Microsoft SharePoint Designer Replacement
Replace every SharePoint Designer workflow and form with NITRO Studio. No-code/low-code. Flat pricing. Runs on SharePoint On-Premises (2016, 2019, and Subscription Edition) in Normal Mode or fully air-gapped through NITRO Secure, and SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365 / Office 365 with the engine in Crow Canyon’s Azure (Shared) or Dedicated / BYOC in your commercial Azure, Microsoft GCC, or Microsoft GCC High environment across six deployment models in two categories. On SharePoint On-Premises (2016, 2019, and Subscription Edition), NITRO Studio runs in Normal Mode connected to Crow Canyon’s Azure, or fully air-gapped through NITRO Secure. On SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365 / Office 365, the data stays in your Microsoft 365 tenancy, and the NITRO Studio software runs in Azure, hosted in one of two ways: Crow Canyon’s Azure (Shared) or Dedicated Azure / BYOC (Bring Your Own Cloud) in your commercial Azure, Microsoft GCC, or Microsoft GCC High environment.
SHAREPOINT DESIGNER 2013 IS RETIRED
Microsoft 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 followed on July 14, 2026, across every Microsoft 365 environment (Worldwide, GCC, GCC High). SharePoint Server 2016 and 2019 reached the end of extended support on the same day, leaving on-premises deployments running on unsupported Microsoft infrastructure as well.
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SharePoint Designer Retirement in 2026: What It Means for Your Organization
Microsoft SharePoint Designer 2013 reached the end of support on July 14, 2026. It is the last release of the SharePoint Designer. There is no 2016, 2019, or Subscription Edition version of SharePoint Designer. But the SharePoint Server platforms it runs against (2016, 2019, and Subscription Edition) are all still in production, and the table below covers what changes on each.
There is no one-to-one replacement for SharePoint Designer from Microsoft. SharePoint Designer provides three capabilities: Workflows, Forms, and Site Customization. Replacing it means choosing the path that fits how your environment actually runs.
What changed 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 ended 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 stopped 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 in Crow Canyon’s Azure (Shared) or Dedicated / BYOC in your commercial Azure, Microsoft GCC, or Microsoft GCC High. | SharePoint Online primarily. Connected on-premises possible with the data gateway. Not air-gapped. | 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 in Normal Mode or air-gapped via NITRO Secure, or SharePoint Online / Microsoft 365 with the engine in Crow Canyon’s Azure (Shared) or Dedicated / BYOC in your commercial Azure, your Microsoft GCC, or your Microsoft GCC High).
