Microsoft SharePoint Designer Replacement
Replace every SharePoint Designer workflow and form with NITRO Studio before July 14, 2026. No-code/low-code. Flat pricing. Runs on SharePoint On-Premises (connected or fully air-gapped via NITRO Secure) and SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365, with the NITRO Studio Engine hosted in Crow Canyon’s Azure, your Microsoft GCC, or your Microsoft GCC High.
SHAREPOINT DESIGNER 2013 IS RETIRING · JULY 14, 2026
Microsoft already disabled SharePoint Designer 2013 workflow creation and execution against SharePoint Online for existing tenants on April 2, 2026. Full end of support for SharePoint Designer 2013 follows on July 14, 2026, across every Microsoft 365 environment (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High). SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reach the end of extended support on the same day, leaving on-premises deployments running on unsupported Microsoft infrastructure as well.
Organizations That Trust Crow Canyon Software
What changes on July 14, 2026
| Deployment environment | What happens |
| SharePoint Online | The ability to create and execute SharePoint 2013 workflows in SharePoint Online using SharePoint Designer 2013 was already disabled for existing tenants on April 2, 2026. Additionally, Microsoft will end support for SharePoint Designer 2013 on July 14, 2026, after which no new security updates, bug fixes, or technical support will be provided. |
| SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 | For SharePoint Server 2016 and SharePoint Server 2019, SharePoint Designer 2013 retirement does not result in an immediate loss of functionality. Existing SharePoint Designer-based capabilities, including SharePoint 2013 workflows and site customizations, will continue to function in on-premises environments. However, after July 14, 2026, Microsoft will stop providing security updates, product fixes, and technical support for SharePoint Designer 2013, increasing long-term operational and supportability risks. |
| SharePoint Server Subscription Edition | For customers on SharePoint Server Subscription Edition (SE), transitioning from Microsoft Workflow Manager to SharePoint Workflow Manager (SPWFM) is a supported option. However, this transition should primarily be viewed as a continuity and supportability measure for existing workflow investments rather than a long-term modernization strategy for new workflow development. |
How NITRO Studio Replaces SharePoint Designer
SharePoint Designer provides three capabilities: Workflows, Forms, and Site Customization. NITRO Studio carries each of those forward as part of one no-code/low-code Application Builder Platform built for Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.
| Job | What SharePoint Designer Did | What NITRO Studio Does |
| Workflows | Sequential and state machine workflows in SPD 2013 are tied to a SharePoint list or library. | NITRO Workflows. Visual drag-and-drop designer with approvals, parallel branches, conditional routing, timers, SLAs, and escalations. |
| Forms | Basic SharePoint list form editing in SPD. Limited validation and conditional logic. | NITRO Forms. WYSIWYG drag-and-drop designer with tabs, sections, conditional rules, cascading lookups, column-level permissions, and mobile-ready rendering. |
| Site customizations | Edit master pages, branding, list views, and navigation in SPD. Mostly classic SharePoint. | NITRO Studio UI and branding Components. Modern portals, dashboards, tiles, navigation, quick launch, list views, and reports with charts. All through configuration without any coding. |
| Custom code | Workflow actions, REST calls, and scripted logic that needed SharePoint Designer skills and often a developer. | Custom Actions, Custom Scripting, REST API calls, document generation, Azure integration, and a Global Support Team for the complex builds. |
What Replaces SharePoint Designer?
Microsoft does not ship a single one-to-one replacement. Three options are credible for 2026, depending on how your environment runs.
| Factor | NITRO Studio (Crow Canyon) | Power Platform | Visual Studio + SharePoint Workflow Manager |
| Vendor | Crow Canyon Software. 27+ Years of SharePoint Excellence | Certified Microsoft Solutions Partner | Microsoft. Cloud-first direction. | Microsoft. Developer toolkit. |
| Authoring model | No-code/low-code drag-and-drop. Familiar with your existing SharePoint Designer builders. | New paradigm. Flows, Power Fx, Dataverse. New learning curve. Low-code platforms need specialists. | Developer-led. C# and the Workflow Manager runtime. Requires coding. |
| Workflows | Yes. Full visual workflow designer with approvals, branching, timers, SLAs, and escalations. | Yes. SPMT 4.1 migrates supported actions; complex logic typically needs rebuilding. | Yes, but SharePoint Server Subscription Edition only. For keeping 2013-based workflows running. |
| Forms | Yes. NITRO Forms is a core, built-in component (drag-and-drop, conditional logic, validations, mobile). | Yes. Power Apps are part of the Power Platform | No. Visual Studio is for workflow code, not forms. |
| Site customizations | Yes. NITRO Studio UI Components, portals, dashboards, and list views. | No. Separate Microsoft 365 tools required. | No. Custom code only. |
| Where it runs | SharePoint On-Premises (connected or air-gapped via NITRO Secure), and SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365 with the engine hosted in Crow Canyon’s Azure, your GCC, or your GCC High. | SharePoint Online only. | SharePoint Server Subscription Edition only. |
| Pricing model | Flat annual subscription. Unlimited workflows and forms included. Starts at $5,988 per 100 users per year. | Per-user plus per-flow. Premium connectors and AI Builder priced separately. | Developer cost plus SharePoint Server licensing. |
| Replaces SPD’s full scope (workflows + forms + site customizations) | Yes | Workflows and Forms only | Workflows only (SE only) |
Why NITRO Studio stands out: It is the only option that comes with three capabilities: Workflows, Forms, and Site Customization. On top of it, it is also a no-code/low-code application builder. It runs on SharePoint On-Premises (connected or fully air-gapped via NITRO Secure) and SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365, with the NITRO Studio Engine hosted in Crow Canyon’s Azure, your Microsoft GCC, or your Microsoft GCC High.
