Google Workspace has emerged as a robust, feature-rich alternative to Microsoft Office, with both suites aggressively integrating AI capabilities. We delve into the advantages and disadvantages of each platform to assist you in determining the best fit for your business needs.
Credit: Rob Schultz / Foundry
Not long ago, Microsoft Office was the undisputed leader in the business world. By the close of the 1990s and early 2000s, Microsoft’s office suite had eclipsed competitors such as WordPerfect Office and Lotus SmartSuite, with no real challengers on the horizon.
Then, in 2006, Google introduced Google Docs & Spreadsheets, an innovative online word processing and spreadsheet solution designed for collaboration. This duo was later integrated with other business services to form the Google Apps suite, subsequently rebranded as G Suite, and now known as Google Workspace. While Google’s productivity suite didn’t immediately dominate the business landscape, it steadily grew in features and popularity, reportedly serving 10 million paying customers as of 2023.
Meanwhile, Microsoft shifted its focus from its traditional licensed Office software to Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365), a subscription-based model that operates as a service, receiving regular updates and new functionalities. This analysis primarily focuses on Microsoft 365.
Today, selecting an office suite for your company is no longer a simple task. Our goal is to help you navigate this decision.
This article covers:
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: The fundamentals
Cost comparison: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 subscriptions
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Application by application analysis
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: AI capabilities
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Additional applications and features
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Security and administrative tools
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Support and customer service
Can Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace coexist?
When Google Workspace is the optimal choice
When Microsoft 365 is the optimal choice
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: The fundamentals
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 share many similarities. Both operate on a subscription model, charging businesses monthly fees per user, with various tiers available based on desired functionalities. Although Google Workspace is primarily web-based, it also supports offline functionality. Conversely, Microsoft 365 relies on installed desktop software but also provides web-based versions of its applications, albeit with fewer features.
Both suites perform well across a variety of devices. Being web-based, Google Workspace is compatible with most browsers on any operating system, and Google also offers dedicated mobile applications for Android and iOS. Microsoft provides Office client applications for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, while its web-based apps function across different browsers.
The suites also provide the same foundational core applications. Each includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, email, calendar, and contacts programs, alongside videoconferencing, messaging, and note-taking software. Cloud storage is also an integral component of both.
Both platforms now offer potent generative AI tools. A Google Workspace subscription includes Gemini, Google’s genAI tool, at no extra charge. Microsoft provides a basic iteration of its genAI chatbot, Copilot, with all Microsoft 365 subscriptions, though access to advanced features necessitates an additional subscription. (More detailed information is provided later in this article.)
However, the individual applications within each suite are quite distinct, as are the administrative tools for managing them in a corporate setting. Furthermore, both suites offer a plethora of supplementary tools. Consequently, deciding which suite is superior for your business can be exceedingly challenging.
This is where this guide proves valuable. We offer a comprehensive examination of every facet of these office suites, from an app-by-app comparison to an assessment of their collaboration capabilities, app integration, AI features, pricing, support, and more. Our emphasis here is on how these suites function for businesses, rather than for individual users.
Cost comparison: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 subscriptions
“Follow the money” is a timeless principle for investigators, and it’s also an excellent starting point when you’re selecting the best office suite. Individuals can utilize several online apps from both suites—including Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, as well as Microsoft Word Online, Excel Online, and PowerPoint Online—for free. However, businesses should opt for the paid Workspace and Microsoft 365 subscriptions to access essential security and management features.
Refer to the following tables, first for Google Workspace, then for Microsoft 365, to compare plans and pricing.
Google Workspace business pricing options
Google Workspace is available in five primary commercial editions: Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus. With prices ranging from $7 per user per month to $22 per user per month, the Business plans are designed for organizations with up to 300 users. Google does not publicly list pricing for its Enterprise plans, which do not impose a user limit.
Additionally, there’s a complimentary Workspace Essentials Starter plan tailored for individuals or small businesses. This plan utilizes your existing Gmail account but excludes storage, support, admin tools, or Gemini. Two other Essentials packages, Enterprise Essentials and Enterprise Essentials Plus, are similar to the other Workspace enterprise-level plans but do not include Gmail.
Detailed information about what each plan includes can be found in the tables below. Generally, upgrading to a more expensive plan grants you increased storage, more sophisticated security and management features, and a higher limit on concurrent participants in video and voice conferencing. The Business Starter plan provides very restricted access to Gemini. Higher-tier plans may also unlock additional features and functionalities within the Workspace applications.
For example, with a Business Starter plan, you can host up to 100 participants in a Meet video meeting. This expands to 150 participants with the Business Standard plan, which also introduces advanced features like noise cancellation, content moderation, and breakout rooms. Business Plus or Enterprise plans allow for 500 participants in a Meet meeting, and the Enterprise Plus plan supports up to 1,000 participants. It’s crucial to review the fine print to ensure you select the plan that precisely matches your requirements.
The tables below detail the inclusions for each version. The plans in the first table cater to small businesses with a maximum of 300 employees; those in the second table are intended for larger organizations.
