Gmail vs Outlook for Business Email: Which to Use & Why
Elizabeth Kraus has more than a decade of first-hand experience building and growing a boutique digital marketing agency and double that in small and mid-size business marketing management. She provides expert answers to marketing questions related to branding, content marketing, web development, email, social media, and SEO.
This article is part of a larger series on Business Email.
When choosing between Gmail vs Outlook, which business email software to use depends on the size and work style of your team, the email features and productivity software you want, and how much storage you need. Gmail is best for collaborative teams using Google Workspace apps. Alternatively, those wanting advanced email features and automations may prefer Outlook and Microsoft 365.
Keep reading to see how Outlook vs Gmail stack up:
- Gmail: Best for businesses wanting a commitment-free email host with modern, intuitive productivity and collaboration tools
- Outlook: Best for businesses that use email heavily and want advanced tools, organization, and automation capabilities, and who don’t mind an annual commitment
Gmail vs Outlook at a Glance
 |  | |
Cost for Personal Use | Free | Free |
Storage | 15GB | 15GB |
Attachment Limit | To receive: 50MB To send: 25MB | 34MB |
Connect Your Own Domain | X | X |
Email Forwarding | ✔ | ✔ |
Built-in Email Security | ✔ | ✔ |
Starting Price for Business Use (e.g., name@business.com) | $6 per month (Google Workspace) | $6 per month (Outlook with Microsoft 365) |
Keep in mind that if you want to connect your own domain name, you will need to do so through a web hosting provider like Bluehost. Learn more about setting up a professional email address.
Outlook vs Gmail Business Email Pricing at a Glance
Both are free and have comparably priced business plans, but Outlook users get more storage in Microsoft 365’s Basic plan.
| | |||||
Free | Starter | Standard | Free | Starter | Standard | |
Price per User/Month | $0 | $6 | $12 | $0 | $6 | $12.50 |
Contract Basis | Monthly | Paid monthly with annual contract | ||||
24/7 Support | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Business Email | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ | ✔ |
Email Storage | 15GB | 30GB | 2TB | 15GB | 1TB | 1TB |
Cloud Storage | 15GB | 30GB | 2TB | N/A | 1TB | 1TB |
App Versions | Web and mobile | Web and mobile | Web and mobile | Web and mobile | Web and mobile | Web, mobile, and desktop |
As far as pricing goes, it’s a tie. If you don’t want a 12-month commitment, Google Workspace (and Gmail) have month-to-month plans while Microsoft 365 (and Outlook) require a one-year commitment, but the plan is billed monthly. Either way, it’s affordable for entrepreneurs and small businesses that need professional, highly secure business email backed up with 24/7 customer support.
Money-saving tip: While Gmail and Outlook are two of the top business email providers, they’re not the cheapest. Those looking to get business email addresses at the lowest price should check out our article on the best cheap email hosting providers.
Gmail vs Outlook Business Email Features
While Gmail and Outlook offer some of the same email features, there are distinct differences. Gmail has unique features like Smart Compose (intuitively completes your sentences), automatic language translation, and built-in follow-up reminders. Gmail also sends automatic email notifications when you’re tagged in a Workspace app, making it easy for teams to work collaboratively on projects, presentations, and more.
Microsoft Outlook, on the other hand, has advanced features to automate email management, more customizations, a built-in appointment booking tool, and the ability to manage multiple calendars and set up time-saving automations. Outlook also offers more advanced security and cyberthreat protection in the highest-plan tier.
Top Gmail Business Email Features
- Modern interface
- Web-based and mobile apps available with all plans
- 2TB cloud storage
- Work via web-based apps even if you’re offline (syncs when connection restored)
- Schedule emails
- Send and request money via email
- Follow-up reminders built in
- Smart Compose feature intuitively auto-populates the remainder of your sentence, helping you save time and avoid errors
- Missing attachment notification
- Confidential mode allows users to set an expiration date on emails
- Built-in language translators
- Notifications from Google Workspace, such as when a colleague tags you in a document
- Third-party integrations to extend functionality
Top Outlook Business Email Features
- Web-based and mobile apps available with all plans
- Desktop apps with Standard plan and above
- 1TB cloud storage
- Advanced security and message encryption
- Built-in appointment booking tool available with standard and above plans
- Interface customization capabilities to suit nearly any email user’s preferences
- Advanced tools for email management and organization
- Sorting options to easily find emails by size, date, or sender
- Missing attachment notification
- Ignore Conversations feature automatically puts email threads in trash
- Quick Parts feature to send similar emails quickly
- Create emails, appointments, tasks, and add contacts from the same window
- Ability to share and delegate multiple calendars
- Third-party integrations to extend functionality and automate workflows
Gmail is best if you want collaborative work notifications and modern productivity tools like the ability to send and receive money via email, built-in language translation, and setting expiration dates on emails. Outlook is better for email users needing a lot of storage, companies with staff members managing other user’s inboxes and calendars, or those wanting more customization options, sales and billing email automations, or built-in appointment booking tools.
Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 Software Suites
As with email, these business software titans have a lot of comparable tools. Whether you opt for Outlook vs Gmail (and thus, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) will depend heavily on which software apps you prefer to use. Google Workspace’s value for teams that work collaboratively is unmatched. However, Microsoft 365 includes tools for online booking and administrative management you won’t find in Workspace.
 |  | |
Overall | Best collaborative tools | Best productivity tools |
User-friendly Email Interface | Modern, minimal customization options | Traditional, many customization options |
Collaboration & Productivity Tools | Google Docs, Sheets, Presentations, Calendar, Chat, and more | Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Bookings, Publisher, and more |
Extra Features | Google Hangouts, Google Drive, website builder, form builder, employee engagement tools, and more | Microsoft Teams, Skype, MileIQ for mileage tracking, and more |
Availability of Third-party Integrations | Third-party integrations via Google Workspace Marketplace | Third-party integrations |
Both have comparable world-class tools for creating documents, presentations, and spreadsheets, but Google Workspace is the better option for modern businesses with collaborative teams. Google Workspace has more collaboration tools and provides more add-ons and business app integrations.
With that said, a lot of what you get with Outlook business email isn’t matched by Gmail, except through integrations. Microsoft 365 productivity tools (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) are also more advanced than Workspace’s. Plus, with Microsoft 365, you get business tools like Bookings to streamline meeting set up and MileIQ for mileage tracking.
Both have team apps for collaboration that come with robust video conferencing capabilities, but Microsoft users get higher participant caps in lower-priced tiers. Workspace users get the highest video meeting attendee cap, at 500, but only in the highest-tier plans.
Tip: Interested in learning more about the productivity and collaboration tools each provider includes? Get the complete breakdown of Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365.
When to Choose Gmail
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Modern interface with intuitive collaboration and productivity tools | Lacks administrative features like the ability to manage multiple calendars |
| All plans are on a month-to-month basis | No built-in appointment booking tools |
| Multiple team members can work simultaneously on Docs, Sheets, and Slides | Lacks advanced organization and automation tools |
Takeaway: Gmail is the first choice of most U.S. startups and small businesses today given its modern, user-friendly interface, the freedom of month-to-month plans, and robust collaboration tools that serve modern businesses. It’s also ideal for international businesses due to translation capabilities that make it easy to send and receive emails in multiple languages. For any business, another Gmail plus is the ability to send and receive money via email.
When to Choose Outlook
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Facilitates management of other user’s email inboxes and calendars | Plans with unlimited storage are not available |
| Far higher storage in first two plan tiers | Plans require an annual commitment, unlike Google Workspace’s month-to-month plans; however, they are billed monthly |
| More advanced features and security, e.g., message encryption, email scheduling, rules to automate email management, and built-in appointment booking | Not as many tools for collaborative teams as Gmail, such as automatic email notifications when tagged in a Workspace document |
Takeaway: Microsoft 365 business email via Outlook is best if you need the most advanced productivity apps and robust admin tools for managing other users’ inboxes, calendars, meeting rooms, and booking appointments. Having been the business go-to for many years, its familiar interface also means a low learning curve, and it gives users many customization options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which are the best business email providers?
The best business email providers offer custom email addresses and are affordable, secure, and reliable. Besides leading competitors Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, top options include Zoho Email, IONOS, and Bluehost. Which is right for your business will depend on your budget and the features you want. Learn more about the best business email providers to find out which is right for you.
How do I get a free business email address?
There are a number of ways to get a free business email address at no cost through providers you’re likely already using. For example, many web hosting plans, such as those offered by Bluehost, IONOS, and DreamHost, include free business email. Alternatively, website builders like Squarespace even include a free Google Workspace account with some plans. Learn more about how to get a free business email address.
If your business needs a free professional email address that uses your domain name (e.g., name@business.com), check out our article on how to get a free business email address.
How do I create a business email address?
Creating a business email address is easy, and if you choose Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, you can purchase a domain for business email during setup. Alternatively, find and register a domain name through a domain name registrar such as GoDaddy or get one free with a web hosting plan with providers like IONOS, Bluehost, and DreamHost.
Then, choose which email provider you want to use (e.g., Gmail, Microsoft, or Zoho), create an account, set up your business email address, and connect your domain to your chosen email provider. If you need more help, follow our step-by-step instructions on how to create a custom email address.
Bottom Line
Gmail and Outlook are the world’s top business email apps, and they come with leading productivity and collaboration tools to power your business operations. For collaborative teams, Google Workspace is best thanks to multi-user access to shared documents, automatic notifications, and its clean, modern interface. Microsoft 365 is better for large operations needing administrative management tools and those wanting the most advanced business email and productivity software.
You Might Also Like…
- On a tight budget? Find out how to get a free email domain.
- After setting up your business email, the next step is to create your professional email signature. Take a look at these business email signature examples for inspiration.
- Do more with your new professional email address with the best email tools for small businesses.
