We want to create an internal directory with employee photos and contact info. What's a simple tool for that?

If you want a simple internal employee directory with photos and contact info, the best choice depends on what tools your company already uses:

Easiest if you already have Microsoft 365

• Microsoft SharePoint + Microsoft 365 profiles — good for a basic searchable directory using existing employee accounts and photos. If you need a nicer directory page, tools like SharePoint Directory can add photo cards, search, and org-chart features.

Easiest if you use Google Workspace

• TeamTools — integrates with Google Workspace and provides a searchable directory, photo gallery, and org chart.

Simple standalone options

• Notion — a lightweight option: make a database with employee photo, name, role, email, phone, department, and bio. There are templates designed for team directories.
• Airtable — similar approach, but better if you want filtering, forms, and structured employee data.
• Appaca — offers a ready-made employee directory style workspace with profiles, headshots, contact details, and search.

More polished employee-directory products

• MangoApps — built specifically for internal directories, with profiles, photos, org charts, and integrations with HR systems.
• OneDirectory — focuses on employee profiles, contact details, skills, and organizational context.

My shortlist for a small-to-medium company:

1. Already on Microsoft 365 → SharePoint/Microsoft profiles
2. Already on Google Workspace → TeamTools
3. Want something you can build in an afternoon → Notion or Airtable
4. Need HR sync, org charts, and a company-wide system → MangoApps/OneDirectory

A few questions would narrow it down:

• How many employees (50, 500, 5,000+)?
• Are you on Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or neither?
• Should employees be able to edit their own profiles?

• Google Workspace / Google Directory : If your company already uses Google Workspace, you have a built-in internal directory. Employees can access it via Google Contacts or Gmail, featuring photos, job titles, and contact info. It requires zero setup if accounts are active.
• Microsoft 365 / Delve / SharePoint : For companies on Microsoft 365, SharePoint or Teams/Delve automatically generates an organizational directory based on Active Directory profiles. Photos, contact details, and reporting lines are managed centrally and update automatically.
• Notion : A simple, highly customizable database option. You can create a "Gallery" view database with employee cards, custom properties (department, email, phone, Slack handle), and profile pictures. It is easy for teams to view and update if given edit access.
• AirTable : Similar to Notion, Airtable lets you build a clean, searchable "Gallery View" directory. It handles attachments (photos) and emails/phone numbers smoothly, and you can share it via a view-only link or collaborative workspace.
• PeopleHR / Pingboard : If you want a dedicated standalone tool rather than building one from scratch, Pingboard is an interactive org chart and directory tool that syncs with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, making it effortless to maintain photos and fun facts.

To help narrow down the best choice, tell me:

• What tools does your company already use (like Google, Microsoft, Slack, or Notion)?
• How many employees do you have?
• Do you need it to sync automatically , or are you okay updating it manually?

Creating an internal employee directory doesn't have to be heavy or over-engineered. Depending on your team's size, budget, and the tools you already use, here are some of the simplest options available:

• Dedicated Directory Tools:
  • Pingboard : A dedicated real-time org chart and employee directory tool that features searchable profiles, contact info, and fun quizzes to help people learn names and faces.
  • The Org : A platform focused on transparent org charts and employee directories that is very clean and easy to set up for growing teams.
• Workspace-Integrated Options (If you already use them):
  • Google Workspace (Google Directory) : If your company uses Google Workspace, employee photos and contact details uploaded to individual Google Profiles automatically populate in a company-wide directory accessible via Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts.
  • Microsoft 365 (Delve / People) : For Microsoft shops, Microsoft Delve and the built-in M365 People directory automatically pull photos, contact info, and organization hierarchies from Azure AD/Entra ID.
• No-Code / Low-Code Database Builders:
  • Airtable : You can build a custom employee directory in minutes using an Airtable base with an "Attachment" field for photos. You can share it via a secure internal view or sync it to an interface.
  • Notion : Great for a lightweight, wiki-style company directory. You can create a database with photo properties, email, and phone extensions, then view it as a gallery layout.
• HRIS Platforms (If you want it bundled with HR):
  • Rippling or Gusto : If you use either of these for payroll/HR, they come with built-in, mobile-friendly employee directories that auto-update when employee data changes.