Google Workspace small business plans
Google Workspace Business StarterGoogle Workspace Business StandardGoogle Workspace Business PlusGoogle Workspace Essentials StarterPrice$7/user/mo.$14/user/mo.$22/user/mo.FreeUser limit300300300100GmailYesYesYesNoCore apps: Docs, Sheets, SlidesYesYesYesYesMobile apps for Docs, Sheets, Slides, GmailYesYesYesYesGoogle Drive storage30GB per user2TB per user; shared drives for teams; search across all co. content in Google services5TB per user; shared drives for teams; search across all co. content in Google services15GB per userGemini AI featuresGemini app w/ basic access & enterprise security; Gemini in Gmail and Vids; NotebookLM basic accessEverything in Business Starter plus expanded access in Gemini app; Gemini in most Workspace apps; NotebookLM expanded accessEverything in Business StandardAdditional apps and servicesMeet (100 meeting participants), Calendar, Chat, Forms, Sites, Vids, Tasks, Keep, Colab, AppSheet Core, Groups for Business, Google Workspace StudioEverything in Business Starter with 150 Meet participants, advanced Meet features, moreEverything in Business Standard plus with 500 Meet participants, more Meet features, other advanced featuresCalendar, Meet, Chat, Forms, Sites, KeepSecurity and management toolsStandard tools incl. group policy controls, MFA, endpoint managementEverything in Business Basic plus more powerful tools incl. data regions and Google Workspace Migrate ToolEverything in Business Standard plus more powerful tools incl. secure LDAP, advanced endpoint mgmt, and Google Vault for retaining, archiving and searching dataNo support and only basic admin tools including usage and activity reportsAdd-onsGoogle Voice, AppSheet Enterprise Plus, Colab Pro, AI Ultra Access, moreGoogle Voice, AppSheet Enterprise Plus, Colab Pro, AI Ultra Access, moreGoogle Voice, AppSheet Enterprise Plus, Colab Pro, AI Ultra Access, more Paid annually Mobile apps available for Android and iOS Require additional subscriptions
Google Workspace enterprise plans
Google Workspace Enterprise StandardGoogle Workspace Enterprise PlusGoogle Workspace Enterprise EssentialsGoogle Workspace Enterprise Essentials PlusPriceContact Google SalesContact Google SalesContact Google SalesContact Google SalesUser limitNo limitNo limitNo limitNo limitGmailYesYesNoNoCore apps: Docs, Sheets, SlidesYesYesYesYesMobile apps* for Docs, Sheets, Slides, GmailYesYesYesYesGoogle Drive storage5TB per user; shared drives for teams; search across all co. content in Google services5TB per user; shared drives for teams; search across all co. content in Google and third-party services1TB per user; shared drives for teams; search across all co. content in Google services5TB per user; shared drives for teams; search across all co. content in Google servicesGemini AI featuresGemini app w/ expanded access, enterprise-grade security; Gemini in most Workspace apps; NotebookLM expanded accessEverything in Enterprise Standard plus AI classification in DriveGemini app w/ limited access, no enterprise-grade security; no Gemini access in Workspace apps; NotebookLM basic accessGemini app w/ limited access, no enterprise-grade security; no Gemini access in Workspace apps; NotebookLM basic accessAdditional apps and servicesMeet (500 meeting participants), Calendar, Chat, Forms, Sites, Vids, Tasks, Keep, AppSheet Core, Colab, Groups for Business, Google Workspace StudioEverything in Enterprise Standard w/ advanced Meet features and 1,000-participant limit, other featuresMeet (150 participants), Calendar, Chat, Forms, Sites, Vids, Tasks, Keep, AppSheet Core, Colab, Groups for Business, Google Workspace StudioEverything in Enterprise Essentials w/ more advanced Meet features and 1,000-participant limit, other featuresSecurity and management toolsEnhanced support and tools incl. group policy controls, MFA, enterprise endpoint mgmt, secure LDAP, Google Vault, DLP, context-aware access, Google Workspace Migrate ToolEverything in Enterprise Standard plus more powerful tools incl. client-side encryption, advanced data regions, S/MIME encryption, advanced security reportingEnhanced support and tools incl. group policy controls, MFA, enterprise endpoint mgmt, Google VaultEverything in Enterprise Essentials plus more powerful tools incl. advanced data regions, secure LDAP, DLP, context-aware access, advanced security reportingAdd-onsGoogle Voice, AppSheet Enterprise Plus, Colab Pro, AI Ultra Access, Chrome Enterprise Premium, moreGoogle Voice, AppSheet Enterprise Plus, Colab Pro, AI Ultra Access, Chrome Enterprise Premium, moreGoogle Voice, AppSheet Enterprise Plus, Colab Pro, AI Ultra Access, Chrome Enterprise Premium, moreGoogle Voice, AppSheet Enterprise Plus, Colab Pro, AI Ultra Access, Chrome Enterprise Premium, more Mobile apps available for Android and iOS Contact Google for more storage*** Require additional subscriptions
For more exhaustive information, explore Google’s page comparing popular plans and its comprehensive features list for all plans. Also, note that some functionalities available in higher-tier Google Workspace plans can be acquired as standalone services. Furthermore, Google provides specialized versions of Workspace Enterprise for organizations in healthcare and life sciences, retail, manufacturing, government, professional services, and technology sectors, along with a range of free and paid Workspace versions for nonprofits and educational institutions.
Microsoft 365 business pricing options
Microsoft 365 business subscriptions are more intricate, spanning from $6 per user per month for Microsoft 365 Business Basic, the introductory version for small businesses, to $57 per user per month for Microsoft 365 E5, the most feature-rich enterprise option. However, it’s important to note that prices for most M365 plans are scheduled to increase on July 1, 2026.
All small-business plans are designated “Microsoft 365,” but at the enterprise level, both “Microsoft 365” and “Office 365” plans exist. The key distinction is that Microsoft 365 plans incorporate Windows, while Office 365 plans do not. It’s also worth mentioning that Office 365 plans may not include all the applications or advanced security and management features found in their comparable M365 counterparts.
The tables below detail current pricing and what each version offers. The plans in the first table are designed for small businesses with up to 300 employees; those in the second table are intended for larger organizations.
