Microsoft 365 vs. Google Workspace: Which Is Better?
When it comes to business productivity tools, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are two of the most famous, reliable, and commonly used suites. They are used by many enterprises, especially those with remote work operations, because they provide a complete and comprehensive package of cloud-based applications and services that facilitate easy communication and collaboration.
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are both powerful and reliable. They both offer numerous advantages to businesses of all sizes. Hence, it can be quite hard to decide which suite is better for your business. To help you make the right choice, here are some of the key differentiators between the two highly trusted productivity suites.
Major Features
Both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer a wide range of useful features. Some of them are similar, while others are unique to each platform. Below are the major and most interesting features.
1. Online and Offline Work
If you are looking for applications that you can use even without an internet connection, Microsoft 365 is your best option. This is the main advantage that Microsoft 365 has over Google Workspace – the former provides you with a series of office applications, like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, that are pre-installed on Windows devices and can be accessed autonomously offline.
On the other hand, Google Workspace applications are browser-centric and can only be used in a web browser. With the exception of specific functions in Google Chrome, offline functionality is lacking. When you use the Google Chrome browser, there are only some capabilities for you to save changes when you work offline with documents or email.
2. Email
When it comes email, Microsoft 365 offers businesses with Outlook Online, which is a web service used for sending and receiving emails in the web interface. This is the online version of Microsoft Outlook, which is a powerful and reliable email client that can be installed on Windows and macOS machines.
Google, on the other hand, does not provide a standalone email client. Nonetheless, it offers a more powerful web interface for emails in comparison with Outlook Online. With Google Mail, or more commonly known as Gmail, you can access numerous third-party applications that enhance its functionality. Its AI-driven feature is also a handy tool that you can use to improve the content of your emails.
3. Document Editor
When talking about document editor, Microsoft Word is a classic choice. It is a powerful rich text editor that provides a wide variety of formatting options and features, including templates. It is used to edit rich text documents, and it can be accessed offline since it is installed on your computer.
On the other hand, Google Docs provides excellent functionality for collaboration online. It is the best choice when multiple users need to edit a single document at the same time. However, compared to Microsoft Word, the overall series of features in Google Docs is small and more limited.
4. Cloud Storage
In terms of cloud storage, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are a close match. For starter subscriptions, Microsoft provides more storage space by default in comparison to Google Drive (1 TB in Microsoft and 30 GB in Google Drive). However, for top subscription plans, Google is considered to provide better value for money.
To store files, Google shares Google Drive storage space with cloud storage. If your account has a storage limit of 30 GB in Google Drive, but you email consumes 5 GB of storage space, you would have 25 GB of space in Google Drive to store files. Nonetheless, Google Workspace provides flexible options for you to buy more storage space.
In addition, Google also delivers more powerful and intelligent tools for searching files in the cloud storage, and it provides its users with the ability to share and manage files by multiple users.
5. Conferencing Tools
For group chat, team meetings, video conferencing, shared team file repositories, and customised workspaces, Microsoft has Microsoft Teams, while Google has Google Meet. Both of these platforms offer top-notch business functionality, but Microsoft Teams is considered to be specifically built for business use.
Microsoft Teams integrates more than 250 applications that you can use to collaborate effectively with your members of your organisation. It enables you to host video calls for up to 300 participants at the same time and chat with your colleagues using the same application.
On the other hand, Google Meet supports up to 250-participant video conferencing, depending on your subscription plan. It is likewise integrated with other applications in Google Workspace, such as Google Calendar and Gmail, which enables you to schedule and host meetings simultaneously.
6. Security
When comparing Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, it is very important for businesses to look at the security aspect. Both Microsoft and Google care about the security of their clients and offer a wide range of security features. Both suites support multi-factor authentication as a solution for reducing the risk of hacking, and they both provide increasing security features with higher subscription plans.
Real-time security audits, security reports, role-based access control, and full data encryption are the other essential security features that can be found in both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. While the security features in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are almost similar, many consider the former to be superior.
Microsoft 365 is on par with Google Workspace when it comes to detecting and filtering out malware, phishing attempts, and spam. The minor advantage of Microsoft 365, however, is its multi-factor authentication feature that is considerably better than Google Workspace’s mere two-factor authentication. The latter’s wide-ranging connectivity with third party applications and extensions also makes it a security risk due to the permissions it allows some users to grant.
Pricing and Plans
Aside from looking at which between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace meets your business needs better, you should also consider which one fits your budget. The plans and pricing of these productivity suites play a vital role in determining whether your chosen solution will be cost-effective in the long run.
Here are the pricing and plans offered by Microsoft 365:
Business Basic
This basic plan is suitable for businesses that need only simple remote solutions. It is priced at $5 per user per month, and includes 1 TB of OneDrive storage, business email, and the web and mobile versions of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
Business Standard
This standard plan is best suited for businesses and organisations that are searching for complete and comprehensive remote and collaboration tools. It is priced at $12.50 per user per month and combines the Business Basic plan with all the premium office applications in their web, mobile, and desktop versions.
Business Premium
This plan is ideal for businesses and organisations that require advanced remote work solutions and threat protection. It is priced at $20 per user per month and includes advanced security and management services on top of the premium applications and services available in Business Standard.
Apps for Business
This edition is the best option for startups and small businesses that use Office applications and cloud file storage but do not need Microsoft’s business email. It is priced at $8.25 per user per month and includes a variety of features, except for business email, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams.
Here are the pricing and plans offered by Google Workspace:
Business Starter
This basic plan is perfect for those who have a small business or are just establishing a new one. It is priced at $6 per user per month and includes 30 GB of cloud storage for every user. It does not, however, provide AppSheet, Cloud Search and Vault, and shared drives for your team.
Business Standard
Business Standard is the most popular plan in Google Workspace. It is priced at $12 per user per month and offers 2 TB of cloud storage for every user. It supports video conferencing for up to 150 participants and also enables recording of meetings. Like Business Starter, however, this plan does not provide Vault for data retention.
Business Plus
If you seek more storage capacity and enhance security for your business, this plan is ideal for you. It is priced at $18 per user per month and includes numerous additional features, such as Cloud Search, hosting online conferences for up to 250 participants, and attendance tracking. It also provides improve security and management controls, such as Vault and advanced endpoint management.
Enterprise
The Enterprise edition is the most premium plan of Google that offers unlimited cloud storage. This plan has all the critical features of Business Plus and several advanced capabilities and security solutions, including AppSheet, Connected Sheets, enterprise endpoint management, and in-domain live streaming. It comes at a custom pricing, which you may avail of by contacting Google’s sales team.
Conclusion
There is really no conclusive and universal answer as to which between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace is better to use. The answer largely depends on your business’ needs and budget. To make sure you make a wise and informed choice, it is best to seek the advice of your IT maintenance team. They are the ones who know what is best for your organisation.
Alternatively, you can also get in touch with us today at JK Tech. We are a reliable one-stop IT solution-sourcing centre in Singapore that can help your business find and integrate the best productivity suite for your needs. In addition, we offer IT security, computer rental, IT support and maintenance services, and more.