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

Here are a few simple, highly effective tools for building an internal employee photo directory, broken down by how your team already works:

• Pingboard — Best for a standalone, visual option. It is purpose-built for photo directories and interactive org charts. It’s super user-friendly, syncs with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, and lets everyone get familiar with names, faces, and roles quickly.
• OneDirectory — Best if you already use Microsoft 365. It plugs right into your existing Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) data, meaning it automatically pulls in employee photos, titles, and contact info without needing manual data entry or separate user management.
• Notion or Airtable — Best for a lightweight, DIY approach. If you are a smaller team on a budget, you can spin up an Airtable gallery view or a Notion database with photo attachments, emails, and phone numbers in about 15 minutes. It's fully customizable and free to start.
• Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 Contacts (Built-in) — Best for zero extra cost. Both ecosystems have a built-in global address book with profile photos. While the interface is basic, you can prompt employees to update their own Google/Microsoft profile picture and info, making a dedicated app unnecessary.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• How many employees do you have?
• What IT ecosystem do you use (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or a mix)?
• Do you need an interactive org chart alongside the photos?

For a simple internal employee directory, I’d shortlist these:

• Notion — easiest overall. It has a built-in People Directory, and you can add custom fields such as department, location, phone, bio, etc. It also has ready-made employee/team-directory templates and gallery views that work well for employee photos.
• SharePoint — best if you already use Microsoft 365. You can leverage employees' existing Microsoft profiles/photos and contact information rather than maintaining a separate database.
• Softr — best if you want a polished “company directory” website without building one from scratch. It can sit on top of a database such as Airtable, Google Sheets, or Notion.

My pick: If you're starting from scratch and just need photo + name + title + department + email/phone + maybe a short bio, use Notion. You could have a useful directory running in an afternoon without coding.

If you're already a Microsoft 365 organization, I'd choose SharePoint instead so you don't have to maintain employee information in two places.

For a simple internal employee directory with photos + contact info, I’d usually avoid buying a dedicated HR system unless you need HR features. Good options:

My simple recommendations:

• Under ~100 employees: Notion or Microsoft SharePoint is probably enough.
• Already paying for Microsoft 365: Use SharePoint first; it will likely be the lowest-friction option.
• Need a “company phone book” only: A lightweight directory tool is better than a full intranet. Tools like Creative In/Out also combine a staff directory with employee presence/status boards.
• Need org charts, onboarding, skills, and employee engagement: Look at dedicated employee directory platforms.

A very simple setup can be: Employee photo → Name → Title → Department → Email → Phone/extension → Location → “About me” → Manager

If you tell me your approximate employee count and whether you use Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or neither, I can narrow it down to the best fit.

Depending on your tech stack and how hands-on you want to be, there are a few simple, highly effective tools for building an internal photo and contact directory:

• Airtable (Best for a customizable, spreadsheet-style database): You can use the ready-made Airtable Employee Directory Template . It lets you store photos as attachments, add contact fields, and switch to a visual "Gallery View" so it looks like a clean card-based directory.
• Softr + Airtable/Google Sheets (Best for a polished, web-app feel): If you want a dedicated web page that looks like a custom internal app without coding, connect Softr to an Airtable or Google Sheets backend. Softr has built-in employee directory blocks and templates that turn your data into a searchable, secure portal with photos and profiles.
• Pingboard (Best out-of-the-box dedicated tool): If you want something turnkey that requires zero setup design, Pingboard is purpose-built for employee directories, org charts, and contact syncing. It's clean, searchable, and integrates nicely with Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
• Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 Directory (Best if you already use them): If your company uses Google or Microsoft for email, you already have a built-in directory. Employees can access it via Google Contacts (Directory view) or Microsoft's People app/SharePoint, complete with profile photos pulled from their accounts.

To help narrow down the best fit, tell me:

• Are you already using Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or an HR tool like BambooHR?
• Do you want something totally free/low-cost , or do you have budget for a dedicated app?

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.