Microsoft 365 small business plans
Note: Most plans listed here include Microsoft Teams; they are also available in lower-cost versions without Teams.
Microsoft 365 Business BasicMicrosoft 365 Business StandardMicrosoft 365 Business PremiumMicrosoft 365 Apps for BusinessPrice$6/user/mo.$12.50/user/mo.$22/user/mo.$8.25/user/mo.User limit300300300300Core apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OutlookYesYesYesYesDesktop / mobile apps for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OutlookNo / YesYes / YesYes / YesYes / YesWindows includedNoNoYesNoExchange email hosting, custom domains, shared calendarsYesYesYesNoOneDrive storage1TB per user1TB per user1TB per user1TB per userCopilot AI featuresCopilot Chat in M365 apps, Copilot Studio for Teams, Power Virtual Agents for Teams, Microsoft Graph APIEverything in Business BasicEverything in Business StandardAdditional apps and servicesTeams, OneNote, SharePoint, Forms, Lists, Planner, To Do, Delve, Shifts, Bookings, Visio for web, Sway, Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse for TeamsEverything in Business Basic plus Access, Loop, Clipchamp, Viva, EditorEverything in Business StandardOneNote, Access*, Forms, Visio for web, SwaySecurity and management toolsBasic mgmt and security tools incl. anti-phishing, anti-spam, anti-malware protectionEverything in Business Basic plus advanced endpoint & app mgmtEverything in Business Standard plus advanced threat protection and identity & access mgmtBasic mgmt and security tools incl. anti-phishing, anti-spam, anti-malware protectionAdd-ons***M365 Copilot Business, Teams Premium, Teams Phone, Windows 365, Power BI, Viva Suite, Clipchamp, Defender for Business, Intune, other security & management optionsM365 Copilot Business, Teams Premium, Teams Phone, Windows 365, Power BI, Viva Suite, Defender for Business, Intune, other security & management optionsM365 Copilot Business, Teams Premium, Teams Phone, Windows 365, Power BI, Viva Suite, Defender for Business, Intune, other security & management optionsM365 Copilot Business, Teams Essentials Paid annually Desktop apps available for Windows and macOS; mobile apps available for Android and iOS * Windows app only** Require additional subscriptions
Microsoft 365 and Office 365 enterprise plans
Scroll or drag right to see the rightmost columns.
Note: Most plans listed here include Microsoft Teams; they are also available in lower-cost versions without Teams.
Microsoft 365 E3Microsoft 365 E5Office 365 E1Office 365 E3Office 365 E5Microsoft 365 Apps for EnterprisePrice$36/user/mo.$57/user/mo.$10/user/mo.$23/user/mo.$38/user/mo.$12/user/mo.User limitNo limitNo limitNo limitNo limitNo limitNo limitCore apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OutlookYesYesYesYesYesYesDesktop / mobile apps for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OutlookYes / YesYes / YesNo / YesYes / YesYes / YesYes / YesWindows includedYesYesNoNoNoNoExchange email hosting, custom domains, shared calendarsYesYesYesYesYesNoOneDrive storage5TB per user; more on request (if < 5 users, 1TB per user)5TB per user; more on request (if < 5 users, 1TB per user)1TB per user5TB per user; more on request (if < 5 users, 1TB per user)5TB per user; more on request (if < 5 users, 1TB per user)1TB per userCopilot AI featuresCopilot Chat in M365 apps, Copilot Studio for Teams, Microsoft Graph APIEverything in M365 E3Copilot Chat in M365 apps, Copilot Studio for Teams, Microsoft Graph APIEverything in O365 E1Everything in O365 E3 plus Power BI ProAdditional apps and servicesTeams, OneNote, SharePoint, Access, Clipchamp, Loop, Forms, Lists, Planner, To-Do, Visio for web, Sway, Editor, Delve, Bookings, Shifts, Viva, Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse for TeamsEverything in M365 E3 plus Teams Phone, Power BI ProTeams, OneNote, SharePoint, Loop, Forms, Planner, To-Do, Visio for web, Sway, Editor, Delve, Bookings, Shifts, Viva, Power Apps, Power Automate, Dataverse for TeamsEverything in O365 E1 plus Clipchamp, Editor, AccessEverything in O365 E3 plus Teams Phone, Power BI ProOneNote, Access, Forms, Visio for web, SwaySecurity and management toolsEnterprise-grade tools incl. Intune, Defender for Endpoint, group policy support, SSO with Entra ID, Windows Hello for Business, advanced threat analytics, eDiscovery and auditingEverything in M365 E3 plus advanced Defender threat protection, advanced Purview information protection, insider risk mgmtStandard tools incl. user provisioning, mobile device mgmt, M365 groups, MFA, SSO with Entra IDEverything in O365 E1 plus group policy support, shared computer activations, DLP, basic eDiscovery and auditing, basic message encryptionEverything in O365 E3 plus advanced Purview compliance features, advanced message encryption, O365 Cloud App Security, Defender for O365, insider risk managementStandard tools incl. SSO with Entra ID, group policy supportAdd-ons*Teams Enterprise, M365 Copilot, Windows 365 Enterprise, Viva Suite, various security, compliance, and Power Platform add-onsTeams Enterprise, M365 Copilot, Windows 365 Enterprise, Viva Suite, various security, compliance, and Power Platform add-onsTeams Enterprise, M365 Copilot, Clipchamp, Windows 365 Enterprise, Viva Suite, various security, compliance, and Power Platform add-onsTeams Enterprise, M365 Copilot, Windows 365 Enterprise, Viva Suite, various security, compliance, and Power Platform add-onsTeams Enterprise, M365 Copilot, Windows 365 Enterprise, Viva Suite, various access, security, compliance, and Power Platform add-onsTeams Enterprise, M365 Copilot, Windows 365 Enterprise, various security and compliance add-ons Paid annually * Desktop apps available for Windows and macOS; mobile apps available for Android and iOS Windows app only**** Require additional subscriptions
Discover more about Microsoft 365 small business plans, as well as the Microsoft 365 enterprise plans and Office 365 enterprise plans. Microsoft also provides a variety of Microsoft 365 plans for organizations employing frontline workers, alongside educational, government, and nonprofit institutions.
