Microsoft and Google are squabbling over each other business with their cloud-based productivity services and software suites. Google and Microsoft want to be your one-stop shop for office productivity tools. Google Workspace VS Microsoft 365, their respective subscription services, check off all the central communications and productivity checkboxes. The following attributes are present in each suite:
Services for shared calendaring and business email connected to custom domains. Online storage, with a sizable amount of personal storage space allotted to each user account and shared space for collaboration. Apps for working productively on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Tools for business communications, such as SMS, internet conferences, and video conferencing. A management interface with sophisticated capabilities for commercial customers, including compliance and archiving, and security measures like two-factor authentication.
Two companies dominate business productivity suites for small enterprises. Before 2000, the Microsoft Office suite dominated the market for many years. Then, in 2006, Google introduced Docs and Spreadsheets, fusing them with other corporate services to create the Google Apps package, later referred to as G Suite. It presented the former powerhouse with fierce competition.
What Will You See Here?
What is Microsoft 365?
You’ve probably heard of Microsoft Office, a collection of business software that includes the well-known Microsoft Word product. You might not know that Microsoft 365 also includes Word and Office apps like Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Anyone who wants access to the software package still has the option to buy Microsoft Office once. However, you could choose to choose Microsoft 365 instead, which is set up as a paid monthly subscription plan and offers a variety of benefits not included in Office, such as cloud-based productivity tools and AI capabilities.
Formerly branded as Office 365, several of Microsoft’s subscription-based services are now available. To set itself apart from the standard Office-branded Microsoft program bundles, Microsoft renamed all those services to Microsoft 365 in April 2020. Microsoft 365 provides more features for its vintage Office software in addition to access to additional programs like OneDrive. You can access premium Word, Excel, and PowerPoint editions with even the most basic Microsoft 365 personal plan, which Office does not provide.
You also get access to more sophisticated tools and functions like Microsoft Editor, which may help you revise your work, Microsoft Money in Excel, a tool for financial planning, and OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service, which makes it simple to collaborate in real-time. Other clever benefits of Microsoft 365 include: With Word’s Resume Assistant, you may obtain targeted assistance with your resume; similarly, the PowerPoint Presenter Coach can aid you with your upcoming presentation. Again, these are advantages you won’t get with a bare Office purchase, and you can receive them with a two-tiered Microsoft 365 subscription for homes.
What is the Google Workspace?
Google’s latest set of productivity tools is called Workspace. It brings together all of our favorite G Suite applications, including Calendar, Gmail, Drive, Docs, Slides, Meet, Keep, Forms, Sites, Currents, and Sheets, even more compactly under one attractive, colorful roof. You may look at the history of G Suite to honestly conclude what has changed. It is a repetition. G Suite has been re-designed, repackaged, and optimized for your production requirements.
On October 6, 2020, Google released Google Workspace to the public. It is a new buddy that unites workers from any industry after they have been split apart by social distance. After all, we adore productivity and Gmail! To explain to you precisely what the update means for your company, we have dissected it like an onion.
So, is it merely a branding exercise or a daring investigation into unproven productivity measures? Google has, however, promised to provide a fully integrated user experience, a whole new brand, and industry-specific solutions.
What’s a new update in Google Workspace?
In exchange for a monthly membership fee, Google promised a three-step commitment for what Google Workspace will be. Its collaboration capabilities, which can be used throughout applications and amongst coworkers, set it apart from G Suite. By opening and executing even fewer tasks, Workspace enables you to accomplish more with your colleagues. Tools for communication have been combined. Google has used all its communication tools to enhance user experiences and encourage team cooperation (Chat, Gmail, Content Management, Voice, and Video Calling).
Integration of link previews. Time and tabs are saved simply. Users may now sample a link by holding their cursor over it rather than opening a new account to visit one in a document, spreadsheet, or slideshow. Work together on documents directly from chat. This is a cool one. Users of a workspace can collaboratively develop a document with visitors in a chatroom on the go. Everyone may produce and modify a Doc in real-time synchrony, regardless of whether they are at odds with coworkers or other people.
Microsoft 365 VS Google Workspace
It might be challenging to decide between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace because both companies provide comparable office productivity packages. Because it is one of the most straightforward solutions for real-time communication regardless of where teammates are located, Google Workspace is preferred by more American firms. But don’t write off Microsoft 365 just yet; its apps are more capable for those looking to scale up productivity using automation and cutting-edge technologies.
