Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: objective comparison for SMBs

Two cloud suites, two different philosophies

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are the two main cloud productivity suites for businesses. Google Workspace prioritizes simplicity and native browser-based collaboration. Microsoft 365 focuses on feature richness and compatibility with the legacy Office ecosystem. This comparison helps SMBs choose the solution that fits their needs.

Pricing

Google Workspace Business Starter costs €6.80 per user per month with 30 GB of storage. Business Standard rises to €13.60 with 2 TB of storage and advanced features like video meeting recording.

Microsoft 365 Business Basic starts at €6 per user per month with 1 TB of OneDrive storage. Business Standard costs €12.50 and includes desktop Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Pricing is similar. The difference lies in what is included in each plan and your specific business needs.

Collaboration

Google Workspace excels at real-time collaboration. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides allow multiple users to work simultaneously on the same document with changes visible instantly. This native collaboration is Google’s historic strength.

Microsoft 365 offers co-editing in web versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The experience is functional but less fluid than Google’s, especially for complex documents. Desktop Office applications remain superior for advanced Excel and PowerPoint features.

Storage and file management

Google Drive organizes files with Shared Drives that belong to the organization rather than an individual. This approach simplifies managing departures and role changes.

OneDrive and SharePoint offer deep integration with Windows File Explorer. Users accustomed to working with local files find their bearings. SharePoint adds advanced document management features for larger organizations.

Video conferencing

Google Meet is natively integrated into Gmail and Calendar. Joining a meeting takes one click from the invitation. Video and audio quality is reliable and noise cancellation and automatic captioning features are included in all plans.

Microsoft Teams has become Microsoft 365’s unified communication platform. Teams combines messaging, video conferencing, file sharing and third-party applications in a single interface. This feature richness is an advantage for large organizations but can be excessive for SMBs.

Artificial intelligence

Google integrates Gemini into Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Meet. Gemini drafts emails, summarizes documents, analyzes data and generates presentations. These features are included in Business Standard plans and above.

Microsoft offers Copilot, powered by GPT-4, in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Copilot is available as a paid add-on at €30 per user per month, on top of the Microsoft 365 subscription.

Our recommendation

For SMBs that prioritize simplicity, collaboration and remote work, Google Workspace is the most cohesive choice. For businesses that rely heavily on advanced Excel or have an existing Microsoft ecosystem, Microsoft 365 remains relevant.

The final choice depends on your usage, existing ecosystem and collaboration priorities. LCMH is an official Google Workspace reseller in Alsace and can help you evaluate the best solution for your context.

To dive deeper into security, read our article on data protection in Google Workspace.

Sources

1. Google, Google Workspace Pricing. workspace.google.com/pricing
2. Microsoft, Microsoft 365 Business Plans. microsoft.com/en/microsoft-365/business/compare-all-plans
3. Google, Gemini for Google Workspace. workspace.google.com/solutions/ai