As indicated in the tables above, numerous Microsoft 365 applications and services are accessible on an à la carte basis. Some companies prefer to opt for a lower-tier plan and then purchase one or two of these items as add-ons, rather than subscribing to a more expensive, comprehensive plan.
Note: For those interested in delving into the finer details, Microsoft publishes exceedingly thorough PDFs outlining the inclusions of its enterprise and small-business plans, and the available add-ons for each.
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Application by application analysis
Every business possesses distinct requirements, and yours might prioritize certain applications over others. For some companies, word processing and email could be the most crucial apps within an office suite, while others might place paramount importance on a powerful spreadsheet program.
To assist you, we’ve compared the primary office applications in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. This allows you to concentrate on the apps most vital to your business and let their respective strengths and weaknesses guide your overall decision. We also include a comparison of each suite’s AI tools.
Document editing: Google Docs vs. Microsoft Word
The choice between Google Docs and Microsoft Word for your business is relatively clear-cut. Which is more important to your users: effortless collaboration or the broadest spectrum of document creation and editing functionalities? For collaborative work, Google Docs holds an advantage. If you seek the most comprehensively featured word processor available, Word is your choice.
When I state that Word possesses superior features, I’m not referring to an assortment of tools your business might never utilize. I’m highlighting powerful capabilities that streamline your workflow and boost productivity.
For instance, if you’re crafting a report, brochure, resume, or nearly any other type of document, Word offers an outstanding collection of pre-designed templates, enabling you to start writing quickly with the assurance of a solid, functional layout. Word boasts over 200 distinct business templates alone (excluding its more than 200 resume and cover letter options), whereas Google Docs has fewer than 60 templates in total across all categories, including personal, business, and educational. (Microsoft claims Word has thousands of templates, but a full count wasn’t feasible for us.) Word also provides a wider selection of chart types and styles for integration into documents.
Microsoft Word has more powerful features than Google Docs, including many pre-built templates for creating a new document.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
However, Google Docs excels over Word when it comes to real-time collaboration. Collaboration is seamless and inherently designed into the app, whereas in Word, it’s more cumbersome, less comprehensive, and feels like an add-on rather than an intrinsic element of the program. While collaboration in Word has improved over time, it still hasn’t matched Docs’ capabilities.
When it comes to document sharing and live collaboration, Google Docs outshines Microsoft Word by a wide margin.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
For non-live collaboration—such as editing and marking up documents for others to review—Word has traditionally been the benchmark, but Google Docs has advanced significantly and now rivals Word’s performance. Word’s editing tools offer slightly more granular controls, but beyond that, they are quite comparable.
Spreadsheets: Google Sheets vs. Microsoft Excel
Do the users in your company predominantly work on spreadsheets individually, or do they frequently collaborate with others? The answer to this question will determine whether Excel or Google Sheets is more suitable for your business.
For those who primarily work independently, Excel is the undeniable victor. Similar to Word, its extensive array of templates presents an abundance of choices. For example, there are over 100 templates dedicated solely to various types of budgets. Whether it’s a general business budget or a specialized one, such as for a marketing event, you’ll likely discover a template that fits your needs and can be easily customized. In contrast, Google Sheets offers only three distinct budget templates, two of which are variations of an annual budget. Overall, it provides only 31 templates across all categories, compared to hundreds in Excel.
Excel also provides a significantly greater number of chart types than Google Sheets—19 in total—including popular options like column, line, pie, bar, and area; more complex ones such as radar, surface, and histogram; and some primarily known to data professionals, like box & whisker. Furthermore, many chart types feature multiple subtypes—for instance, among bar charts, you’ll find clustered bar, stacked bar, and so forth, each with two variations. Google Sheets offers only seven primary chart types and a handful of individual charts that defy easy categorization. Creating charts is also more straightforward in Excel than in Google Sheets.
Excel has far more sophisticated features than Google Sheets, including many more chart types.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
Conversely, Google Sheets significantly surpasses Excel in real-time collaboration. As with Docs, collaboration is seamlessly integrated into Sheets. Not only are its tools more powerful, but they are also naturally integrated and easily accessible. The same applies to editing and commenting on spreadsheets. Similar to Word, Excel has enhanced its collaboration capabilities over time but still lags behind Sheets.
Google Sheets’ collaboration tools are powerful and easy to use.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
Presentations: Google Slides vs. Microsoft PowerPoint
As with word processing and spreadsheet applications, the choice between Google Slides and PowerPoint for your business hinges on a single factor: Do you prioritize collaboration or powerful features in a presentation program? If collaboration is paramount in your company, Google Slides is the superior option. For all other considerations, PowerPoint is preferred.
With PowerPoint, adding graphics, transitions, animations, and multimedia is simpler. It also boasts a wider array of chart and table types. Moreover, it offers sophisticated options for delivering the presentation itself, featuring innovative capabilities such as Rehearse Timings, which precisely measures the duration you spend on each individual slide during practice. This helps prevent getting sidetracked on any single slide and ensures you allocate appropriate time to each. Google Slides lacks any comparable feature.
