Both Office 365 and Google apps (G Suite) are the most preferred Office productivity suite of Microsoft and Google that let you perform common business tasks in the cloud. Also, they provide the functionality to create documents, cloud storage, spreadsheets, presentations, etc. Plus video conferencing and collaboration with team members task will make effortless with these services. The similarity in their features makes it difficult for a user to choose one of them. When people think about choosing one of them, it tends to spring to their mind. Therefore, in this post, we will discuss the similarities and differences between them and also tell you which is better Google Workspace vs Microsoft Office 365 for your business.
Office 365: Office 365 is built for power and it is supported by both web and desktop. Also, it is accessible by Windows, Mac OS, and mobile platforms. It has been built from the ground up with the programs that a user is required to use MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
G Suite: Google Apps is built for collaboration and it only has its Web version. It cannot be used offline via the Chrome browser with file-syncing enabled. Also, G Suite is accessible by Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android platforms.
Do you know several features offered by M365 and G Suite that make them similar? If not, then go through the below points:
The following tabular information covers the main differences between Office 365 and G Suite:
| S.No. | Parameters | Office 365 | Google Apps (G Suite) |
| 1. | Applications | Office 365 supports the MS Word, Excel, Outlook and more while working in offline mode. Another advanced applications of Office 365 are SharePoint, Dynamic CRM, and Azure. | G suite offers many web-based services like Google calendar, make permanent changes in the file, better file management, feedback in suggestion mode, etc. |
| 2. | Communication | Use Skype for business. It is capable of being fully integrated enterprise-class telephone replacement, with max 250 participants. | Use Google Hangouts. It can sync conversations across devices & built into many G Suite applications, with max 25 participants. |
| 3. | Content Management | It offers SharePoint with Metadata tagging, Check-in/ Check-out system to prevent simultaneous changes, Records Management option, and Automated workflow processes. New data can be imported immediately. | It includes Sites that offers Quick deployment and ability to build ad-hoc teams. One can have sites up and running within an hour. It provides more user- friendly features. |
| 4. | Pricing | O365 offers various different plans. Enterprise Level E3 is $20 per user per month, that includes web and desktop applications, unlimited Cloud storage with 50GB of e-mail storage, unlimited users, and 24/7 web and phone support. | G Suite offers two plans for a business that is $10 & $ 5 per user per month, which includes a full online product suite, unlimited Cloud storage with 1TB per user if fewer than 5 users, & 24/7 Web, phone & chat support. |
| 5. | Notes | It provides One Note, that is robust and offers indexed notes and notebooks that are built into libraries. | It provides Keep, that is simple to use and can function as stand-alone notes. It is modeled after Sticky Notes. |
| 6. | Social Networking | It has Yammer, which is within your organization and your invitees. This is a good choice if you want a private network. | G Suite offers Google+ for social networking. It is the best choice if you want a public social network. |
| 7. | Email services | Office 365 uses classical folder hierarchy to classify the emails. It provides total 1 TB of storage space and 50 GB additional space for the Inbox. | Gmail of G Suite allows users to add multiple labels in an email that provides 30GB of storage limit in Gmail and Google Drive. |
| 8. | Security | It uses Advanced Threat Protection for security reasons. It has a new email filtering option whose main motive is to targets particularly advanced threats like an infected virus and unknown malware in real time. | It takes advantage of machine learning to find the unsecured & unauthorized logins. It scans each email attachment automatically before one can download it in order to avoid the spread of viruses. |
Microsoft 365 and Google Apps both provide different plans & pricing to their users. But to choose among any of them is quite difficult. So, to get rid of this issue, just have a quick look at the below chart to know which plan suits your budget as well as your needs:
| S.No. | Subscription Plans | Microsoft 365 | G Suite |
| 1. | Business Basic vs Business Starter | One can purchase this plan for $5(for one month). Within this, you can gain the benefit of web & mobile versions of Office 365 services. Moreover, this plan is recommended for those who work online or remotely because this subscription doesn’t support desktop-based tools. Additionally, you get OneDrive(1TB Storage), MS Word, Excel, & PowerPoint in this package, which is efficient for small businesses. | This is a cost-effective plan with reliable services like Gmail, Doc, Drive, Sheets, Meet, Forms, etc at $6(30 Days & for each user) with 30 GB of online storage. Remember this is a basic plan of Google Workspace which means it doesn’t provide any premium tools i.e. Google Vault, Cloud Search, Data Loss Prevention, Advanced Drive features, Advanced Drive audit reporting, & Google Meet recording. |
| 2. | Business Standard vs Business Standard | This plan is advisable for those businesses who are looking for premium & collaborative tools with minimal cost i.e. $12.50(one month) per user. Choosing this subscription can be a wise choice since it provides several services that can help to enhance the productivity of the organizations including Outlook, MS OneNote, Teams, OneDrive for Business, SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, MS Access, etc. | This subscription can be used in both large & small organizations as in this you have the privilege to gain access to all the tools provided by G Suite with 2TB of cloud storage at $12 for 30 Days. Keep in mind, the premium tools are not included in this package. But it provides you with other several features which are: Custom email addresses, Business email addresses with Gmail, Video conferencing, Calendar, Chat & Messaging, Security and administration controls, and many more. |
