Org Explorer vs. OneDirectory: What’s the Real Difference?

Microsoft recently made some noise in the market by announcing Org Explorer, a free, built-in org chart viewer available to every Microsoft 365 user. On the surface, that might seem like great news.

But here’s the reality: not all org chart solutions are created equal. 

Org Explorer is great for quick checks and immediate look-ups. However, it can’t compete when it comes to being the reliable, go-to employee directory and org chart solution your company genuinely relies on day-to-day.

Let’s dive into the details and unpack where each solution shines, and where they clearly don’t.

Org Explorer: Good for Quick Glances, But Falls Short Elsewhere

Pros of Org Explorer:

• Free and Built-in: If you're already on Microsoft 365, it's right there in Outlook and Teams, with no extra costs.
• Basic Structure at Your Fingertips: Quickly see who someone’s manager is or direct reports are. Handy for immediate hierarchy checks.
• “Works with” Feature: Quickly see colleagues someone frequently collaborates with, nice for basic context.

But here’s where it gets frustratingly limited:

• One-dimensional navigation: You can only crawl up or down the reporting line one click at a time. No jumping to departments or people, no "highlight path" feature.
• No advanced reporting structures: Assistants, dotted-line relationships, and complex matrix structures? Nope, not visible at all.
• No export capabilities: Need that org chart for your upcoming board presentation or quarterly review? Prepare to take screenshots and piece them together manually... Org Explorer won’t help.
• Static appearance: No branding options, layout customization, or visual flexibility. It's Microsoft blue or nothing.
• No integrated directory: You can’t search by skills, departments, or locations effectively. All you get is a very basic profile card.

Bottom line: Org Explorer is handy for quick checks, but it’s far from a robust, scalable org chart solution.

OneDirectory: Built for Real-World Company Use

OneDirectory is not just another org chart tool, it’s a dedicated platform designed for medium-to-large companies that rely heavily on accurate and accessible employee data.

Where OneDirectory excels:

• Interactive & Comprehensive Org Charts: Easily navigate, zoom, and visually explore your entire org structure. Highlight reporting paths instantly, pick your starting point, and easily manage matrix structures including assistants and dotted-line reporting.
• Powerful Search & Directory Integration: Find colleagues not only by name but also by skill, department, location, or custom attributes. OneDirectory offers a complete directory experience, integrated directly with your org chart.
• Quickly Export & Share: Effortlessly export your org charts to PDF or PNG for presentations, meetings, and strategic planning. Customize the appearance and choose layout options that match your unique organizational style.
• Rich Employee Profiles: Every employee gets a dynamic, visual employee profile with photos, bios, skills, and custom fields, far more engaging than Microsoft’s basic profile card.
• Visual Office & Department Pages: Create branded pages for each location or department, showcasing employees clearly and visually, ideal for fostering connection in distributed teams.
• Enterprise Scalability: Handle thousands of users seamlessly. Quickly navigate and search massive organizational structures without performance issues.

Microsoft Org Explorer vs OneDirectory: Feature Comparison

Who Should Use Which Tool?

Here's a quick guide to help you decide which tool fits your organization:

The True Cost of “Free”

Choosing Microsoft Org Explorer simply because it's free might seem like a smart financial move at first, but it can lead to several hidden problems for your business:

• Wasted Time: Employees spend too much time clicking through endless layers just to find basic information, slowing down productivity.
• Missed Opportunities: Without easy ways to discover skills and expertise, valuable knowledge stays hidden, making it harder to collaborate effectively.
• Messy and Fragmented Data: Teams often end up creating spreadsheets or maintaining separate lists because Org Explorer doesn’t offer comprehensive directory functionality. This can lead to errors and outdated information.
• Poor First Impressions: New employees face an impersonal and dull experience rather than an engaging, welcoming introduction to their colleagues and organizational structure.

When Does OneDirectory Pay for Itself?

• Onboarding & Retention: Immediate access to engaging, rich profiles and clear org structures helps new hires integrate faster and stay longer.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Instant skill discovery accelerates projects and promotes internal collaboration.
• Management & HR Visibility: Exportable, customized org charts streamline reporting and strategic decision-making.
• Data Quality & Accuracy: OneDirectory helps improve your employee profile data by making the data quality quickly visible and quick to update.

Chesapeake Bank - Improving Onboarding and Collaboration with OneDirectory

Chesapeake Bank’s decision to adopt OneDirectory has proven to be a resounding success. By addressing their challenges with an outdated employee directory system, they have not only streamlined their internal processes but also created a more engaging and efficient work environment.

The OneDirectory BlogGreg Bennett

Mountain View Hospital - Improving Employee Profile Data

By selecting OneDirectory, Mountain View successfully consolidated employee profile data, reduced errors, and provided an effective and modern directory experience to all its employees.

The OneDirectory BlogGreg Bennett

Final Thought: Feature vs. Platform

Org Explorer is essentially a basic feature within Microsoft 365, a quick reference that works for minimal needs.

OneDirectory is a powerful, fully integrated org chart and employee directory solution built for dynamic, growing businesses that require reliable, scalable, and visually engaging organizational management.

Choosing between the two should be straightforward:

• If a quick reference is enough, stick with Org Explorer.
• If your organization needs a robust, visual, and integrated org chart and directory solution that truly scales, OneDirectory is clearly the right choice.

Don’t settle for the basics. Explore how OneDirectory can transform your org visibility - Start your free trial of OneDirectory today.