PowerPoint has more powerful features than Google Slides, including ways to customize animations between slides.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
However, Google Slides reigns supreme in collaboration, far exceeding the capabilities built into PowerPoint. And because Slides offers fewer functionalities than PowerPoint, it’s slightly easier to create slides within it, as its interface is less crowded with features.
Slides isn’t as powerful as PowerPoint, but its interface is less cluttered and confusing.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
It’s worth noting that in the most recent version of PowerPoint, Microsoft removed one of its most valuable features: QuickStarter, which greatly simplified the initial stages of presentation building, including outlining, generating starter slides, templates, and themes. Microsoft now recommends leveraging its Copilot AI for this purpose, but Copilot isn’t as straightforward to use as QuickStarter was. Google’s Gemini AI can also assist in building presentations in a manner similar to Copilot. (For further details, refer to “Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: AI tools” later in this article.)
Email: Gmail vs. Microsoft Outlook
If simplicity is your priority, you’ll likely favor Gmail over Outlook. Gmail features a cleaner and less cluttered interface compared to Outlook’s, striking an optimal balance between user-friendliness and robust functionality. However, Outlook has made progress towards greater straightforwardness with a streamlined Ribbon that places frequently used features readily at hand.
Whether it’s composing, responding to, or managing emails, Gmail offers an intuitive interface with user-friendly tools to expedite your work. My preferred features include an AI-powered option that suggests words and phrases as you type, a “nudge” feature for highlighting overlooked messages, and a convenient snooze button for postponing incoming emails. Its capability to automatically manage messages by filtering them into specific folders is also remarkably easy to use.
Gmail offers a streamlined interface and intuitive ways to accomplish your most important email tasks.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
Nonetheless, when it comes to advanced features, Outlook is dominant. For instance, Outlook provides a variety of tools, including Quick Steps and customizations, that enable sophisticated mail handling automations not possible in Gmail. And because the contacts and calendar functions are integral to Outlook itself, they are seamlessly integrated with email. Gmail relies on separate Google Contacts and Calendar applications, which can be slightly more cumbersome to navigate.
Furthermore, Outlook includes a left-hand pane that directly links to all Microsoft 365 applications, and it allows you to connect a Gmail account to read and manage all your mail accounts directly within Outlook. Gmail offers links to the rest of its Workspace suite, but they are not as readily accessible—you’ll need to click the Google apps button to the right of your account icon at the top right of the screen, and then search for the desired app. Additionally, you cannot view all your other email accounts on a single screen; you’ll have to open them in separate tabs.
Outlook is widely recognized for its often-confusing interface, which can be overwhelming with numerous features and options. However, the latest version has undergone simplification, and while Gmail remains considerably easier and more direct to use, you’ll find yourself less disoriented in Outlook than in the past. Outlook’s web interface now mirrors its desktop application, eliminating confusion when switching between the two.
Outlook isn’t as simple to use as Gmail, but its newest look is cleaner than in the past. Pictured here is the web interface, which mimics the desktop app.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
If your users desire every possible bell and whistle, Outlook provides them all. For efficient task completion, Gmail stands as a superior choice.
Collaboration: Google Meet, Chat, and Spaces vs. Microsoft Teams
As highlighted multiple times in this article, for collaborative document editing, Google Workspace significantly surpasses Microsoft 365—it’s seamlessly embedded into the interface, rather than feeling like an afterthought as it does in the Office applications. Everything is immediately accessible to invite collaborators, set their permissions, and communicate with them while you work together. Utilizing collaboration in Office involves a steeper learning curve, and even once mastered, it’s not as fluid as in Google apps.
Working together on individual documents, however, represents only one facet of collaboration. When it comes to more intricate, enterprise-wide collaboration functionalities, Microsoft 365 includes tools that outperform anything Google Workspace offers. Microsoft Teams, for example, combines group chat, online meetings, videoconferencing, customizable workspaces, calendars, and shared team file repositories in a manner that is more sophisticated and practical than Google’s offerings. Furthermore, Teams has deep connections to the broader Office platform, providing effortless integration with Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive for Business, and more.
The Teams group-chat platform integrates closely with the rest of Microsoft 365.Howard Wen
Teams was previously included with all M365 business and enterprise plans, but following antitrust scrutiny in the European Union, Microsoft partially unbundled Teams from its M365 enterprise plans, first in the EU and then globally. Enterprise and small business customers can now purchase M365 versions either with or without Teams.
For its part, Workspace offers Google Meet for videoconferencing and Google Chat for messaging. There’s also Spaces, a workflow integration and collaboration tool available as part of Google Chat and seamlessly integrated with Google Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and Tasks. Spaces allows you to establish shared workspaces where team members can chat, exchange files, and assign tasks.
Creating a new shared workspace in Google Spaces.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
These tools are practical and straightforward, although switching between them is not as seamless as having all these functions consolidated within the Teams app.
Storage and file sharing: Google Drive vs. Microsoft OneDrive for Business and SharePoint
Both suites come equipped with considerable storage capacities, with the exception of the most basic Google Workspace version, Starter, which provides only 30GB per user. The Standard plan includes 2TB per user, the Plus plan offers 5TB per user, and the Enterprise and Enterprise+ versions essentially provide unlimited storage per user.
Microsoft 365’s small business and lower-tier enterprise plans include 1TB of storage per user, while its E3 and E5 plans feature 5TB of storage per user. Customers with E3 and E5 plans can request additional storage from Microsoft. (Subscriptions with fewer than five users receive only 1TB of storage, which cannot be expanded.)
