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.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
So how do you choose?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
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 \u2014 without the tech jargon.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
“The best productivity suite is the one your team will actually use. A tool nobody opens is a tool that costs you money.”<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Before comparing them, here’s what both platforms actually include at their core:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
| Feature<\/th>\r\n | Google Workspace<\/th>\r\n | Microsoft 365<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n |
|---|---|---|
| Email client<\/td>\r\n | Gmail \u2014 clean, fast, excellent spam filtering<\/td>\r\n | Outlook \u2014 feature-rich, powerful calendar integration<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Document editing<\/td>\r\n | Docs, Sheets, Slides \u2014 browser-based, real-time<\/td>\r\n | Word, Excel, PowerPoint \u2014 industry standard, more features<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Real-time collaboration<\/td>\r\n | Excellent \u2014 built for it from the ground up<\/td>\r\n | Good \u2014 improved significantly in recent years<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Offline access<\/td>\r\n | Limited \u2014 requires setup, browser-dependent<\/td>\r\n | Full desktop apps work completely offline<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| File storage<\/td>\r\n | 30GB\u20135TB depending on plan<\/td>\r\n | 1TB OneDrive per user on most plans<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Video conferencing<\/td>\r\n | Google Meet \u2014 simple, reliable, browser-based<\/td>\r\n | Microsoft Teams \u2014 more features, better for larger teams<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Mobile apps<\/td>\r\n | Excellent \u2014 especially on Android<\/td>\r\n | Very good \u2014 strong on both iOS and Android<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Third-party integrations<\/td>\r\n | Huge ecosystem \u2014 connects to almost everything<\/td>\r\n | Strong \u2014 especially with enterprise tools<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Security & compliance<\/td>\r\n | Excellent for most small businesses<\/td>\r\n | More advanced compliance tools \u2014 better for regulated industries<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Ease of setup<\/td>\r\n | Very easy \u2014 minimal IT knowledge required<\/td>\r\n | More complex \u2014 especially SharePoint and Teams<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Learning curve<\/td>\r\n | Low \u2014 most people already know Gmail<\/td>\r\n | Medium \u2014 especially for users new to Teams and SharePoint<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n |
| Price (entry level)<\/td>\r\n | From $9.20 CAD\/user\/month<\/td>\r\n | From $8.10 CAD\/user\/month<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nPricing breakdown<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nBoth platforms offer tiered plans. Here’s what small businesses in Canada are typically looking at:<\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\n Google Workspace<\/div>\r\n \r\n Business Starter<\/span> $9.20\/user\/mo<\/span><\/div>\r\n Business Standard<\/span> $18.40\/user\/mo<\/span><\/div>\r\n Business Plus<\/span> $28.70\/user\/mo<\/span><\/div>\r\n Enterprise<\/span> Custom pricing<\/span><\/div>\r\n * Prices in CAD, billed annually. Subject to change.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n \r\n Microsoft 365<\/div>\r\n \r\n Business Basic<\/span> $8.10\/user\/mo<\/span><\/div>\r\n Business Standard<\/span> $17.00\/user\/mo<\/span><\/div>\r\n Business Premium<\/span> $29.80\/user\/mo<\/span><\/div>\r\n Enterprise<\/span> Custom pricing<\/span><\/div>\r\n * Prices in CAD, billed annually. Subject to change.<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Which fits your situation?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nRather than declaring a winner, here are common business scenarios and which platform fits best:<\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\n |