In the struggle to find the best workplace productivity suite, two options immediately come out on top: Google Workspace and Office 365 (now officially known as Microsoft 365). But these platforms are so similar that choosing between them can be extremely difficult. Which begs the question: which is best?
Believe it or not, there is a correct answer – though it will depend on your specific business needs. Understanding the key features of and differences between these two platforms will make this decision far easier.
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Productivity
Arguably, the most important part of a productivity suite is its ability to streamline your workflows. Both platforms offer powerful features to assist with this. Microsoft has chosen to lean into famous legacy applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, while supporting them with newer applications such as SharePoint and Teams. These products work well and are very intuitive. They come in both cloud-based and desktop versions, providing additional versatility.
Google Workspace takes a fully cloud-native approach with Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Meet. These applications focus on a simplified design and real-time collaboration. Unlike Office 365, Google Workspace is unburdened by decades of history and is free to streamline the user experience as much as possible.
Security and Compliance
Security is where Office 365 shines. It provides a comprehensive set of security configurations built straight into each application, allowing you to perfectly tailor them to your exact data protection requirements. Some Business and Enterprise plans also come with dedicated security applications such as Defender, Purview, and Intune. These measures can improve your security posture both within and beyond the platform itself.
While Google Workspace does have security measures of its own – such as logout policies, encryption, and multi-factor authentication – this is not as much of a priority. Google’s focus is on ease of use and collaboration, meaning that security falls to the wayside a little more. It is not an unsafe platform by any means, but it lacks some of the fine tuning and customisation that makes Office 365’s security so valuable.
Collaboration
Microsoft Teams aims to bring chat, video conferencing, file sharing, and app integration together into one place. Employees can hold a meeting, follow up with important personnel, and upload documents all using the same software. This is a convenient means of collaboration for businesses already using Microsoft’s ecosystem.
Google breaks this up into several applications, such as Google Meet and Google Chat. But these often aren’t even necessary due to the robust collaboration features included in Google Docs. Multiple users can easily work together directly within the same document, communicating questions and progress updates in real time. Rather than making virtual meetings easier to organise and hold, Google’s goal seems to be reducing the need for them altogether.
Pricing
When two platforms are this similar, price is often the deciding factor. Microsoft offers four Business plans, three Enterprise plans, and several Personal plans. This wide spread ensures that companies of all sizes, from sole traders to major corporations, can effectively right-size their subscription. Pricing varies between a humble $7.10 (per user per month) for the most basic plans, to over $80 for the most advanced.
Google Workspace falls behind here. It offers only four plans total, with the most basic costing $9.90. They will not volunteer the pricing for their most expensive plan upfront, instead requiring that you contact them. This means that for businesses with higher IT needs, it may be difficult to predict expenses.
Integration
Both Office 365 and Google Workspace are designed to integrate smoothly with each other and your existing infrastructure, but they accomplish this in different ways. Office 365 prefers direct integration options that require some degree of setup, but offer a lot of functionality. While this is more complex in the beginning, it does greatly simplify workflows.
Google Workspace instead uses extensions. Should you need to connect a different application to your Google ecosystem, you must only download the extension and enable it. This is simpler and more user-friendly, but does limit the functionality somewhat as these third-party platforms must then be able to operate within the constraints of Google applications. This strategy can also introduce some risk, as it requires staff to regularly download third-party software.
Google Workspace vs Office 365: Comparison Chart
| Platform | Productivity | Security | Collaboration | Pricing | Integration |
| Office 365 | Legacy applications supported with newer offerings | Detailed, customisable security settings both in-app and external | Collaborate through Microsoft Teams | Wide plan variety, transparent pricing | Achieved through applications |
| Google Workspace | Simple, streamlined platforms | Basic, cloud-based security functionality | Collaborate through workflow software | Four plans, more expensive, Enterprise pricing is not transparent | Achieved through extensions |
FAQs
Which Is Better for a Small Business - Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365?
Ultimately, the correct platform will depend on your needs. If you require a simple, collaborative platform that users will find extremely easy to navigate, then Google Workspace is a good choice. If you are particularly high-risk or have plans for growth, you may need the additional security and flexibility provided by Microsoft.
Are Google Workspace and Office 365 Secure?
While both Google Workspace and Office 365 are secure, Microsoft takes the lead here due to the wider variety and higher customisability of their defensive measures. Thus, if you require a higher level of security, you should consider Office 365.
Can I Use Both Platforms Together?
In some niche cases (for example, you use a certain Google-only extension), it may be worth using both platforms at the same time. However, there is so much crossover between the two that you generally won’t need to do this.
Is There a Difference Between Microsoft 365 and Office 365?
Microsoft 365 is simply the modern name for Office 365. Though the branding has changed, Microsoft does recognise that many users still know the software as “Microsoft Office”, and thus they will occasionally use both names.
How is Google Workspace Pricing vs Office 365?
Generally speaking, Google Workspace is slightly more expensive than Office 365. It is difficult to give a proper comparison, however, as they are also less transparent about their pricing structure.
Still Can’t Make Up Your Mind?
Office 365 and Google Workspace are very similar at face value. But the small details, and the things each company chooses to prioritise, make all the difference. By comparing the two carefully, and looking at your own needs, you’ll be able to choose the platform that best drives you towards growth and success.
Still having trouble deciding? That’s what we’re for. iCare Cyber’s expert consultants will sit down with you to understand your requirements, then advise you on which software is best for your unique infrastructure. If that sounds like it could be helpful, learn more about our consulting services now.