There’s minimal distinction between Google Workspace’s and Microsoft 365’s storage and shared document functionalities. Both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive for Business integrate directly with their respective office suites, and both enable file access across any device. In Workspace, files reside in the cloud by default rather than on individual devices, though local storage is also an option. In Microsoft 365, files typically exist on each device and in the cloud, with seamless synchronization, although you retain the choice to maintain specific files and folders exclusively in the cloud.
If concerns arise regarding offline access for the cloud-first Google Workspace, it provides management tools that allow administrators to configure whether users can access their documents and utilize Docs, Sheets, and Slides when their computers lack an internet connection. These tools enable admins to implement a policy on each computer granting such access, or to empower individual users to decide whether to permit offline access.
OneDrive features a useful capability called OneDrive Files on Demand, which permits users to determine, on a file-by-file and folder-by-folder basis, which files to store on individual devices and which to retain in the cloud, while still making cloud-based files and folders available for download when needed on a device.
Nearly all Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans also include a complimentary version of Microsoft’s SharePoint service, known as SharePoint Online. SharePoint Online significantly enhances storage and sharing capabilities by managing and organizing documents, workflows, and other shared information, typically through a series of mini-sites.
SharePoint Online is delivered as a service and is hosted by Microsoft, eliminating the need for businesses to acquire and manage their own servers and infrastructure for it. However, they may require administrators to handle various SharePoint Online tasks, such as content management and portal design.
There is also a paid version of SharePoint, called SharePoint Server, which is available under a separate license and is not included as part of Microsoft 365. With SharePoint Server, your business hosts and manages the physical and software infrastructure required for SharePoint. This involves tasks such as racking servers; applying security patches and feature updates; and monitoring uptime, reliability, and security. With SharePoint Online, these responsibilities are managed by Microsoft.
Google does not offer a direct equivalent to SharePoint Online within Google Workspace. All Workspace versions except Business Starter can utilize a feature called Shared Drives, which are Google Drive folders accessible and manageable by multiple individuals. These can serve as convenient repositories for team members to store and share documents, images, and other files, but Shared Drives are not integrated intranet sites like those provided by SharePoint.
A final observation: Google’s search functionalities for locating documents in Google Drive are considerably superior to Microsoft’s search tools in OneDrive, and its Cloud Search capability extends Google’s search power across all of a company’s content. That being said, it’s generally simpler to navigate OneDrive using File Explorer than it is to browse Google Drive on the web.
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: AI capabilities
Suites like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are incredible drivers of productivity; it’s nearly inconceivable for any business not to employ them or similar tools. Many observers believe the same will eventually be true for AI—both traditional AI and newer generative AI solutions such as Microsoft 365 Copilot and Gemini.
Both suites have incorporated built-in AI features for several years. Microsoft 365’s Power Automate (formerly known as Microsoft Flow) uses AI to assist users in constructing workflows via natural language prompts. Microsoft Power BI is a data visualization application that connects to Excel and other data sources. And Microsoft Editor functions in Word and Outlook for text prediction as well as spelling and grammar checks.
Integrated AI tools in Google Workspace include Smart Compose for drafting documents and Smart Reply for responding to comments. Workspace also features Smart Cleanup, which detects and rectifies errors in Sheets, and Smart Fill, which automates data entry into Sheets.
However, much of the recent attention centers on more recently launched genAI tools: Microsoft 365 Copilot and Gemini. Generative AI can be particularly effective when combined with productivity suites, and integrating new genAI features is clearly a top priority for both companies. Some experts contend that genAI tools have already become an indispensable addition to office suites.
Google Workspace includes Gemini within its applications at no extra cost. Regarding Copilot, the situation is more intricate. Copilot Chat, a foundational version of Microsoft’s chatbot, is now available for free within Office apps for any M365 business subscription. Access to more advanced functionalities necessitates a Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on subscription, priced at $30 per user per month for large enterprises or $21 per user per month for small businesses. Nevertheless, additional features are slated for Copilot Chat this year, alongside price adjustments for most M365 plans in July 2026.
Microsoft 365 Copilot has been available for a longer duration than Gemini in Google Workspace. It seamlessly integrates with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.
In Word, it can generate documents based on your prompts, or by taking an existing document and being instructed to create a new one from it—for instance, developing a new sales pitch from an existing marketing brief. In PowerPoint, it operates similarly, creating presentations based on prompts or existing documents. In Excel, it can analyze data, formulate equations, automate repetitive tasks, and leverage Python for advanced analytics.
Copilot created this first draft of a presentation in PowerPoint based on a one-paragraph description.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
In Outlook, it can draft emails based on prompts or documents, respond to emails and summarize email threads, and prioritize your inbox to quickly highlight the most critical messages. In Teams, it can summarize key discussion points from meetings and suggest actionable items, among other capabilities.
It also offers a high-level overview of projects, allowing you to then drill down for more granular information—for example, locating a specific spreadsheet containing revenue projections for new business lines over the next five years.
Beyond that, capabilities extend outside the core Microsoft 365 applications, such as Copilot Pages, designed for AI-driven collaboration. Unlike typical ephemeral genAI output, this shared canvas offers a persistent environment where users can engage with the AI and each other, with all interactions saved for future development.
Other features include Researcher and Analyst agents, which transparently demonstrate their reasoning in real time as you interact with Copilot, and Copilot Notebooks, capable of searching and summarizing data across Microsoft 365 and third-party applications.
Also new is Agent Mode, which can construct and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations from chats, and can also execute multi-step tasks such as analyzing an Excel spreadsheet and drafting a summary of its findings.