If you'd like to narrow this down, let me know:

• What software ecosystem your company already uses (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack)?
• Roughly how many employees you have?
• Do you want this to be publicly searchable for the whole team or managed by a single admin?

If you want simple and low-maintenance, I’d pick based on what your company already uses:

• Notion — easiest overall. Its built-in People Directory gives each employee a profile, and you can add custom fields such as department, phone, location, and other contact details.

• Microsoft 365 → SharePoint — best if you're already on Microsoft. Employee photos and profile information can come from your Microsoft accounts, and SharePoint-based directories can provide search, contact cards, departments, and org charts.

• Softr — best if you want it to look like a polished directory without coding. It has an employee-directory template and can use Airtable, Google Sheets, Notion, or its own database as the backend.

My recommendation: If this is just “photo + name + title + department + email/phone + maybe a bio”, start with Notion. You can have a useful directory running very quickly without building an intranet.

If you're already a Microsoft 365 shop, I'd instead use SharePoint, because you can avoid creating and maintaining a separate employee database.

Here are a few simple, user-friendly tools you can use to build an internal employee directory with photos and contact info, broken down by how your team already works:

• Notion - Best for custom, wiki-style databases. You can create a master table or gallery view database where each employee has a page. It supports photos, tags (department, skills, location), and contact details. It is extremely easy to set up and share internally.
• AirTable - Best for spreadsheet-meets-database power. If you want a clean Gallery View that automatically displays profile cards with photos, names, and emails, Airtable is fantastic. It also lets you easily filter by department or office location.
• Google Workspace (Google Sites + Sheets) - Best for a zero-extra-cost solution. You can manage your data in a simple Google Sheet (with image URLs for photos) and embed it directly into a clean, private Google Site accessible only to your organization.
• Pingboard - Best for a dedicated, plug-and-play org chart. If you want something purpose-built that goes beyond a basic list, Pingboard is a dedicated employee directory and real-time org chart tool that integrates easily with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Slack.
• Craft - Best for a modern, beautiful aesthetic. Similar to Notion, Craft handles visual documents and databases with a very polished mobile and desktop experience, making a photo directory look sleek out of the box.

If you want, I can:

Compare Notion vs. Airtable for a directory Help you map out the data fields you should include Recommend a tool based on your current tech stack and budget

Yes. If you want simple rather than a full HR system, I’d shortlist these:

• Notion — probably the easiest if your team already uses it. Its built-in People Directory provides employee profiles, photos, and customizable fields; everyone can view the directory and employees can maintain their own profiles.
• SharePoint — best if you're already on Microsoft 365. The People web part can display employee photos and contact information, and Microsoft 365 profile data can provide things like job title, department, phone, and email.
• Google Sheets + a directory tool — good if you're a Google Workspace shop and want something spreadsheet-simple. For example, OrgNice can turn a Sheet into searchable employee profiles with photos, contact details, locations, and reporting relationships.

My pick: If you already have Notion, use Notion. You can have a useful directory running very quickly without buying another system.

I'd structure each profile as: photo · name · title · department · email · phone/extension · location · manager · Slack/Teams handle.

If you tell me whether your company uses Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or Notion, I can recommend the simplest setup for your environment.

If you want simple and low-maintenance, I’d pick based on what your company already uses:

• Notion — probably the easiest if you want a nice-looking directory quickly. Its built-in People Directory supports employee profiles and customizable properties.
• Microsoft SharePoint — best if you already use Microsoft 365. The built-in People web part can display employee photos and contact information, without creating a separate system.
• Dedicated SharePoint directory app — worth considering if you need automatic syncing, search/filtering, org charts, Teams presence, etc. Some apps pull employee information directly from Microsoft Entra ID.

