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As cloud-based productivity suites that enable collaboration across devices, Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 share some functionality. But there are also critical differences that make each better suited for specific use cases.
This in-depth guide compares offerings from Google and Microsoft to help identify the best enterprise collaboration solution for your business needs and priorities. Key factors like included apps, storage, security, compliance, pricing, and more are contrasted in detail below.
Core Productivity Apps: Functionality and Features
Both Google Workspace and Office 365 focus on facilitating content creation, communication, and collaboration through apps for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, email, calendaring, task management, and more. But the scope of tools and capabilities differs greatly.
Popular App Comparison
Google‘s web and mobile apps emphasize real-time collaboration, while Office 365 offers best-in-class desktop apps plus collaborative web versions.
Word Processing and Documents
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Google Docs facilitates synchronous editing and feedback cycles with robust sharing and chat integration. But it lacks the sophisticated formatting and compositional capabilities of advanced word processors.
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Microsoft Word sets the bar for feature-rich word processing, page layout, and design. It combines these strengths with real-time co-authoring and built-in collaboration tools.
Advantage: Microsoft Word
Spreadsheets
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Google Sheets removes all barriers to cooperation with effortless sharing. Handy templates accelerate essential business processes like budgeting, project management, and reporting.
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Excel remains unmatched for large, complex data modeling and analysis. It also enables automation through macros and scripts.
Advantage: Slight edge to Excel
Presentations
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Google Slides simplifies the creation of visual slides and presentations for both internal and external sharing. Templates and multimedia options pale in comparison to Microsoft‘s alternatives.
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PowerPoint lives up to its name for assembling polished, visually-striking presentations. Animations, transitions, embedded video, and real-time co-authoring help engage audiences.
Advantage: Microsoft PowerPoint
Email and Calendaring
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Gmail features a clean, ad-free interface optimized for speed and efficiency. Advanced security protections like confidential mode safeguard sensitive data.
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Outlook goes far beyond email with deep calendaring, contacts, and tasks integration. Automated workflows connect disparate productivity tools into a central hub.
Advantage: Outlook
Extended App Comparison
Expanding the app comparison to other bundled offerings further differentiates Google Workspace and Office 365 plans.
Note Taking and Task Management
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Google Keep offers basic checklists and notes. Google Tasks allows assigning to-do items with dates. Neither provides rich project management capabilities.
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To Do and Planner in Microsoft 365 enable detailed task management from personal checklists up to organizational projects. OneNote facilitates deeply customizable note taking.
Advantage: Microsoft 365
Content Sharing and Portal Solutions
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Google Sites makes launching simple, team sites for sharing documents and announcements easy with built-in hosting and templates.
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SharePoint simplifies centralized content management while allowing extensive customization including third-party app integration, tailored workflows, and automation.
Advantage: SharePoint
Built for the Cloud with Enterprise-Grade Security
As pioneers in cloud-based services, Google and Microsoft both enable accessing files from anywhere while keeping data protected through advanced cybersecurity controls.
Google Workspace runs on Google‘s reliable, global network infrastructure. Enterprise edition provides unlimited cloud storage per user. Essential security measures like encryption at rest and in transit, SOC 2 audits, and HIPAA compliance keep data secure.
Microsoft 365 builds on decades of experience managing enterprise data. OneDrive allotments scale up to 6 TB per user. Over 90 compliance certifications including ISO, HIPAA, FedRAMP, and extensive auditing/reporting address rigorous business standards.
Both technology leaders also embed security throughout their software development lifecycle and undergo regular third-party penetration testing. Overall the platforms offer comparable core protections that accommodate regulated industries like healthcare and finance.
Collaboration Tools: Communication and Coordination
People need to connect across locations and time zones to move projects forward. Smooth collaboration drives productivity – making communications and conferencing tools some of the most valuable offerings in cloud office suites.
Video Meetings
Google Meet simplifies video meetings with handy features like noise cancellation, screen sharing, and automated transcripts. Particularly beneficial for smaller teams, it anchors real-time collaboration in Google Workspace through tight integration with Gmail, Chat, Calendar, and more.
