Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: Which to Choose for Your Business
Practical comparison between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace: pricing, office suite, email, storage, and security to help you choose the best option for your SME.
Choosing between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace is one of the most important productivity decisions for any business. Both platforms offer email, cloud storage, video calls, and an office suite — but with different philosophies and strengths. This comparison helps you decide which one fits your business best.
A Quick Look at Each Platform
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) includes Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, SharePoint, and much more. It is the heir to the Office ecosystem that businesses worldwide have used for decades.
Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) includes Gmail, Google Meet, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Calendar. It was built as a cloud-first collaborative tool from day one.
Price: How Much Does Each Cost?
Both have multiple plans. The most comparable for SMEs:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: from ~€6/user/month (online apps + Teams + 1 TB OneDrive)
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: from ~€12.50/user/month (includes desktop apps)
- Google Workspace Business Starter: from ~€6/user/month (Gmail + 30 GB/user)
- Google Workspace Business Standard: from ~€12/user/month (2 TB/user)
Pricing is roughly the same. The real difference lies in what you need to do with these tools.
Office Suite: Microsoft Wins on Power, Google on Collaboration
If your team works intensively with complex spreadsheets, macros, documents requiring very specific formatting, or advanced professional presentations, Microsoft 365 remains superior. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are the industry standard.
If what matters most is multiple people editing the same document simultaneously without version conflicts, Google Workspace has had a head start for years. Real-time collaboration in Google Docs is smoother and more stable than Microsoft's equivalent.
Email and Communication
Outlook has more advanced features (complex rules, shared calendars, Exchange integration) and is essential in large corporate environments. Gmail is more intuitive, powerful in search, and preferred by users from the startup or tech world.
Microsoft Teams is the most complete communication platform on the market: chat, video calls, project channels, integrations with almost everything. Google Meet is simpler but sufficient for most teams.
Storage and Files
OneDrive (Microsoft) integrates seamlessly with Windows Explorer. Files appear as if they were stored locally. Google Drive works just as well and has the added advantage that Docs/Sheets files do not count against your storage quota.
Security and Compliance
Both platforms meet major standards (GDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2). Microsoft 365 has more advanced security tools in its Business and Enterprise plans (Defender, Purview, Intune). For businesses in regulated sectors (healthcare, finance, legal), Microsoft is typically the preferred choice.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Choose Microsoft 365 if: your team already uses Office, you work with clients or suppliers who use Word/Excel, you need advanced Teams features, or you operate in a regulated sector.
- Choose Google Workspace if: your team is small and highly collaborative, you value simplicity, you already use Gmail personally, or your technology stack is mostly Google (Analytics, Ads, etc.).
Most importantly: either platform is vastly better than using free providers (personal Gmail, Hotmail) and files scattered across local PCs with no backup.