Everything You Built in SharePoint Designer Has a Home in NITRO Studio
A side-by-side capability breakdown.
| NITRO Studio | SharePoint Designer |
| NITRO Workflows Designer (visual, drag-and-drop, browser-based) | Sequential workflows in SPD 2013 |
| Approvals, parallel branches, conditional routing, timers, SLAs, escalations | Approval and routing patterns in SPD workflows |
| Column value change events, UI formatting rules, and Custom Actions | Conditional formatting and rules in SPD workflows |
| NITRO Lookup column with cascading configuration | Cascading dropdowns in SPD forms |
| NITRO Lookup, Query List actions, REST API calls via Custom Actions | Data connections in SPD (SharePoint and external systems) |
| NITRO Forms Designer (WYSIWYG, browser-based, no client install) | Basic list form editing in SPD |
| Tabs and sections (drag-to-arrange in Forms Designer) | Limited form layout options in SPD |
| Column-level and group-level validations | Field validation rules in SPD forms |
| Group-level and column-level permissions | Role-based form views in SPD |
| NITRO Workflows Send Mail action plus approval steps | Email notifications and approval routing in SPD |
| Custom JavaScript and Advanced Script Actions (including Azure Integration) | Custom scripts and code-behind in SPD |
| Modern and Classic SharePoint web forms (no plugins required) | Browser-based forms in SharePoint via SPD |
| Generate Document Custom Action (PDF output to library or current item) | PDF generation from SPD forms is not supported. Requires a third-party add-on |
| Export and import workflow and form configurations as JSON | Workflow templates and copy/paste in SPD |
| Workflow and form version history (built-in) | Version history in SPD workflows |
Industries Replacing SharePoint Designer with NITRO Studio
NITRO Studio is the SharePoint Designer replacement chosen by organizations across regulated, SharePoint-heavy industries. A small sample of where SPD-to-NITRO migrations are happening today
| Government | Case management, permitting, compliance forms, and internal service request intake. |
| Healthcare | Credentialing forms, audit workflows, and eConsult. |
| Banking & Finance | Purchase approvals, audit workflows, back-office case work. |
| Education | Student services workflows, IT requests, faculty forms. |
| Technology & IT | Service requests, change management, and asset tracking. |
| Manufacturing | Quality forms, equipment workflows, supplier intake. |
| And more | Energy & Utilities, Non-Profit, Retirement Living, Hospitality, and any SharePoint-heavy environment running SPD workflows. |
What SPD customers say after moving to NITRO Studio
“We had hundreds of SharePoint Designer workflows running on SharePoint Server 2019. Microsoft told us to rebuild in Power Automate, but we could not move everything to the cloud. NITRO Studio let our SharePoint admins rebuild in our existing on-premises environment, with the same look and feel. We finished the high-impact workflows in eight weeks.”
Director of IT, Government Agency
“The biggest surprise was not the technology, it was the bill. Our old workflow tool charged per workflow and per form. NITRO Studio is flat. We have added more than thirty new workflows since cutover and the subscription has not changed.”
SharePoint Administrator, Financial Services
“My team built every workflow we have in SharePoint Designer. The fear was that switching tools meant retraining everyone. NITRO Studio felt like an upgrade to what we already knew, not a new product. The rebuild took less time than we planned for.”
Manager, IT Operations, Healthcare
The SharePoint Designer Clock Is Already Running. Start Your Migration Now.
Book a 30-minute call. We will review your SPD workflow inventory, your hardest workflows, and what cutover looks like in your deployment environment (On-Premises connected or air-gapped, or SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365 with the engine hosted in Crow Canyon’s Azure, your GCC, or your GCC High).
Frequently Asked Questions
SharePoint Designer 2013 is still supported until July 14, 2026, per Microsoft Message Center notice MC1230891. After that date, Microsoft stops providing security updates, fixes, and support. Retirement enforcement runs from mid-July through late-July 2026 across Worldwide, GCC, GCC High and DoD. SharePoint 2013 workflow creation and execution against SharePoint Online from SPD 2013 was already disabled for new tenants from April 2, 2024, and for existing tenants from April 2, 2026. There are no SharePoint Designer 2016, 2019, or Subscription Edition releases.
