Cloud Solutions,
Exposed: The Differences Between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
If you run a small business and you’re moving your team to the cloud, you’ll hit this question almost immediately. Google Workspace or Microsoft 365? Both offer email, documents, spreadsheets, and video calls. Both have apps your team will use every day. And both cost roughly the same amount per month.
So how do you choose?
The honest answer is that neither is universally better. The right choice depends on how your business works, what tools you already use, and what your team is comfortable with. This post will help you figure out which one that is — without the tech jargon.
“The best productivity suite is the one your team will actually use. A tool nobody opens is a tool that costs you money.”
What you get with each
Before comparing them, here’s what both platforms actually include at their core:
- Gmail — professional email with your domain
- Google Drive — cloud file storage and sharing
- Google Docs, Sheets, Slides — document creation
- Google Meet — video conferencing
- Google Calendar — shared scheduling
- Google Chat — team messaging
- Google Forms — surveys and data collection
- Google Sites — basic internal web pages
- Outlook — professional email with your domain
- OneDrive — cloud file storage and sharing
- Word, Excel, PowerPoint — document creation
- Teams — video conferencing and messaging
- SharePoint — team file sharing and intranet
- OneNote — note-taking and knowledge management
- Forms — surveys and data collection
- Desktop apps — full offline software installed locally
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Google Workspace | Microsoft 365 |
|---|---|---|
| Email client | Gmail — clean, fast, excellent spam filtering | Outlook — feature-rich, powerful calendar integration |
| Document editing | Docs, Sheets, Slides — browser-based, real-time | Word, Excel, PowerPoint — industry standard, more features |
| Real-time collaboration | Excellent — built for it from the ground up | Good — improved significantly in recent years |
| Offline access | Limited — requires setup, browser-dependent | Full desktop apps work completely offline |
| File storage | 30GB–5TB depending on plan | 1TB OneDrive per user on most plans |
| Video conferencing | Google Meet — simple, reliable, browser-based | Microsoft Teams — more features, better for larger teams |
| Mobile apps | Excellent — especially on Android | Very good — strong on both iOS and Android |
| Third-party integrations | Huge ecosystem — connects to almost everything | Strong — especially with enterprise tools |
| Security & compliance | Excellent for most small businesses | More advanced compliance tools — better for regulated industries |
| Ease of setup | Very easy — minimal IT knowledge required | More complex — especially SharePoint and Teams |
| Learning curve | Low — most people already know Gmail | Medium — especially for users new to Teams and SharePoint |
| Price (entry level) | From $9.20 CAD/user/month | From $8.10 CAD/user/month |
Pricing breakdown
Both platforms offer tiered plans. Here’s what small businesses in Canada are typically looking at:
Starter $9.20/user/mo
Standard $18.40/user/mo
Plus $28.70/user/mo
* Prices in CAD, billed annually. Subject to change.
Basic $8.10/user/mo
Standard $17.00/user/mo
Premium $29.80/user/mo
* Prices in CAD, billed annually. Subject to change.
Which fits your situation?
Rather than declaring a winner, here are common business scenarios and which platform fits best:
You need email, a shared calendar, and somewhere to store files. You don’t want to spend time on setup or IT management. You probably already use Gmail personally.
Go Google WorkspaceYou run complex financial models, use advanced Excel formulas, or need features like Power Query, pivot tables, and macros. Google Sheets is capable but Excel is in a different league for heavy data work.
Go Microsoft 365Multiple people working on the same document simultaneously, leaving comments, suggesting edits, working from different locations. Google Workspace was built for exactly this.
Go Google WorkspaceMany large organisations and government bodies run Microsoft. If you’re constantly sharing files and documents with these clients, being on Microsoft 365 makes compatibility seamless.
Go Microsoft 365Laptops, tablets, phones, different operating systems. You need everything to work in a browser without installing software. Google Workspace is browser-first by design.
Go Google WorkspaceHealthcare, legal, financial services, or any sector with strict compliance requirements. Microsoft 365’s advanced security and compliance features are more mature and better suited for regulated environments.
Go Microsoft 365You need professional email and basic productivity tools at the lowest possible cost with the least setup time. Both are affordable but Google’s entry tier is slightly cheaper and easier to get running.
Go Google WorkspaceThis matters more than any other factor. If your team is already comfortable with Gmail or already knows Outlook and Excel, switching costs in time, frustration, and lost productivity are real. Stay where your people are.
Stick with what you knowThe verdict
- A small or solo operation starting fresh
- Remote-first or device-agnostic
- Prioritising real-time collaboration
- Already living in the Google ecosystem
- Looking for the simplest possible setup
- Heavily dependent on third-party app integrations
- A team that relies on advanced Excel or Word
- Working with enterprise or government clients
- In a compliance-heavy or regulated industry
- Needing full offline access as a priority
- Already running Windows across your devices
- Scaling a team that needs structured IT management
One more thing- you can switch later
This decision isn’t permanent. Both platforms allow you to migrate your email and files if you outgrow one or your needs change. The migration tools have improved significantly and for most small businesses it’s a manageable process.
So if you’re paralysed by the choice, pick the one that fits where you are right now — not where you might be in five years. Google Workspace for simplicity and collaboration, Microsoft 365 for power and compatibility. You can always reassess later.
- Does your team already use Gmail or Outlook? Start there
- Do you do heavy spreadsheet work? Microsoft 365 wins on Excel
- Do you work with enterprise or government clients? Go Microsoft
- Do you need simplicity and fast setup? Go Google Workspace
- Are you in a regulated industry? Microsoft 365’s compliance tools are stronger
- Are you remote-first with mixed devices? Google Workspace is built for this
Both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are excellent platforms. Both will give your team professional email, cloud storage, and the collaboration tools you need to run a modern business. The difference is in the details — and those details depend entirely on how your business works.
If you’re still not sure which one is right for you, that’s exactly the kind of question NorthStack Digital help Winnipeg businesses answer — and set up — as part of our cloud solutions service. Not just recommending the tool, but configuring it, migrating your existing data, and making sure your team is actually using it effectively from day one.
We help Winnipeg businesses choose, set up, and get the most out of their cloud workspace — from day one.