Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365

Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Google Workspace

Google's business suite: Gmail on your domain plus Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet.

Paid

Visit Google Workspace Google Workspace profile

Microsoft 365

Microsoft's subscription bundle of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneDrive storage.

Free plan + paid

Visit Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365 profile

The short answer

Microsoft 365 suits anyone who exchanges Office files daily or needs the full desktop Word and Excel, with native .docx, .xlsx and .pptx formats. Google Workspace suits teams that work mostly in the browser and want effortless real-time co-editing, with email, calendar, Drive and Meet in one admin console. The biggest difference is desktop depth and file fidelity versus browser-first collaboration.

Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: our take

Both bundle email on your own domain, calendars, cloud storage, video calls and document, spreadsheet and presentation editors. Google Workspace runs everything in the browser: Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Meet, Docs, Sheets and Slides, with shared drives, security policies and Gemini AI features. Several people can edit a document at once without thinking about it, and there is nothing to install. Microsoft 365 centres on desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote for Windows and Mac, plus web and mobile apps; business plans add Exchange email, Teams and admin controls, and Copilot features are bundled into consumer plans.

File formats drive many decisions. Microsoft's formats are the ones most organisations exchange, so documents keep their formatting with clients, schools and government offices, and desktop Excel remains the deeper tool for heavy analysis. Workspace opens Office files, but complex ones can lose formatting on import, and offline editing is limited to Chrome and Edge.

Pricing is per user for both business suites. Workspace offers a 14-day trial, a 16% discount with a 1-year commitment and storage from 30 GB per user on Starter to 2 TB on Standard and 5 TB on Plus. Microsoft 365 for individuals starts at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year for Personal with 1 TB of storage, Family is $12.99 a month for up to 6 people, and there is a one-month trial; separate per-user business plans exist. Light users can use either company's web editors for free with a personal account.

Choose Google Workspace for startups, schools and distributed teams that collaborate in real time and rarely need complex Office files. Choose Microsoft 365 for organisations that live in Excel, exchange .docx files constantly or already use Teams and Windows management.

Choose Google Workspace if…

Teams that want email, docs and video in one browser-based suite with easy sharing
Real-time co-editing works smoothly with no files to sync
Email, calendar, storage and video in one admin console

Choose Microsoft 365 if…

Anyone who exchanges Office files daily or needs full desktop Excel and Word
You want a free option (Google Workspace is paid only)
You need Windows and macOS, which Google Workspace doesn't list
Native .docx/.xlsx/.pptx support means perfect fidelity with most organisations
Desktop Excel and Word remain the most complete tools in their class

What is Google Workspace?

Google Workspace is the paid business version of Google's apps. It bundles Gmail on your own domain, Calendar, Drive storage, Meet video calls and the Docs, Sheets and Slides editors with admin controls, shared drives, security policies and Gemini AI features. Everything runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install, files are always the latest version, and several people can edit the same document at once without thinking about it. That collaboration model is why many startups and schools choose it over Microsoft 365. The trade-offs are that offline use is limited to Chrome and Edge, complex Word or Excel files don't always convert cleanly, and power spreadsheet users miss some Excel features. Plans are priced per user per month, with discounts for an annual commitment and a 14-day trial; storage scales from 30 GB per user on the entry plan to several terabytes on higher tiers. Individuals can use the same editors for free with a personal Google account.

What is Microsoft 365?

Microsoft 365 is the subscription that replaced boxed Microsoft Office. A home plan gets you the desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote on Windows and Mac, the mobile apps, and a large chunk of OneDrive storage; business plans add Exchange email, Teams and admin controls. Its biggest advantage is that the .docx, .xlsx and .pptx formats are the ones everybody else exchanges, so nothing gets mangled when you send files to clients, schools or government offices. The desktop apps are still the deepest office tools around, especially Excel for heavy analysis. Copilot AI features are now bundled into consumer plans, which has pushed prices up. Pricing is a monthly or yearly subscription per person or household, with separate per-user business plans and a free one-month trial. Light users can get by on the free web versions of the apps, which need only a Microsoft account. It runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web.

Side by side

Attribute	Google Workspace	Microsoft 365
Pricing	Paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Best for	Teams that want email, docs and video in one browser-based suite with easy sharing	Anyone who exchanges Office files daily or needs full desktop Excel and Word
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	Google Workspace	Microsoft 365
Free trial	14 days	1 month