Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: Which Is Right for Your Business?

When it comes to making sure your business reaches its full potential, the right tools can make all the difference.

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are top productivity suites for team communication, collaboration, and organisation. While Microsoft 365 is the preferred choice in the UK, both are excellent solutions, and they each bring something different to the table.

To figure out which cloud-based option is the best fit for your team, you’ll need to consider factors like pricing, features, usability, and more.

To help, we’ll compare Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 (formally Office 365), focusing on the areas that matter most.

1. Pricing

Every business’s budget is different. The good news is that both Google and Microsoft have tiered pricing plans to suit a range of needs.

Google Workspace pricing

• Business Starter: 30 GB per user at £4.80 per user/month
• Business Standard: 2 TB per user at £9.60 per user/month
• Business Plus: 5 TB per user at £14.40 per user/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing and unlimited storage

Google Workspace usually charges annually for its plans. You can pay month by month if you prefer, but the price goes up by about 20% if you do.

Microsoft 365 pricing

• Business Basic: 1 TB of storage per user at $£4.90 per user/month
• Business Standard: 2 TB of storage per user at £10.30 per user/month
• Business Premium: 5 TB of storage per user at £18.10 per user/month
• Enterprise: Pricing varies, with unlimited storage available on higher tiers

Like Workspace, Microsoft 365 prices are based on annual billing. You can expect to pay 16% more per user/month when paying monthly.

When choosing a plan, it’s important to look closely at the features each one offers. Different tiers come with their own set of tools, security options, and collaboration features. It’s about finding a plan that offers the features you need at a price you can afford.

2. Collaboration tools

Both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are great for collaboration, but each takes a different approach.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace prioritises collaboration with the following features:

• Real-time edits: Multiple people can work on the same file in Docs, Sheets, and Slides, and changes show up instantly.
• Comments and tasks: Add comments, suggest edits, or assign tasks right in the document.
• Google Drive integration: Files save automatically to Drive, and it’s easy to change access permissions.
• Video meetings: Google Meet works with Google Docs and Calendar, so you can start video calls directly from events or documents.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 makes collaboration simple and flexible. Here’s how:

• Co-authoring: Work together in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in real time, even offline — all changes are synced once back online.
• Teams as a hub: Microsoft Teams combines chat, video calls, and file sharing in one place, fully integrated with Office apps.
• File management: SharePoint and OneDrive offer organised storage, version history, and permission controls.
• Offline options: Desktop apps let you work without internet access when needed.

3. Email (Gmail vs Outlook)

Email is at the heart of any productivity and collaboration suite. Let’s see how Google and Microsoft’s email solutions measure up:

Gmail

Gmail is user-friendly and ideal for smaller businesses or anyone who wants a straightforward setup. It integrates effortlessly with other Google apps like Drive, Calendar, and Meet, so it’s easy to manage everything in one place.

Standout features of Gmail include:

• Simple, intuitive interface
• Automatic email categories (Primary, Social, Promotions)
• Strong search and spam protection
• 30 GB of storage (or unlimited on higher plans)

Outlook

Outlook is great if you need more control over your email and need to keep up with a busy inbox.

Here’s what it brings to the table:

• Focused Inbox to highlight important emails
• Tools to prioritise messages and manage your schedule
• Customisable folders to organise emails
• Built-in calendar for easy scheduling
• Easy integration with Microsoft tools like Teams and OneDrive
• 1 TB of storage (up to 5 TB on premium plans)

4. Spreadsheets (Google Sheets vs Microsoft Excel)

You need a strong spreadsheet system to manage data organisation and analysis. But is Sheets or Excel the better choice for you? Let’s compare them.

Google Sheets

Google Sheets is great for collaborating and organising smaller tasks. While it’s not designed for large-scale data analysis, it’s perfect for quick, everyday use. Here’s what you can expect:

• Real-time collaboration with multiple users editing at once
• Easy sharing and integration with Google Drive and Docs
• Basic features like filters, charts, and formatting
• Add-ons to expand functionality

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool for big tasks and in-depth analysis. Unlike Google Sheets, it’s great for handling large datasets and complex work. Here’s what you can expect:

• Advanced features like pivot tables and detailed formulas
• Automation with VBA to speed up tasks
• Functional enough for large datasets and complex analysis
• Takes some time to learn, but it’s worth it for the power it offers

5. Presentations (Google Slides vs Microsoft PowerPoint)

Next, let’s see which of the two suites is a better fit for carrying out presentations.

Google Slides

Google Slides is perfect for quick, no-fuss collaboration and is ideal for individuals or smaller teams. Here’s what it has to offer:

• Real-time editing with your team
• Easy integration with Google Docs, Drive, and other Google Workspace apps
• Essential design tools like templates, transitions, and charts
• Access on any device, at anytime

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint is the go-to tool for professional presentations—especially when you’ve got a larger team on board. If you want to wow your audience, PowerPoint has everything you need, including:

• Advanced design options, animations, and templates
• Powerful data tools like charts, graphs, and 3D effects
• Offline access with the desktop app
• Great integration with Microsoft tools like Excel and Teams
• Perfect for making highly customised presentations

6. Data security (and data recoverability)

When it comes to protecting your business data, both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 offer strong security features:

Google Workspace

Here’s a look at the data protection you’ll get with Google Workspace:

• Two-factor authentication for added security
• Encryption for data both in transit and at rest
• Phishing protection

Microsoft 365

Microsoft data protection includes:

• Multi-factor authentication for secure user access
• Encryption for data both in transit and at rest
• Microsoft Defender for threat detection and protection

The Shared Responsibility Model

It’s important to understand that while Microsoft and Google provide strong security measures, they don’t take responsibility for recovering lost data after a few weeks.

This means that under The Shared Responsibility Model, you’re responsible for managing and backing up Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 data. In other words, keeping your data recoverable is a joint effort. The bottom line is that you are responsible for backing up your data, not Microsoft or Google.

This is why it’s so important to conduct regular backups of your critical data to keep it safe and ensure it’s recoverable when you need it most.

Backup your critical data with BackupVault

Don’t leave your critical data to chance! Make sure it’s backed up and recoverable with BackupVault. We protect hundreds of thousands of users across both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, so no matter which you choose, we’ve got you covered.

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