Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: Which Office Suite Is Best?

Google and Microsoft offer comparable office productivity suites, making it challenging to choose between Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365. Google Workspace is chosen by more U.S. businesses as it is one of the easiest tools for real-time collaboration no matter where teammates work. But don’t count Microsoft 365 out—its apps are more robust for those wanting to increase productivity at scale through automations and its advanced tools.

• Google Workspace (formerly G Suite): Best for small businesses that want to easily collaborate on documents, presentations, and spreadsheets with external as well as internal stakeholders, and best for distributed or remote-hybrid teams
• Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365): Best for companies that want apps with advanced features, administrative controls, the most storage in lower-tier plans, and world-class business email software with the best security

Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 at a Glance

Starting Price per User (Monthly)	$6	$6
Storage	30GB - 5TB	1TB
Business Email	Gmail with 30GB storage	Outlook with 50GB storage
Word Processing	Google Docs	MS Word
Spreadsheets	Google Sheets	MS Excel
Presentations	Google Slides	MS PowerPoint
Video Conferencing	Google Meet	Microsoft Teams
Team Intranet	Currents	SharePoint
Administrative Tools	✔	✔
Calendaring	✔	✔
Browser-based Versions	✔	✔
Mobile App Versions	✔	✔
Desktop Versions	✔	✔
More Information	Visit Google Workspace	Visit Microsoft 365

Were you just looking to compare the business email apps offered by Google and Microsoft specifically? Check out our head-to-head review of Gmail vs Outlook.

How We Evaluated Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365

In terms of Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365, both are full-featured office productivity suites with the tools your small business needs. Each has good solutions for the things you and your team do on a daily basis, like email, cloud storage, and creating and sharing different types of documents.

To determine which is better for small businesses, we evaluated Google vs Microsoft office productivity software suites based on the following:

• Affordability
• Ease of use
• Browser-based functionality
• Mobile apps
• Collaboration features
• Administrative tools
• Cloud storage
• Customer support

Based on our comparison, we’re giving the edge to Google Workspace as the better option for most small businesses. Google Workspace includes the features that solopreneurs, startups, and small businesses need. Plus, its cloud-based software is ideal for today’s distributed and hybrid-remote work environments as well as collaborative teams. There are, however, exceptions where Microsoft 365 wins out; find out more below.

Most Affordable: Google Workspace

Google Workspace plans start at $6 per user, per month, as do those of Microsoft 365. However, the two base plans are not totally comparable, as Microsoft 365 includes more storage (1TB) in the lowest-plan tier compared to Google Workspace (30GB). Both providers enjoy web-based productivity apps, but Workspace users get access to all features available while Microsoft 365 users need to upgrade to get desktop apps with all available features.

In all but the lowest-tier plan, Google Workspace offers the best value with a lower prices for comparable plans and apps, plus twice the storage. Additionally, Google Workspace’s plans don’t require an annual contract, whereas Microsoft’s subscriptions are billed monthly but require an annual commitment.

Google Workspace Pricing per User (Monthly)

• Business Starter: $6 for business email, 30GB of cloud storage, and Google’s suite of business productivity apps
• Business Standard: $12 to add cloud search, 2TB of storage, and archiving vault
• Business Plus: $18 to add enhanced security, eDiscovery, and retention, as well as increase storage to 5TB
• Free trial: 14 days

Microsoft 365 Pricing per User (Monthly)

• Business Basic: $6 for 1TB of cloud storage, OneDrive, 300-participant video conferencing, and web and mobile versions of Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as Microsoft Teams, Exchange, and Sharepoint
• Business Standard: $12.50 to add desktop versions of apps with premium features and additional apps (Access and Publisher)
• Business Premium: $22 to get advanced cyberthreat, phishing, and ransomware protection, device management and security, and premium administrative, information technology, and billing support
• Free trial: 30 days

Takeaway: Both of these office productivity suite powerhouses offer similar features for approximately the same price. While we give the edge to Workspace for including all features in its lowest tier, which is best for your small business still comes down to which apps your prefer to use and how your team works.

Choose Google Workspace if your team needs to collaborate on documents and presentations or you want the best software for a distributed or hybrid workforce. Alternatively, Microsoft 365 might be better if you need the sophisticated features in office apps or want more advanced business email tools and security.

Best Features: It Depends

Both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 offer similar features, including cloud storage, business email, and mobile apps. The biggest difference between the two is that Google’s cloud-based ecosophere is built for collaborative teams. For example, multiple co-workers can work on a document, presentation, or spreadsheet simultaneously.

Another advantage for Google users is that you don’t have to upgrade to get access to desktop apps. You can work on Google apps offline and changes will sync when your internet connection is restored. With Microsoft 365, desktop apps require an upgrade to the Business Standard plan, which is just over double the cost of the lowest-priced tier.

Google Workspace Plans at a Glance

Microsoft 365 Plans at a Glance

Takeaway: For more straightforward, all-inclusive plans, choose Google Workspace. For advanced security, higher participant conferencing limits, and the more full-featured office software and business email, Microsoft 365 is the better choice.