In Google Workspace, Gemini provides features comparable to M365 Copilot’s, with some distinct innovations. Gemini can write new documents and emails based on prompts. Within Docs, Sheets, and Slides, it can summarize, analyze, and generate fresh content from scratch or leveraging your existing files and emails. Gemini can also scan individuals’ calendars to propose meeting times when everyone is available, and transcribe meeting notes in Google Meet.
A launch plan for starting a small business created by Gemini in Google Docs.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
Gemini also includes Workspace Flows, which can automate tasks across Workspace applications, such as a sequence of jobs required for document reviews, customer support inquiries, or product analysis. Gemini’s Gems custom AI agent builder acts as a user-friendly interface for Flows, enabling individuals without coding expertise to utilize it.
Gemini’s NotebookLM allows you to conduct research using your own documents, notes, audio, websites, and other resources. It can then answer questions, generate summaries, and assist with brainstorming. NotebookLM is accessible to anyone with a Google account, but more advanced features are part of a Workspace subscription.
In Gmail, Gemini can summarize email threads, retrieve information from previous emails, and suggest reply options. As of January 2026, it was publicly piloting new Gemini Gmail features, including the ability to create to-do lists based on recent emails. In Slides, it can generate images, remove backgrounds from images, and create new slides. In Sheets, it can create tables and formulas, as well as generate templates for project schedules, budgets, charts, and other purposes.
In Docs, Gemini can facilitate collaborative document creation with co-workers—for example, multiple individuals can work on the same document, and each person can use prompts to generate ideas for collective development. And in Meet, it can take meeting notes and distribute them to your team, produce translated captions in multiple languages, and create custom background images. It can also suggest questions to pose during a meeting and extract key takeaways from discussions.
It’s crucial to acknowledge that with generative AI being a top priority for both companies, both Copilot and Gemini will rapidly acquire more features and deeper integrations with their respective app suites and with third-party software. As this article was being prepared, both companies introduced several new functionalities in their genAI tools, and we have no doubt that this trend will continue indefinitely.
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Additional applications and features
Microsoft 365 extends far beyond the basic suite, offering a wealth of additional applications and smaller tools. Among these is Access, which facilitates the creation of business applications, either based on templates or built entirely from scratch. It is designed for non-developers, although it does require some programming acumen. Access is exclusively available for Windows and is included only with certain subscriptions: Business Standard and Premium, M365 Apps for Business, Office 365 E3 and E5, and M365 E3 and E5.
Access for Windows is among the tools included with some M365 subscriptions.Preston Gralla / IDG
The OneNote note-taking app, included with most M365 subscriptions, is a highly useful yet often underutilized component of the Office suite. Enterprise-level plans also come with Microsoft Forms, an application that enables you to create surveys, quizzes, and polls, and Microsoft Planner, which, as its name suggests, assists teams in creating plans, assigning tasks, sharing files, discussing ongoing work, and tracking updates. It can function independently or integrate with Microsoft Teams.
Another application included with some Microsoft 365 enterprise plans is Power Automate (previously called Microsoft Flow), which allows businesses to automate repetitive tasks and integrate them into workflows—for example, automatically sending an alert when a new item is added to SharePoint. Microsoft Clipchamp provides video editing and design tools, and Microsoft Loop is a collaborative tool that enables you to construct workspaces that consolidate all aspects of a project.
Other applications and services included with certain plans comprise PowerApps, a low-code app development tool; Viva Insights, a productivity analysis tool; Sway, a tool for creating web-based presentations; To Do, a to-do list app that integrates with other M365 apps; Visio, a diagramming app; and Bookings, an appointment scheduling app.
Google Workspace also offers its own set of extras. Google Forms, which works in conjunction with Sheets, is particularly valuable. As its name implies, it lets you create forms for a wide range of purposes, such as an order form, a work request, a time-off request, or gathering feedback about an event.
Google Forms lets you quickly and easily create customized forms to get feedback.
Preston Gralla / Foundry
Google Sites is another useful feature. It allows you to develop team and company websites for individual projects, events, and similar objectives. There’s also the Google Keep note-taking app, which is straightforward, minimalist, and not nearly as sophisticated as Microsoft’s OneNote. AppSheet provides a low-code app development environment.
And if you intend to create drawings, particularly diagrams, you’ll appreciate Google Drawings, which, while not included with Google Workspace, works harmoniously with it (and is free). If you craft a drawing using Drawings and embed it into a Google Doc, any subsequent changes made to the drawing file itself will automatically update the drawing within Google Docs.
None of these supplementary offerings boast groundbreaking capabilities, aside from Microsoft’s Access and Clipchamp and Google’s AppSheet, which empower individuals with limited programming experience to build genuinely useful applications. Consequently, they may not significantly sway your decision regarding which suite is optimal for your business. For many companies, they are beneficial tools to have, rather than indispensable necessities.
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Security and administrative tools
Choosing the productivity suite with the best features for your business is one consideration, but often overlooked is the ease or difficulty of managing the suite and safeguarding your data. Even the most impressive user-facing features cannot compensate for inadequate or deficient security and management tools.
Both suites are administered through a web interface, and in both cases, the interface leaves something to be desired, presenting somewhat perplexing options and layouts. However, the simplified view in the Microsoft 365 admin center outperforms anything in Google Workspace due to its intuitive approach to accomplishing common tasks, including adding and editing users, adjusting licenses, settling bills, and installing Office on devices.
Interfaces notwithstanding, Microsoft 365 provides superior admin account security, enhanced mobile administration, and a greater array of management controls. Both suites secure your data with enterprise-grade protection and offer a centralized security center for overseeing user permissions and safeguards.