However, Microsoft Teams now surpasses Meet in large-team video communications. Robust webinar capabilities, extensive custom branding, and seamless SharePoint integration give Microsoft the edge for more complex collaboration workflows.
Messaging and Chat
Both vendors provide dedicated messaging platforms for ad hoc conversations: Google Chat and Microsoft Teams chat. Google Chat features clean functionality reminiscent of consumer chat apps that makes pickup simple. Microsoft Teams Chat adds more options tailored to organizational use like private channels.
Project Management
Google Tasks and Microsoft Planner take divergent approaches here as well. Google Tasks does basics, while Planner enables viewing all tasks, milestones, and documents centralized across large projects or programs. Tight integration across Microsoft 365 gives it superior project orchestration.
Mobile App Availability and Consistency
With remote and hybrid work expanding, accessibility across devices is mandatory. Google Workspace and Office 365 both provide iOS and Android apps to maintain productivity on the go.
However, Microsoft 365 mobile apps offer much more extensive features thanks to the maturity of offerings like Word, Excel, and Outlook. Google‘s web-based mobile experience leaves some power users underwhelmed. But Meet and Chat offer excellent video meetings and team messaging specifically optimized for smaller touchscreens.
This gives Google an advantage for mobile-first use cases, while Microsoft provides unparalleled support for document editing and email management across smartphones.
Implementation Support and Resources
Migrating an organization from legacy tools or on-premises servers to the cloud involves much more than just activating new software. Readiness assessments, user training, integration with complementary systems, and driving adoption are all pivotal for transformation success.
Here Microsoft outflanks Google by a wide margin for larger implementations. Extensive migration tools assist the transition of on-prem data and systems to Office 365. change management consulting and user education accompany all Enterprise plans. And dedicated account management provides high-touch guidance for navigating complex organizational shifts by high-growth companies and regulated industries.
Google relies primarily on online help resources and community forums for guidance. So companies with limited in-house expertise may find deploying and iterating Google Workspace more challenging despite its consumer-friendly interfaces. Hands-on customer support accompanies Enterprise-tier plans.
Pricing Breakdown for Google Workspace and Office 365 Plans
Subscription cost always factors prominently in software purchase decisions. Both vendors tier pricing based on features, number of user licenses, and contract terms. Let‘s break down pricing across plan levels.
Google Workspace Pricing
- Business Starter – $6 per user/month
- Business Standard – $12 per user/month
- Business Plus – $18 per user/month
- Enterprise – pricing upon request
Microsoft 365 Pricing
- Business Basic – $5 per user/month
- Business Standard – $12.50 per user/month
- Business Premium- $20 per user/month
- Office 365 E3 – $32 per user/month
- Office 365 E5 – $57 per user/month
Google Workspace offers its best value for small businesses with generous collaboration features included even at its lowest pricing tier. Microsoft 365 requires upgrading to premium bundles to unlock comparable functionality. But those higher-tier Microsoft plans cater extensively to complex enterprises.
Depending on the scale of your business and how advanced your usage needs are, the ideal platform can differ.
Which Solution is Right for Your Organization?
For smaller companies emphasizing simplicity, speed, and lean budgets, Google Workspace delivers capable collaboration software that gets the job done. The intuitive web interfaces facilitate rapid onboarding. Flat-rate pricing stays cost efficient at scale allowing easy expansion.
On the other end of the spectrum, Microsoft Office 365 powers more complex, customized deployments required by large regulated enterprises or highly matrixed organizations. Superior desktop apps, expansive feature sets across services like SharePoint and Outlook, and white-glove onboarding support enables Microsoft 365 to address intricate business processes.
Of course, individual circumstances dictate platform evaluations. But this detailed comparison highlights how Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 align better to contrasting segments of the business collaboration market. Companies should carefully analyze their unique workflow priorities, growth trajectories, and IT capabilities to determine which solution fits best.