Features
The feature-rich suites Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 combine several productivity-improving items into potent, all-encompassing bundles. With these web-based solutions, Microsoft and Google hope to become your one-stop shop for productivity and efficiency. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace provide unique corporate email, allowing you to utilize your company’s domain name as your email address.
Microsoft’s email client, Outlook, lets you send and receive emails. You may also use it to plan meetings, manage and organize communications, and keep track of your responsibilities. Outlook is accessible from a PC, MAC, or mobile device. Email management is made simpler by Outlook’s ability to sort, group, or apply labels to emails.
Google offers an online email service called Gmail, sometimes referred to as Google Mail. The AI-powered feature in Gmail is a helpful tool that recommends words and phrases as you write. You may use several other applications to extend the capabilities of Gmail. But because they are independent apps, utilizing and navigating them can be a little time-consuming and difficult. Even though Gmail doesn’t offer a desktop application, you can integrate your Gmail accounts with other programs like Outlook or Thunderbird.
Security
Both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are made to adhere to high standards for data security and privacy. The suites are kept safe by routine updating. Platform admins can alter security procedures to regulate user access and permissions in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. With Exchange Online Security, Microsoft 365 protects email from spam, viruses, and other dangers. The robust solution offers over 1,000 privacy and security controls to assist you in abiding by legislation and industry standards. You may prevent unwanted access to your company’s data using its security groups and specific permissions.
You can access advanced threat protection tools through Microsoft 365 Enterprise editions, including identity and access management, which creates secure connections between users, devices, apps, and data, Microsoft Advanced Malware Analytics, digital security for email and files, Windows Data Security, and BitLocker, Microsoft Protection and Compliance Center, eDiscovery and sophisticated audit, and Microsoft Defender Virus protection and Device Guard, which secure your Windows from outsiders like spyware, viruses, and other malware.
Key Differentiators
The two productivity programs generally have the same features. However, one significant distinction that sets Microsoft 365 apart from Google Workspace is the availability of desktop and online versions of Microsoft 365 programs. Microsoft provides “browser-based apps” licenses in addition to “full installs” licenses. This allows you to download and set up desktop versions on your local devices and use them offline if necessary. Additionally, Publisher, a desktop publishing app, Access, a database app, Project, a project management tool, and Scheduler, a browser-based app, are available as part of Microsoft 365.
Google Workspace does not offer the installable desktop versions you may use on your PC. However, Google Workspace does include a web-app capability that offers Docs, Sheets, and Slides offline functionality. Storage is another significant distinction. While Google Workspace’s storage size varies based on the edition you buy, from 30GB to limitless storage, Microsoft 365 gives its users 1TB of cloud storage.
Which one is best for Business?
The fantastic features in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are all intended to improve the efficiency and productivity of your workflow. Google Workspace is the most excellent option for startups or small enterprises needing straightforward, user-friendly business software that can get you up and running immediately. Microsoft 365 is the go-to office package for companies that need strong and complex capabilities. Similar features for collaboration and efficiency are available in Microsoft 365.
However, the learning curve could be slightly higher than Google Workspace’s simplicity. For companies that don’t require all the features of Microsoft 365, Google Workspace can be an excellent option for “running a business” vs. “saving money.”
Which is better, Google Workspace or Office 365?
Google Workspace is the finest for the most superficial document cooperation and the ability to create and view all of your files wherever you work. Microsoft 365’s office performance and business email tools are superior for your small business if it requires sophisticated functionality and security.
Is Google Workspace cheaper than Microsoft 365?
Most Microsoft 365 plans cost more than their Google Workspace counterparts because it includes Office desktop apps, a feature that adds about $8 a month to the per-user subscription fee.
Do Google employees use Microsoft Office?
Some claims that certain employees still need the Microsoft Office package even though Google employees primarily use Google Apps. They suggest that some people are simply more accustomed to Windows. According to a Google spokeswoman, most of Google’s Windows computers use Windows 7, the most recent Microsoft operating system release.
Conclusion
A new version of Google Workspace was released with several cutting-edge capabilities that compete with Microsoft 365. Google Workspace VS Microsoft 365 shows incredible competition in the Browers League with updated features, security improvements, and many more. The firm recently announced that customers would now get access to the option to edit Microsoft Office files inside of Google Workspace. It does not require an internet connection, enhancing functionality and increasing user productivity everywhere. Switching from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace is very significant by this feature.