My recommendation: If you're a small/medium team and don't already have a strong Microsoft setup, Notion is the simplest. If you're already on Microsoft 365, SharePoint is the obvious first choice.

If you tell me roughly how many employees you have and whether you use Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or neither, I can narrow it down to the simplest option.

Depending on your team's technical comfort level, size, and what tools you already use, a few simple, lightweight options stand out for creating an employee photo directory:

1. • Airtable* — Best for a visual, database-style approach. You can use the built-in Airtable Employee Directory Template . It supports image attachments for headshots and lets you toggle instantly between a clean "Gallery View" (great for photos) and a searchable list view.
2. • Softr* — Best if you want a polished, web-app feel without writing code. You can plug it directly into an Airtable or Google Sheet backend using the Softr Free Employee Directory Template . It gives you instant search, filters by department, and mobile-friendly profile cards.
3. • Notion* — Best if your company already runs its internal documentation on Notion. You can spin up a simple database table using a Notion Personnel Directory Template , set the layout to a "Gallery" view to prominently feature photos, and add properties for emails, Slack handles, and phone numbers.
4. • Microsoft SharePoint / LookBook 365* — Best if you are already deeply embedded in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. You can build a custom list with photo attachments and display it using a SharePoint gallery view, or use native add-ons like LookBook 365 to turn user profiles into a visual card grid.
5. • Glide* — Best for a mobile-first directory app. You can use a Glide Employee Directory Template to turn a simple spreadsheet into a clean, app-store-style directory that employees can easily check on their phones.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• How many employees do you have?
• What software ecosystem does your team already use heavily (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Notion, Slack)?

For a simple internal employee directory with photos + contact info, I’d avoid overbuilding it. The best choice depends on what tools your company already uses:

My usual recommendations:

1. Simplest/cheapest:
   Create a Google Sheet or Excel table with:

   • Photo
   • Name
   • Title
   • Department
   • Email
   • Phone
   • Location

   Then display it as an internal page. This works well for smaller organizations.

2. Most polished without much IT work:
   Use Airtable or Notion with a gallery view. Each employee becomes a card with their photo and details.

3. Best if you already pay for Microsoft 365:
   Use SharePoint. It integrates with company accounts and access controls, so you don’t have to maintain a separate user database.

4. If you want automatic syncing from employee accounts:
   Look at tools designed around HR or identity systems, such as employee directory platforms that sync profiles and photos.

A few questions would narrow it down:

• How many employees will be in it (50, 500, 5,000)?
• Are you on Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or neither?
• Should employees update their own profiles, or will HR/admin manage it?

Here are the simplest, most practical tools to create an internal photo directory, depending on what software your company already uses:

• Airtable (Gallery View): Best for a quick, highly customizable visual database. You can use the free Airtable Employee Directory Template , drop in employee photos as image attachments, and instantly toggle to a clean card/gallery layout that shows headshots, titles, and contact info.
• Notion: Best if your team already uses Notion for internal wikis. You can build a simple database, set the view to Gallery , and display employee cards with their profile photos, emails, and phone numbers. It's lightweight and easy for teammates to browse.
• Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 Native Directories: If you use Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra ID (Active Directory), a basic directory with profile photos and contact info is already built into your suite (accessible via Gmail/Google Calendar or Microsoft Teams/Outlook). You may just need to prompt employees to upload their headshots to their profile settings.
• No-Code App Builders (Softr or Glide): If you want it to look and feel like a native mobile or web app, tools like Softr or Glide plug directly into a Google Sheet or Airtable base. You can spin up a secure, searchable photo directory in minutes using a pre-made Glide Template.
• Dedicated Add-ins (OneDirectory or Employee Directory 365): If you are an enterprise Microsoft 365 shop and want something more polished than standard SharePoint views, tools like OneDirectory or Employee Directory 365 automatically sync with your existing user data and photos with almost zero manual entry.

If you can share:

• What workspace or ecosystem your company uses (Google, Microsoft 365, Slack, etc.)
• How many employees you need to list

I can recommend the absolute fastest approach for your setup.