In a showdown of the world’s leading email providers, Gmail vs Outlook, which to use depends on a variety of factors, like the size of your team, the tools you want to use, and the amount of storage you need. For most, Gmail is the superior option. It has a clean interface, tons of app integrations, top-notch security, and professional plans that let you use email addresses with your own domain name. Plus, Gmail costs less than half of what Outlook costs.
- Gmail: Best for businesses wanting a commitment-free email host with top-notch productivity and collaboration tools
- Outlook: Best for businesses that want a familiar email interface with classic email and administration tools, and that don’t mind an annual commitment
Gmail vs Outlook at a Glance
 |  | |
Starting Price for Personal Use | Free | Free |
Storage | 15GB | 15GB |
Attachment Limit | To receive: 50MB To send: 25MB | 34MB |
Connect Your Own Domain | N/A | N/A |
Email Forwarding | ✔ | ✔ |
Built-in Email Security | ✔ | ✔ |
Starting Price for Professional Use (e.g., name@business.com) | $6/month (Google Workspace) | $12.50/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 your web or email hosting provider, like Bluehost. Learn more about setting up a professional email address.
Gmail vs Outlook Pricing
Takeaway: Both are free, but for business plans, Google Workspace is less than half the price.
| | |||||
Free | Starter | Standard | Free | Basic | Standard | |
Price per User/Month | $0 | $6 | $12 | $0 | $5 (does not include email) | $12.50 |
Contract Basis | Month-to-month | With annual contract | ||||
Email Storage | 15GB | 30GB | 2TB | 15GB | 1TB | 1TB |
Cloud Storage | 15GB | 30GB | 2TB | N/A | N/A | 1TB |
Business Email | N/A | ✔ | ✔ | N/A | N/A | ✔ |
Desktop Versions of Apps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | N/A | N/A | ✔ |
24/7 Support | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Cost-focused businesses will find that Gmail has Outlook beat since its entry-level plan costs less than half the price of Microsoft’s comparable plan. Additionally, Gmail offers better overall value with commitment-free, month-to-month plans, 24/7 customer support, and apps for any device with all plans.
- Gmail: Comprehensive and commitment-free business email
- Outlook: Businesses with team members who need to manage multiple email accounts and calendars
Money-saving tip: While Gmail and Outlook are two of the top business email providers, they’re surely 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: Email Features
Takeaway: Gmail offers a wider variety of modern business email features.
While Gmail and Outlook offer many of the same email features, upon further inspection, there are several differences. For example, Gmail has unique features like Smart Compose (which intuitively completes your sentences), automatic email translation, and built-in follow-up reminders. Outlook, on the other hand, has a built-in appointment booking tool, more email interface customizations, and the ability to manage multiple calendars.
Top Gmail Features
- Unlimited cloud storage with some plans
- Modern interface
- Desktop and mobile apps available with all plans
- Ability to access Gmail offline
- 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
Top Outlook Features
- Mobile app available with all plans
- Built-in appointment booking tool available with standard and premium plans
- Offline access to email accounts
- Customization capabilities to suit nearly any email user’s preferences
- Sorting options to easily find emails by size, date, or sender
- Missing attachment notification
- Ignore Conversations feature automatically puts email threads in trash
- Ability to share and delegate multiple calendars
Gmail is the best option for businesses that value time-saving features and modern productivity tools, such as the ability to send and receive money via email, translate emails from foreign languages, and set expiration dates on emails. Outlook is best for more traditional companies that have staff members who are responsible for managing other user’s inboxes and calendars, or those wanting more customization options or built-in appointment booking tools.
Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: Additional Features
Takeaway: Google Workspace offers better additional features.
 |  | |
Overall | Best for collaborative tools | Best for productivity tools |
User-friendly Email Interface | Modern, minimal customization options | Traditional, many customization options |
Collaboration and 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 | Skype, team management tools, MileIQ for mileage tracking, and more |
Availability of Third-party Integrations | Tons of add-ons via the Google Workspace Marketplace as well as directly from third-party providers | Office add-ins are only available from third-parties directly |
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. Alternatively, Microsoft 365’s tools are more geared toward hierarchical companies, where many staff members are in administrative roles and thus need tools to help them manage multiple calendars, email accounts, and meeting room scheduling.
Tip: Interested in learning more about the productivity and collaboration tools each provider includes? Get the complete breakdown of Google Workspace vs Office 365.
When to Choose Gmail
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| All plans include intuitive collaboration and productivity tools | Doesn’t offer as many secretarial features, such as the ability to easily manage multiple calendars |
| All plans are on a month-to-month basis | No built-in appointment booking tools |
| Modern and user-friendly interface | |
Takeaway: Gmail is the better choice for most startups and small businesses given its modern, user-friendly interface, the freedom of month-to-month plans, and robust collaboration tools that serve modern businesses. It’s also an ideal email solution 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 | Fewer time-saving productivity tools than Gmail |
| Built-in appointment booking tools available with premium plans | Plans require an annual commitment, unlike Google Workspace’s month-to-month plans |
| Offers more advanced features, such as Message encryption, ability to schedule emails, and built-in appointment booking | Plans with unlimited storage are not available |
Takeaway: Outlook is a solid email option for larger companies that need productivity apps as well as administrative tools, such as the ability to easily manage other users’ inboxes and calendars, book meeting rooms, and book appointments. Having been the business standard 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. Top options include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Email, 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?
Many people don’t realize that there are a number of ways to get a business email address at no additional cost through providers you’re likely already using. For example, many web hosting plans, such as those offered by Bluehost, IONOS by 1&1, and DreamHost, include free business email.
Alternatively, some 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), we’ve got you covered. 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 might be easier than you think. To start, 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 such as IONOS by 1&1, 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 for good reasons. However, if you’re looking for a business email solution that uses your own domain name, you’ll need to opt for the premium versions in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365.
For most small businesses, Google Workspace is the best choice for business email. It’s not only far cheaper at just $6 per user, per month, but it also comes with industry-leading productivity and collaboration tools to help you and your team get to work.
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