At Atulit we offer Google Workspace support (previously G Suite) and Microsoft 365 support. Both services are extremely popular – almost every company uses either Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). However, if you’re not currently using one but plan on doing so choosing which is right for you can seem tricky. In this post, we aim to make choosing between Microsoft 365 and Workspace for your business a little bit easier.
Pretty much everyone that has touched a computer has used either a Microsoft 365 or a member of the Google Workspace family. These collections of tools from Microsoft and Google respectively each comprise of some of the most fundamental tools for any student or business. Each offers a way to create text documents (Word and Google Docs), spreadsheet (Excel and Google Sheets) and slideshow presentation (PowerPoint and Google Slides). Both offer cloud storage solutions allowing you to easily collaborate with others on the same document whilst saving space on your hard drive.
Whether you are a student that needs a way to write your assignments or work in accounts and need to manage spreadsheets – the chances are you’ll want either Microsoft 365 or Workspace. But which one is right for you? They sound very similar, and they are. But that doesn’t mean you should just flip a coin when picking which is for you. They’re similar but not identical and you may find that one better matches your needs than the other.
Microsoft 365
One of the biggest things working in favour of Microsoft 365 is their desktop applications. Most paid versions of Microsoft 365 come with the desktop versions included. This allows you to install full versions of Word, Excel, Outlook and more to your computer or laptop.
Microsoft 365 offers 1TB of cloud storage with all plans as well as 50GB of email storage. The various plans are priced on a per user per month basis and are available at a discounted rate if you make an annual commitment.
Google Workspace
Like Microsoft 365, Workspace is priced on a per user per month basis and offers 30GB of cloud storage for its basic package. Workspace’s other packages offer unlimited storage if there are more than 5 users otherwise storage is the same as Microsoft 365 with 1TB. Workspace also offers free local calls with Google Hangouts unlike Microsoft 365 which requires additional Skype credits. The offline use is more restricted than Microsoft 365 and requires you to make files available for offline editing individually.
When choosing which is best for you there are a few things to consider. Firstly, the price. The prices range significantly depending on the plan so you’ll have to check which plan meets your needs first. The number of users will affect the cost and so you should also factor this in when working out pricing. Although it isn’t only about price – there is no point simply going with the cheapest one if the other offers additional benefits you want.
The number of users won’t only affect the price but your options for unlimited storage. If you will have only a few users and therefore won’t be eligible for unlimited Workspace cloud storage, then this won’t make much difference. If, however, there will be more than five users you should consider Workspace’s unlimited storage into your decision – 1TB is still plenty, but it is not unlimited.
Ultimately you want what is going to make you the most productive, especially if you’re a business which may mean using what you are most used to. If you are unfamiliar with either then Google Workspace offers less of a learning curve. Microsoft 365 offers a few more bells and whistles meaning there’s a little more to learn – assuming you’ll be using all the features but it’s unlikely your sales reports require any WordArt.
Both Workspace and Microsoft 365 have their merits and hopefully, the details outlined in this post will help you decide which is best for you.