For a comprehensive comparison, consult “Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Which has better management tools?”
Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365: Service and support
In an ideal scenario, an office suite functions flawlessly, and technical support is never required. However, we do not inhabit such a perfect world. Therefore, you’ll want to be aware of the type of support and updates offered by Google Workspace and Microsoft 365.
Google Workspace provides 24/7 technical support via phone, email, and chat, but exclusively for Workspace administrators. There is also a searchable help center for administrators and a blog detailing release information for Google Workspace updates. The Google Workspace Community is also valuable, featuring forums and YouTube videos to assist administrators with common tasks. Non-administrators will need to visit Google’s general help area, which covers many Google products such as YouTube, Google Maps, and Google Photos, in addition to the individual components of Google Workspace. Furthermore, a Google Workspace Learning Center is available for user training.
Google issues Google Workspace updates multiple times per month and publishes a schedule of all current and planned updates.
Microsoft also offers 24/7 technical support via phone, an online support site, and chat for Microsoft 365 administrators. The Microsoft 365 admin center help site includes assistance tailored for both small businesses and enterprises. A significant number of forums are dedicated to Microsoft 365. And the Microsoft Office Help & Training area offers a wide variety of support, down to the application level and including troubleshooting for both consumers and administrators.
Regarding updates, Microsoft generally releases Microsoft 365 updates one or more times monthly and publishes information online about every update.
Can Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace coexist?
As demonstrated throughout this analysis, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace each possess distinct strengths and weaknesses, which might tempt you to utilize both—for instance, Microsoft 365 for document creation and Google Workspace for collaboration.
Theoretically, such a setup is feasible. In practice, however, it’s generally ill-advised. This is partly because Google Workspace’s documents are not saved as local files with their own proprietary formats; instead, they reside on Google’s servers. You can save them in various file formats, including Microsoft 365’s .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx, and you can also import files from these and other formats. There’s even a native editing capability for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in their original formats on Google’s servers. However, I’ve often observed that formatting and layouts are compromised during translation between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, embedded videos fail to function, not all comments are displayed, resolved comments disappear, and comments made in Google are not reintegrated into Office, among other issues.
Furthermore, the workflow becomes a logistical challenge if you’re constantly transferring files between the two suites. The core idea behind online editing is to have a single location where everyone can collaborate on the latest version of each file, but if you employ both Workspace and Microsoft 365, different versions of the file might be stored in Google Drive, OneDrive for Business, or both.
But what about leveraging one suite for content creation, collaboration, and storage, and the other for communications like email, shared calendars, group chat, and videoconferencing? Again, it’s theoretically possible, but I don’t see the practical benefit. It significantly complicates everything due to convoluted workflows, and you would forgo the inherent integrations built into each suite. Additionally, businesses would incur the cost, management, and maintenance burdens of two office suites instead of one, with no clear advantages gained.
As for integrating with other enterprise software such as Salesforce, Shopify, HubSpot, and others, both suites offer numerous tools for this purpose. If any particular piece of enterprise software is especially crucial to your business, it would be prudent to test the integrations with both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 before committing to a suite.
Who should use Google Workspace
Considering all this, what kind of company stands to benefit most from Google Workspace? The answer is quite straightforward: If document collaboration is intrinsic to your company’s operational philosophy—or if you aim to make it so—Google Workspace is ideal for you. Its live collaboration features far exceed anything Microsoft 365 offers. They are so fundamentally integrated into the suite’s design and so effortless to use that virtually no time is required to get started with them.
Google Workspace is also an excellent choice if your company doesn’t require the extensive sophisticated features of Microsoft 365’s individual applications. Each application within Google Workspace is simpler to operate than its Microsoft 365 counterpart, with Gmail, in particular, being more user-friendly than Outlook. And if your users frequently search for documents, Google’s search capabilities for Google Drive considerably surpass what Microsoft 365 provides.
All of Gemini’s functionalities are included at no extra charge as part of most Google Workspace plans, whereas Copilot’s most potent features necessitate an expensive add-on subscription to Microsoft 365. Therefore, if you desire a fully-powered AI assistant as an integral part of your business’s productivity suite, Google Workspace presents a compelling option.
Who should use Microsoft 365
If robust and sophisticated features are more critical to you than the pinnacle of collaboration, then Microsoft 365 is your ideal choice. Every one of its applications outperforms its Google Workspace equivalent. And it’s not as if live collaboration is impossible in Microsoft 365; it’s simply a bit more arduous and less straightforward than in Google Workspace. Microsoft 365’s markup features are exemplary, making it a strong contender when individuals need to review each other’s work.
Until recently, the strongest argument favoring Workspace over Microsoft 365 was the former’s inclusion of Gemini tools at no additional cost. With Copilot Chat now embedded in M365 apps for free, much of that specific advantage has diminished—although the most powerful features still demand a separate M365 Copilot subscription.
Several other considerations also advocate for a business to choose Microsoft 365. While Google Workspace’s shared drives are valuable for distributing documents and materials, they cannot rival the comprehensive collaborative environments offered by SharePoint. If you prefer to manage your mail server rather than rely on hosted email, Microsoft 365 will also be your preference. And Microsoft Teams provides an excellent platform for teams to share work with one another.
Practical guidance:
Google Workspace tips and tutorials
Microsoft cheat sheets: Dive into Windows and Office apps
This article was initially published in February 2020 and most recently updated in March 2026.
Office SuitesProductivity SoftwareGoogle WorkspaceMicrosoft 365Microsoft OfficeGenerative AIArtificial IntelligenceCollaboration Software
