Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365—which one is right for your business? Discover the differences and features of each.
Lauren Hando
Blog Post
7 minute read
Apr 30, 2025
Choosing the right productivity suite—or set of applications, including a word processor, a presentation app, and an app to make spreadsheets—can make or break your team. Regardless of your team’s size or location, the right tools need to be secure and collaborative.
Two productivity suites dominate the space: Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. But which one is right for your business?
Interested in seeing where your business stands when it comes to adopting modern productivity tools and technology? Get insightful information by reading this report.
Comparing Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365
If you’re familiar with Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, or Meet, you’re familiar with Google Workspace. What about Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, or Teams? If you recognize any of these names, you know some of the tools that make up Microsoft 365.
Both Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 offer cloud-based tools for email, document creation, file storage, and communication. But each productivity suite works better for slightly different user preferences and business needs.
Choosing which one is better for your team depends on what your team values most. Discover where each suite stands with the following features:
With a variety of packages for customers to choose from, both platforms can accommodate the size and storage needs of your business. Both productivity suites start around $7 per month, but Microsoft’s pricing increases more quickly with additional security, support, and advanced desktop features.
Overall, Google tends to be simpler and more affordable for small teams.
To determine the most cost-effective plan for your business, you must consider the storage you will need, the meeting capacity, and the number of users. Google meetings can include 100-500 people, while Microsoft Teams can have up to 1,000. The monthly cost is per user, so take that into consideration when deciding which plan works for you.
2. Collaboration
Google Workspace thrives on real-time collaboration. Multiple users can edit Docs, Sheets, and Slides simultaneously, without any issues. Google Meet integrates easily with Calendar.
Microsoft 365 excels in Teams, its all-in-one chat, calling, and meeting platform—ideal for enterprise collaboration. And with co-authoring in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, collaboration is very easy.
3. File Storage and Sharing
Both suites support secure file sharing, access control, and cloud backups. Google’s shared Drives and Microsoft’s SharePoint give teams centralized file management options.
For Google Workspace, Drive offers easy sharing, smart search, and deep integration with its office apps, while OneDrive in Microsoft 365 syncs closely with Windows and offers excellent file versioning and recovery tools.
4. Offline Access and Desktop Apps
If your team relies on full-featured software you can use without Wi-Fi, Microsoft 365 is the winner. Its desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook have powerful features like advanced formatting, complex spreadsheets, and custom templates. The tools work seamlessly even when you’re offline, which is important if your team travels a lot or works in areas with unreliable internet.
These apps don’t just live on your desktop—they sync with the cloud via OneDrive, so your files are always up to date no matter what device you're using.
Google Workspace is built with the cloud in mind. Tools like Docs, Sheets, and Slides are easy to use and perfect for real-time collaboration. But when it comes to offline access, things are a little trickier. You can work offline, but it takes some setup, and the experience isn’t as smooth or feature-rich as Microsoft’s desktop apps.
5. Security
Both Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace offer strong security foundations, but Microsoft 365 takes the lead when it comes to protections for larger businesses. With built-in advanced threat protection, data encryption at rest and in transit, and powerful access policies, Microsoft 365 is built to handle large, complex environments.
Features like Defender for Office 365, endpoint manager, and information protection with sensitivity labeling offer granular control over who can access data and how it's used, making it a top choice for IT teams managing sizable or high-risk infrastructures.
Google Workspace, on the other hand, emphasizes simplicity and streamlined security. It includes essentials like two-factor authentication, AI-powered spam and phishing filters, and data loss prevention, making it a solid choice for small to midsize businesses or companies with lean IT departments.
Some of Google’s more advanced controls—such as context-aware access and retention policies—are only available on higher-tier plans, which can limit its appeal for organizations needing broad security customization or compliance support.
For organizations operating in highly regulated sectors, Microsoft GCC High takes things even further. Designed specifically for US government contractors and those handling controlled unclassified information (CUI), GCC High delivers compliance with standards like Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS).
It ensures data is stored in US-based data centers and accessed by US citizens, with isolated cloud environments for additional protection. This makes it a go-to platform for defense, aerospace, and critical infrastructure teams that require next-level data security and strict compliance guarantees.
In short, while both platforms prioritize security, Microsoft 365, with the added strength of GCC High, offers the kind of layered admin controls, threat defense, and compliance assurance that large and regulated organizations rely on.
6. Integration
Google Workspace works great with Google tools and has a growing ecosystem of integrations via the Workspace Marketplace. Microsoft 365 seamlessly integrates with Windows, legacy systems, and enterprise CRMs like Dynamics 365.
If you’re already using other Microsoft products or on a Windows-heavy infrastructure, sticking with Microsoft might just makes sense.
7. User Experience
Google Workspace offers a lightweight, intuitive user interface that's perfect for teams that value simplicity. Microsoft 365 brings a richer, more feature-packed experience—but it can have a steeper learning curve, especially for users unfamiliar with its apps.
For younger teams or startups, Google may feel more natural. For teams transitioning from on-premise Office installations, Microsoft makes the transition smooth.
So Which Suite Should You Choose?
Ultimately, choosing between Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 comes down to your organization’s size, security requirements, collaboration style, and long-term goals.
Google Workspace stands out with its intuitive interface, seamless real-time collaboration, and lower barrier to entry, all of which can be ideal for startups, lean teams, and companies that value agility. Microsoft 365, on the other hand, offers depth for businesses that need advanced security, compliance, and administrative control, especially in highly regulated industries.
Whether you're drafting proposals in a small creative agency or managing infrastructure across a company with locations worldwide, the right platform can improve workflows, strengthen collaboration, and elevate productivity across the board.
Both platforms are secure, powerful, and constantly advancing to meet the demands of a modern workforce. The key is aligning your choice with where your organization is—and where it’s headed.
Lauren Hando is a Copywriter for Impact and DOT Security’s in-house marketing team. She writes, edits, and reviews copy for a variety of mediums—including print, digital, video, social, paid ads, sales collateral, and more—to motivate the target audience and support the sales team.
