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It is no secret that Google and Microsoft have a duopoly over cloud-based productivity software and services on the market, with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace being the two best choices for business and personal use. Both tick all the boxes in terms of requirements and there is little that separates the two.
Furthermore, most of the services provided by the software are free to use by individuals. Still, enterprise features such as custom email addresses, extended storage, additional administrative tools, advanced settings, and more require a subscription. Google first launched its suite back in 2006 as Gmail, which expanded to Google Apps, then was rebranded to G Suite in 2016, and rebranded again in 2020 to Google Workspace.
Microsoft Office 365 was announced in 2010 and was made available to the public in 2011 and was a successor to Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS). It was rebranded to Microsoft 365 in 2020 and came bundled with Windows, Office 365, and security services. But today, which one is the better option?
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 have evolved greatly to be useful in every situation
Pricing
Google Workspace
Google Workspace has rather straightforward plans that are differently priced and offer various services. Interested users can try the software for free for 14 days.
- Business Starter is the basic plan that costs $6 per user per month.
- Business Standard costs $12 per user per month.
- Business Plus costs $18 per user per month
- Lastly, the Enterprise plan has custom pricing.
Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365's pricing is more complicated with many more available plans that cater to different users and offer a degree of flexibility.
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic costs $6 per user per month.
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Business costs $8.25 per user per month.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard costs $12.50 per user per month.
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium costs $22 per user per month.
There are Enterprise plans as well, which offer services that cater to bigger businesses.
- Microsoft 365 E1 costs $10 per user per month.
- Microsoft 365 E3 costs $23 per user per month.
- Microsoft 365 E5 costs $38 per user per month.
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise costs $12 per user per month.
Difference in plans
Microsoft 365
Interestingly, storage is not the same in both types of plans. Enterprise provides every user up to 5TB of storage, whereas all business plans have 1TB of storage per person.
There are more differences in the apps offered in various plans and which platforms they run on. The Business Basic plan gives access to mobile and online versions of all Office products, whereas the "E1" plan is browser-based only. Microsoft 365 Apps plans provide only desktop versions of their Office products, making it quite restrictive.
All business plans have a user ceiling of 300, but Enterprise plans do not have a maximum cap on the number of users. However, users can mix plans and assign different plans to different users under the same organization in order to increase the number of total users.
Lastly, "Microsoft 365 Apps" plans under Business and Enterprise do not provide users with an email account, whereas all other types do.
Google Workspace
Features that differ in the above plans include storage, user accounts, video calls, security features, search features, and application creation. Storage starts at 30GB per user and goes up to 5TB, with the top plans boasting an unlimited storage option. Other than Enterprise, all other plans cap the number of accounts allowed at 300 and Enterprise also gives users access to Google's "Appsheet" tool, which lets you build mobile and web apps without coding.
The starter plan can have up to 100 participants in a video call, whereas it increases to 500 in the top plans with the option to record calls and track attendance. The Enterprise plan features noise cancellation and in-domain live streaming.
Security features include "Vault", a tool for retaining and searching your users' data, and endpoint management, which are only available for the top two plans. Search features are available under all plans except the most basic one and it includes a "smart search" tool called Google Cloud Search, which lets users search for files within the organization's Workspace storage all at once.
Reasons to go for Microsoft 365
Microsoft provides a longer trial period of one month compared to the only 14 days of free Google Workspace, giving users more time to decide and understand the services of the software. Moreover, Microsoft's apps are filled with more features without making it complicated as the UI is pretty straightforward.
The basic plans that Microsoft offers have much more storage than what Google offers, making 365 more lucrative for small businesses and individual users. You can also upgrade storage quotas for individuals under an organization instead of upgrading the plan for all users.
Microsoft offers two services that Google does not, which are Stream and Sway. Microsoft Stream is a livestreaming and on-demand video sharing service, while Microsoft Sway is a presentation program that allows users to combine text and media in more creative ways and convey digital storytelling.
Lastly, 365 is better for businesses that are more desktop-based due to its apps that are designed only for Windows that also offer performance monitoring tools.
Reasons to go for Google Workspace
Google Workspace documents are compatible with MS Office as well, which is an advantage because documents created in 365 will not open on Google Workspace, making Google's service a more versatile option. Also, Workspace's interface is intuitive, fast, and loads quicker than the competition, even on slow internet connections.
Storage options are better in Workspace except for the basic ones as Google provides greater storage limits than Microsoft, making it suitable for high-end users. Everything in Workspace is completely cloud-based, making it a seamless transition when switching systems without worrying about local storage filling up.
Furthermore, all the apps in Google Workspace are well inter-connected, making collaborations easy and straightforward. It is built around collaboration, an integral part of its design, and offers more collaboration features in comparison to 365.
Verdict
Even though both suites are designed for the same purpose, both do some things better than the other, making it a difficult choice. If you are someone who works on projects with multiple people, Google Workspace is the best option due to its greatly designed collaboration features and inter-connectivity, all apps do their basic jobs perfectly without problems in any area.
Microsoft 365 offers sophisticated features that are built for specific reasons. It's comparatively more in-depth than its competition, but its UI is still easy to use. It is more desktop-oriented and, if most of your work is done on a desktop rather than a mix of smartphones as well, this suite is for you.