There is no one-to-one replacement for SharePoint Designer from Microsoft. SharePoint Designer covered workflows, basic forms, and lightweight site customization in one tool. Microsoft points cloud-first customers to Power Platform for workflows via the SharePoint Migration Tool, and SharePoint Server Subscription Edition customers to the new SharePoint Workflow Manager for keeping 2013-based workflows running. NITRO Studio by Crow Canyon Software is the purpose-built SharePoint Designer replacement: a single no-code/low-code Application Builder Platform that runs across six deployment configurations. On-Premises (SharePoint Server 2016, 2019, or Subscription Edition) runs in connected mode or fully air-gapped through NITRO Secure. SharePoint Online within the customer’s Microsoft 365 tenant runs with the NITRO Studio Engine hosted in Crow Canyon’s Azure, the customer’s Microsoft GCC, or the customer’s Microsoft GCC High. Workflows, forms, approvals, and notifications in one product. Flat annual pricing.
For organizations that need a no-code/low-code replacement that works the way SPD did, NITRO Studio is the most direct successor. It runs inside the same Microsoft 365 or SharePoint Server environment SPD ran in, uses visual designers familiar to SPD builders, and supports SharePoint On-Premises in connected mode or fully air-gapped (NITRO Secure), plus SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365 across four Azure deployment options: Shared (Crow Canyon Azure), Dedicated Public Azure, Azure GCC, and Azure GCC High. Microsoft's officially named alternatives are Power Platform and Visual Studio with the new SharePoint Workflow Manager (for SharePoint Server Subscription Edition workflows).
Three credible options:
- NITRO Studio (Crow Canyon): One no-code/low-code platform for SPD workflows, forms, and customization. SharePoint On-Premises (connected or fully air-gapped via NITRO Secure), and SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365 with the engine hosted in Crow Canyon's Azure, your GCC, or your GCC High. Flat annual pricing.
- Microsoft Power Platform: Microsoft's recommended path for SharePoint Online customers. Cloud-only. Per-user and per-flow licensing. SPMT 4.1 migrates supported workflow actions only.
- Visual Studio + SharePoint Workflow Manager: For SharePoint Server Subscription Edition customers who want to keep 2013-based workflows running on a supported Microsoft runtime. Developer-led, requires heavy coding.
For SharePoint On-Premises (connected or air-gapped) and SharePoint Online deployments in GCC, or GCC High, NITRO Studio is one of the few SPD alternatives that runs at all. For Microsoft 365 only, NITRO Studio is still a flat-priced, single-platform alternative to Microsoft's multi-product stack.
Two dates matter:
- April 2, 2026 (passed): Microsoft turned off SharePoint 2013 workflow creation and execution against SharePoint Online from SPD 2013 for existing tenants.
- July 14, 2026: Microsoft ends support for SharePoint Designer 2013 itself, and SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reach the end of extended support on the same day. SPD workflows on SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 continue to load after July 14, but on Microsoft infrastructure that no longer receives security patches or fixes.
No fully automated migration exists. Microsoft's SharePoint Migration Tool (SPMT 4.1) migrates supported SPD 2013 workflow actions to Power Automate, but complex workflows usually need a rebuild. The same is true for NITRO Studio: there is no one-click SPD-to-NITRO import. Most SPD workflow logic translates directly because the NITRO Workflow Manager uses the same SharePoint constructs SPD did (lists, libraries, content types, permissions). Crow Canyon's migration team handles the rebuild and validation for the workflows that are too complex for internal teams to take on.
Most mid-sized environments cut over in 6 to 12 weeks. Smaller deployments move faster. Government, Healthcare, and Banking deployments can take longer because of compliance reviews. NITRO Studio runs in parallel with SharePoint Designer workflows during migration, so the business is not affected.
Yes. NITRO Studio is fully supported on SharePoint On-Premises 2016, 2019, and Subscription Edition. Crow Canyon supports on-premises as a long-term deployment, not a sunset path. This makes NITRO Studio one of the few SharePoint Designer replacements that run in the same on-premises environment SPD ran in, without forcing a cloud migration on the same timeline. NITRO Studio also runs fully air-gapped on-premises through NITRO Secure. For SharePoint Online and Microsoft 365, the NITRO Studio Engine can be hosted in Crow Canyon’s Azure, the customer’s Microsoft GCC, or the customer’s Microsoft GCC High. GCC and GCC High deployments run inside the customer’s own Microsoft government tenant, not hosted by Crow Canyon.
Flat-rate annual subscription. Starts at $5,988 per 100 users per year. Unlimited workflows and unlimited forms. No per-workflow, per-form, per-execution, or per-agent fees.