| 3. | Business Premium vs Business Plus | As its name is “Business Premium Plan”, it is clear that it can be costly because of its outstanding productivity & collaboration tools. But if you are seeking a service that offers high security from cyber threats, Azure information protection, and Intune mobile device management with out-of-the-box solutions, then you try this for $20(30 Days) per customer. It is suitable for large enterprises where the risk of data hack is higher. | Users who are looking for a subscription with the entire functionalities of Google Workspace, as well as cost-efficient can consider this plan at $18 for a full month. After purchasing this, you have full access to these features i.e. All Business Standard features, Enhanced security and administration controls, Compliance and eDiscovery, Advanced reporting and audit capabilities, hosting online meetings (250 participants) & Additional support and assistance. |
| 4. | Apps for Business vs Enterprise | For small enterprises, this plan is best because you can get this plan only for $8.25(30 Days & for each user). This suite includes every tool offered by Office 365 except collaboration services i.e. Teams & SharePoint. Plus, with this, you don’t have the advantage of Microsoft’sbusiness email. | G Suite offers this plan for those users who want to decide the subscription cost itself according to their budget or needs. Plus, with this, you can store unlimited data on the cloud without any restrictions. Moreover, this gives you all the benefits of the Business Plus Plan, Advanced security controls(Context-aware access, Security key enforcement, Data regions), Advanced endpoint management(Endpoint verification & App access control), Advanced collaboration and productivity features( Google Meet, Drive auditing and reporting, Hangouts Meet hardware), and many more. |
Additional resources:: Microsoft Office 365 without Internet Connection
Several tools are offered by both platforms i.e. Office 365 & Google Workspace. Below is the comparison of the tools on the basis of productivity, collaboration, & many more. So, let’s delve into the key points to understand which one is best for us:
| S.No. | Parameters | Microsoft 365 | Google Workspace |
| 1. | Email & Productivity | Within Office 365 suite there is one email desktop-based & web-based client available i.e. Outlook. This email platform is highly recommended in every organization for sharing & receiving files with attachments simultaneously & securely. On top of that, four outstanding productivity tools offered by this are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. These services are used not only in organizations but by individuals also. | Using G Suite, one can get the benefit of a well-known email client called Gmail. You can use this for free & gain 15GB of free cloud storage. The storage of this service can be extended by purchasing the other plans of the Google Apps. Remember, it is not a desktop like Outlook which means it won’t work without the internet. Like Office 365, G Suite offers four productivity tools i.e. Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Keep. These services come with one centralized platform for creating and editing documents with real-time collaboration features. |
| 2. | Collaboration | With the Office 365 business plan users find three collaboration platforms which are OneDrive for Business(cloud-storage), SharePoint, and Teams. These services can work on every device & from any location. Especially, OneDrive for Business can integrate with any Microsoft 365 tool which helps users to edit, copy, or share the file quickly. Plus, SharePoint helps to create, share, and manage documents and projects in a centralized digital workspace. Furthermore, with MS Teams one can easily chat, video meetings, file sharing, and app integration with others from one centralized location. | In G Suite there is one hub that is used to create, store, and share files i.e. Google Drive. Despite, creating or editing the files, it allows users to send them to other ones individually, or simultaneously by giving access to viewing, commenting, or editing. With this multiple users can work on the same file, which means it supports real-time collaboration. |
| 3. | Video Conferencing | For doing online meetings with multiple users at the same, Microsoft launched a solution called Teams. It is specially designed for screen sharing, chat, & can be integrated with other Office apps effortlessly. Plus, the update of this service comes every week, so you can get the benefit of the new advanced features after every update. | Google Meet is a platform where numerous users communicate or collaborate via an internet connection. Plus, it offers various features like screen sharing, live captions, and even integration with Google Calendar. Additionally, it provides a user-friendly interface with which one can easily operate this service without facing any types of issues related to video conferencing. |
| 4. | Calendar & Scheduling | For calendaring & scheduling purposes we can use Outlook Calendar available in Office 365 subscription. It allows for scheduling meetings, appointments, and events. Plus, this can simply integrate with any M365 services. Choosing this is a wise decision as you can see your meeting or appointment details even offline from any device. | Google Workspace provides a robust platform for scheduling and sharing calendars which is a well-known solution i.e. Google Calendar. Also, for easy scheduling of meetings or appointments, one can integrate it with Gmail and Meet. |
Read More: Office 365 vs Office 2016
Choosing between Google Workspace vs Microsoft Office 365 is quite tedious. But, after the discussions of this post, it is noticed that the choice depends on your requirements. If you want an integration with third-party applications and use all cloud-based services only, then go for G Suite. On the other hand, if you need to choose a better plan in less price then, Office 365 is the best choice.
Moreover, if you regularly work on all other applications of Microsoft Office Suite and want to avail of its advanced services, then go for Office 365. Thus, there is always a neck-to-neck competition between Google Apps vs Office 365. In this post, a deep comparison is done between the both so, one can choose easily between the both based on their requirement.