The Microsoft 365 vs the Google Workspace
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace use different software suites, but they can both suit the needs of a business. In this analysis, we compare Microsoft 365 with Google Workspace.
Rather than having to decide which software will work best for an individual task, businesses can now access all major productivity features for the same fee. This saves time and effort and is a great cost-saving solution.
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspaces offers a variety of features and prices. However, users can get a higher-quality product with Microsoft 365. For example, Microsoft 365 has lower pricing than Google Workspace and it is more efficient on your device.
Microsoft 365 – smarter, more connected workspace
Microsoft 365 offers a suite of communication and collaboration apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The desktop, mobile, and web applications offer real-time coauthoring for users to work on the same document simultaneously; business plans offer an hour-long technical support response for critical issues.
Microsoft 365 – The better choice for the workplace
Workspace’s cloud-based services are quick and easy to use. You can real time edit a document with your peers, get email and chat support from their site, or have someone provide in-person help with your own devices.
Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace: Pros & Cons
Microsoft 365 vs Google: Collaboration features
Microsoft 365 is a fork that includes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Microsoft has been the most popular of office software choices for years, and it’s difficult to find a more robust version. They’re accessible on the desktop, mobile apps, and the web; these provide real-time coauthoring.
Google offers free alternatives to Microsoft Word called Docs, Sheets, and Slides. These are simpler than their Microsoft counterparts but are still very powerful. They also enable real-time co-authoring. Google’s main disadvantage is that they can only be accessed via web browser or mobile app, which makes it difficult for desktop users.
Microsoft 365 offers email, calendars and other business apps that allow users to have a customized email address. Whereas Google Workspace can only be accessed on Gmail, you can use Microsoft 365 through Outlook or web browser.
Microsoft Teams is Microsoft’s video conference software, which can hold up to 300 users. Google has two different services, Meet and Chat, which have the same functions but that differ on maximum user count. Both are accessed as web-based interfaces rather than through an app.
Microsoft 365 can provide calendaring, form creation, and team sites as well as desktop publishing application Publisher and database app Access. Google Workspace includes Currents which is like social networks for discussing ideas but this doesn’t offer much that can’t be done in Chat.
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Performance
Gmail has useful time-saving features like smart suggestions
In terms of online stability, both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. In other words, if you have more than 45 minutes in a month in which the online parts of the service are inaccessible, you’ll receive a credit. In practice, both services are stable and very rarely have to pay out.
When it comes to ease of use, Google’s online functionality is difficult to beat. All the elements interact smoothly with each other, such as how you can access files in your storage or text chats easily from within the Gmail interface. And Gmail has a lot of useful time-saving features, such as smart suggestions, undo send, and the ability to organise emails via either labels or folders. Compared to this, Microsoft’s email interface is lagging behind the times.
Microsoft’s main desktop apps, though very robust and reliable, also haven’t seen any major changes for a while. It’s when it comes to its mobile apps and online functionality that Microsoft has been making bigger changes recently. Though the overall suite isn’t as slick as Google’s, it’s easy to access your OneDrive files from within Teams, and there are some nice new features, such as OneDrive’s AI-driven search, which helps you find files.
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Support
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Features
You can connect to technical support by phone, email, or text chat to answer any number of questions that may come up when using Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. There are also online forums where community members can share tips and feedback on various topics so that you don’t have to worry about finding answers on your own.
One hour response time- that’s what you get when you go on the higher plan with Microsoft. Alternatively, Google offers 4 hours for their support.
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Pricing and plans
There are four options available for Microsoft 365 business users—Business Basic, Apps for Business, Business Standard, and Business Premium. The Basic plan costs £4.50 per user a month and includes the web and mobile Office apps, business email, calendaring, and 1TB of storage. Apps for Business is £7.90 per user per month, and offers simply the desktop apps with premium features plus 1TB of storage. Standard costs £9.40 per user a month and adds the desktop versions of office apps plus webinar and attendee registratoin and reporting tools, as well as customer appointment management. Finally, Premium costs £16.60 per user a month and adds advanced security and device management.
With Google Workspace, again there are three main plans—Starter, Standard, and Plus. Starter costs £4.14 per user a month and includes all document editing apps, business email, and 30GB of cloud storage per user. Standard costs £8.28 per user a month and includes 2TB of storage per user. Business Plus costs £13.80 per user a month and includes 5TB per user of storage, plus upgraded security and management controls. There’s also an Enterprise-level plan, but you’ll need to contact Google’s sales team for pricing.
So, both options have similar pricing structures, though the main difference is that while Google has very limited storage on the cheapest plan and more storage as you go up, Microsoft includes the same amount of storage on each plan.
Microsoft’s Basic plan is the cheapest option overall, and if 1TB is enough for you and you don’t need the desktop apps, it may also be the best. If you want to pay a bit more for a Standard plan, your decision is between whether you want the desktop apps that come with Microsoft or the extra terabyte of storage that comes with Google Workspace.
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Verdict
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are both comprehensive, cost-effective options for running a small or medium business. They have similar pricing structures and contain some of the same functions like email, documents, storage, calendars, video calls.
Google’s system is more integrated and modern, but it can be easier to use separate apps if you want that. Microsoft 365 is better if you prefer using desktop apps – because its features are available as applications on the computer.
Microsoft is behind, but Google is ahead. Although easier to use, Google’s features have many useful time-saving features and the integration across their suite works well. If you don’t mind having an online workspace and using a different interface on your computer, then it’s a good option for modern small to medium businesses.