Easiest to Use: Edge to Google Workspace

Both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 have the benefit of feeling familiar to most users. Google Workspace has the familiar look and feel of Gmail, while Microsoft 365 builds on the software many business users have known for years.

If you’ve never used either, Google Workspace is a bit less intimidating and more intuitive. This is in part because for the most part, its features aren’t advanced as those of Microsoft’s office software. However, for most small businesses, its features are more than enough.

Google Workspace

Google typically chooses function over form, which sometimes means its design isn’t quite as pleasing to the eye as Microsoft’s applications. However, the positive trade-off is that Google Workspace’s features work seamlessly behind the scenes.

For example, documents created in Google Docs are automatically saved in your Google Drive. You don’t even have to name a document first. It also constantly auto-saves your work in the background so your files are always up to date. Microsoft users can also auto-save documents, but this requires first saving them to a synced folder or to the user’s OneDrive file.

Google Workspace also tends to focus on the core activities that users need most, so it doesn’t suffer from feature bloat as much as Microsoft 365. Google Workspace apps don’t have some of the advanced features you’ll find in Microsoft Word or Excel, but it makes up for that with a clean, simple interface that just makes sense.

Microsoft 365

Office has the benefit of a longer history, which is perhaps why it tends to try to be everything to everyone. Microsoft packs in every feature it can think of, sometimes at the expense of the user experience.

This is especially true with the desktop versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The browser and mobile app versions, on the other hand, are far simpler in design and focus more on putting the most important tools within reach. With that said, heavy users may prefer the more feature-rich desktop versions of Microsoft apps for the same reason.

Takeaway: When it comes to ease of use, it boils down to familiarity. If you and your employees are more familiar with the user interface of one of these solutions over the other, then that’s the investment to make. However, if Google and Microsoft apps are both unfamiliar, Google Workspace has a lower learning curve than Microsoft 365.

Best for Business Email: Depends on Business Needs

There’s no question that Gmail and Outlook are the two top business email providers available today. Both make it easy to set up email on your domain and both integrate email with other office productivity apps, making it easy to communicate, collaborate, and share documents from any software application.

Gmail Business Email

Google users get 30GB of mailbox storage and can easily set up Gmail email on a business web domain to enjoy all of the functionality of Gmail. Gmail allows attachments up to 25MB, though you can share files larger than that directly from Google Drive. You can send up to 2,000 emails per day and receive over 86,000 daily.

Gmail business email with Google Workspace

Outlook Business Email

Outlook, Microsoft 365’s business email client, has a send limit of 5,000 per day and a 50GB storage limit (higher than the 30GB with Gmail). This limit is separate from your overall cloud storage, which means your email attachments aren’t taking up space in OneDrive. On the other hand, if email storage space is important, unlike Google Workspace, you also aren’t able to tap into your full cloud storage (1TB) for email.

For larger organizations, especially when working in-person, Microsoft 365’s Outlook business email is better. It allows for advanced user permissions, which is essential if you have administrative personnel managing multiple calendars or needing to manage conference room bookings.

As with Workspace, it’s easy to set up email on your domain with Outlook and to sync and manage emails on multiple devices. Where Microsoft 365 truly shines, though, is in its email feature set. Outlook’s business email features and Microsoft’s security beat out Gmail and Google. Outlook has advanced email handling rules, time-saving automations, and many more third-party integrations. For more information, read our Gmail vs Outlook review.

Microsoft 365 business email

Takeaway: Microsoft 365 and Outlook is the clear winner when it comes to business email. It’s more full-featured for small business users and provides more mailbox storage.

Best Office Productivity Apps: Edge to Microsoft 365

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both include software for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Both offer browser-based versions, as well as iOS and Android apps. However, Microsoft users have to subscribe to the Business Standard, Apps for Business, or Premium plan to get desktop versions of its software and the advanced features that come with them.

Google Docs, Sheets & Slides

All of Google Workspace’s apps for document creation, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, are browser-based with mobile app versions. This means that all Google users have access to all the apps and features available, regardless of plan tier. However, there are no true desktop versions, so you generally need to be connected to the internet to create and edit files.

However, with Google Workspace apps, you have the option to mark files for offline access. This enables you to continue working on a file even if you lose your internet connection. Your changes are then automatically updated the next time you connect to the internet. Another advantage of using Google Workspace on desktop devices is that because the software is cloud-based, there aren’t the constant updates Microsoft 365’s desktop apps require.

Google Workspace Docs

Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint

Microsoft 365’s office apps, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, are available as desktop software, browser-based apps, and mobile apps. Like Google Workspace, new documents, changes, and edits made offline are automatically saved and synced to the cloud (for files and folders syncing to OneDrive) once you’re back online.

As with Outlook, comparing the office suites of Google vs Microsoft isn’t apples to apples. Workspace has a simpler interface whereas Microsoft apps have advanced features, such as integrations and automations, which are not as readily available with Google’s apps. There are also many more templates available to Microsoft office users since the software has been around for so long.

