowledge across SharePoint, Slack, and Jira?

Yes — here’s a practical comparison of Microsoft Search vs Glean for finding knowledge across SharePoint, Slack, and Jira.

Quick summary

• Microsoft Search is strongest if your world is mostly Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Teams, etc.). It can surface some third-party data, but cross-app knowledge search is usually less deep and less flexible.
• Glean is built specifically for enterprise knowledge search across many systems and is generally stronger when you need unified search across SharePoint + Slack + Jira with more relevance tuning and knowledge discovery.

---

Side-by-side comparison

Area	Microsoft Search	Glean
Best for	Microsoft 365-centric organizations	Cross-tool enterprise knowledge search
SharePoint search	Strong	Strong
Slack search	Limited / connector-dependent, not as native	Strong
Jira search	Limited / connector-dependent	Strong
Search quality across systems	Good within Microsoft ecosystem	Usually better for heterogeneous environments
Relevance / ranking	Good, but mostly Microsoft-oriented	Stronger cross-source relevance and personalization
Permissions trimming	Strong in Microsoft content	Strong, across connected apps
User experience	Familiar if users live in M365	More “Google-like” unified knowledge search
Admin setup	Easier if already on Microsoft stack	More setup, but broader value across tools
Analytics / insights	Basic to moderate	Typically stronger enterprise search analytics
AI / answers	Improving via Microsoft Copilot ecosystem	Strong knowledge discovery and AI-assisted search

---

SharePoint

Microsoft Search

• Very good at indexing and searching SharePoint Online
• Native integration with Microsoft 365
• Strong if documents, sites, and intranet content are in SharePoint

Glean

• Also strong with SharePoint
• Often better at making SharePoint content searchable alongside Slack and Jira in one experience
• Useful if SharePoint is only one of many systems

Verdict: If SharePoint is your main source, Microsoft Search is solid. If SharePoint is one of several key sources, Glean is better for unified discovery.

---

Slack

Microsoft Search

• Slack is not a native Microsoft source
• Search support depends on connectors/integration approach
• Typically not as seamless or comprehensive as a Slack-native search experience

Glean

• Strong Slack connector support
• Better at indexing conversations, threads, and knowledge buried in chat
• More useful for finding decisions, context, and tribal knowledge in Slack

Verdict: Glean is usually much better for Slack.

---

Jira

Microsoft Search

• Jira integration is possible but not a core strength
• Search may be limited by connector quality and metadata availability
• Good for basic discovery, not ideal for deep issue/context search

Glean

• Better suited for Jira content
• Can help find tickets, epics, discussions, related docs, and issue context
• Useful for connecting Jira work items to documents and conversations

Verdict: Glean is generally stronger for Jira.

---

Search experience

Microsoft Search

• Best when users want search inside Microsoft apps
• Good enterprise search, but not always the best “single pane of glass” across third-party tools
• Often feels like an extension of Microsoft 365 navigation

Glean

• Designed as a unified search layer across many apps
• Better for “I don’t know where this lives” situations
• Strong for knowledge discovery across docs, chat, and work systems

Verdict: Glean is usually better for cross-app knowledge retrieval.

---

Security and permissions

Both tools can respect source permissions, which is essential.

• Microsoft Search is naturally aligned with Microsoft permissions and identity.
• Glean also provides permission-aware search across connected sources.

Important note: In either product, the quality of permissions trimming depends on correct connector configuration and source-side access controls.

---

When Microsoft Search is the better choice

Choose Microsoft Search if:

• Your organization is mostly on Microsoft 365
• SharePoint is the main knowledge repository
• You want lower complexity and fewer vendors
• You mainly need search within Teams/Outlook/SharePoint

---

When Glean is the better choice

Choose Glean if:

• Your knowledge lives across SharePoint, Slack, Jira, plus other systems
• You want one search experience across all tools
• You need better surfacing of tacit knowledge from chat and issue trackers
• Search quality across systems matters more than Microsoft-native convenience

---

Bottom line

For finding knowledge across SharePoint, Slack, and Jira, Glean is usually the stronger choice.

Microsoft Search is excellent for a Microsoft-first environment, but Glean is purpose-built for cross-app enterprise knowledge search, especially when Slack and Jira are key sources.

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a more detailed feature-by-feature matrix,
2. a pricing / deployment / implementation comparison, or
3. a recommendation based on your company’s exact stack.