Microsoft 365 Word

Takeaway: Microsoft 365 has the edge over Google Workspace in the apps department simply due to how much is available to users as far as templates and advanced niche features like charts. However, those prizing ease of use may prefer the cloud-based apps Google offers, especially since all features can be used on desktop devices, so that users enjoy all features available, regardless of plan tier.

Most Collaboration-friendly: Edge to Google Workspace

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are both built around team collaboration and include great tools for video conferencing, team live chat, and easy document sharing. However, both platforms employ a unique approach to facilitating teamwork. Which is better for your business boils down to what your company expects and needs from its collaboration tools.

Google Workspace

One of the strongest aspects of Google’s office productivity software is that multiple people can work on the same document, spreadsheet, or slide deck at the same time. Plus, they can do so without having to save files, email links to each other, and keep track of versions. Revisions happen in real time while giving you the ability to see what changes have been made and accept or reject them.

Google Workspace’s document sharing options

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365’s collaboration advantage lies in its widespread use throughout the business world. Sales agents and teams can send a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or PowerPoint presentation to clients outside the organization with the confidence they can be opened and read at the other end.

It also offers more advanced features than Google Workspace, such as built-in artificial intelligence services to help users create more polished documents. Microsoft users also enjoy higher video conferencing limits in lower tiers, 300 participants compared to 100 or 150 on the first two Google Workspace tiers.

Microsoft 365’s document sharing options

Takeaway: We’re calling this one in favor of Google Workspace, especially in light of today’s distributed and remote-hybrid workforce needs. Companies that work closely together on in-house projects will find Google Workspace the best option to get the job done, hands-down.

However, business users who frequently collaborate with people outside their organization benefit from Microsoft 365’s prevalent use in the business world. Also, those needing higher video conferencing limits in lower plan tiers may prefer Microsoft vs Google, as will those in larger organizations who need to grant admins the ability to manage multiple calendars.

Most Helpful Customer Service: It’s a Tie

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both offer 24/7 phone and web support to their business clients. Each also offers access to robust self-help knowledge libraries and community support forums. Google and Microsoft both cater to businesses, and their customer service for these types of users is good.

Google Support

Google Workspace administrators have access to 24/7 phone, email, and chat support in 14 languages. For users, support is available through Google Help, their online knowledge base for self-help. Google is known for having helpful support agents and resolving issues quickly when you need a real person.

Microsoft Support

Microsoft 365 also provides live phone and email support to business customers. In addition, Microsoft has extensive training materials, including self-help guides, how-to videos, and a searchable knowledge base. Microsoft is known for paying attention to its business customers, and Microsoft 365 support is no different.

Takeaway: When it comes to deciding which company provides better customer service, it’s too close to call. Both have support teams available by phone and online around the clock, and also offer self-help documentation so users can troubleshoot issues themselves. In the customer service arena, the winner is a draw.

Google vs Microsoft Customer Reviews

Google Workspace

The most commonly mentioned reasons users love Google Workspace is the ease of collaboration and how intuitive the software is to use. Customers also say they enjoy how tightly integrated everything is, and how they are able to work anywhere and still have access to all of their files. One negative review said that the admin panel is less straightforward than it could be, and sometimes hard to navigate.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 customers say that because the software is so widely used, it’s easy to create, share, and open documents created by other businesses or customers. They also like the advanced features found in the apps, like real-time editing suggestions. However, one area that users review negatively is the amount of space (memory) the Microsoft 365 desktop apps take up on desktop computers.

Takeaway: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 each have loyal fans and followings, which are borne out by generally positive online customer reviews.

When to Use Google Workspace

Google Workspace is the best option for small businesses and teams that collaborate on in-house document creation. It even made our list of the best cheap email hosting providers for this reason. It’s also better for those who want to leverage the endless number of integrations available between all of the Google apps they already use.

Visit Google Workspace

When to Use Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is the best option for small businesses that need to edit and collaborate with people outside the organization. Its apps have more advanced features (which could be a plus or minus for a small business), security, and premade templates, and it offers far more video conferencing capacity in the first two plan tiers.

Visit Microsoft 365

Best Alternative to Google vs Microsoft Office Suites: Zoho Workplace

Zoho Workplace is a cloud-based suite of apps with a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, and email client with a forever-free plan for up to five users. Paid plans range from $1 to $6 per user, per month. It’s an affordable option for teams that want an office productivity suite with robust team collaboration tools. Plus, it integrates tightly with Zoho’s comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) system and other native apps.

Visit Zoho Workplace

Bottom Line

Choosing between Microsoft 365 vs Google comes down to the features and capabilities that are most important for your businesses. For the easiest document collaboration and the ability to create and access all of your documents wherever you work, Google Workspace is best. If your business needs advanced features and security, then Microsoft 365’s office productivity and business email apps are better for your small business.

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