Every small business eventually faces the choice: Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace? Both let you do email, documents, video calls, and shared storage. Both work. But they fit different kinds of businesses.
Here’s how we help clients decide.
When Microsoft 365 is the right call
Pick Microsoft if:
- Your team already uses Word, Excel, and PowerPoint heavily
- You need full desktop versions of Office apps (advanced Excel features, Outlook calendar power-user stuff)
- Your customers regularly send you Word or Excel files
- You’re in a regulated industry (legal, healthcare, finance) where Microsoft’s compliance documentation matters
- You have older staff who learned Office 20 years ago and don’t want to relearn the basics
The pain: Microsoft 365 admin is busier. More moving parts — Exchange, SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive — with overlapping responsibilities. Settings live across multiple admin centers. Setting it up well is a real project, not a weekend job.
When Google Workspace is the right call
Pick Google if:
- Your team is mostly mobile/laptop, not deeply desk-bound
- You don’t need every advanced Excel feature (most people don’t)
- Email + chat + shared docs in a browser is fine for daily work
- You want simpler admin — fewer moving parts, faster onboarding
- Your business runs at a faster, more cloud-native pace
The pain: Google Sheets and Docs are 90% as good as Excel and Word for most users — but if you’re in the 10% who need advanced spreadsheet features, you’ll feel it. Google’s enterprise compliance features are also less mature than Microsoft’s.
Cost comparison
Both start around $6–$7 per user per month (basic plans) and scale up to $20+ for advanced tiers. The cost difference is rarely the deciding factor — what matters more is which tools fit your team’s actual work.
A 10-person business pays roughly the same on either platform: $70–$200/month total, depending on tier.
Migration is more work than it sounds
Whichever you pick, switching is bigger than people expect. You’re moving:
- Email (years of inbox, contacts, calendar)
- Files (shared drives, individual documents)
- Distribution lists, shared mailboxes, aliases
- Mobile device configurations on every employee’s phone
- Third-party integrations (CRM, accounting, e-commerce)
The right time to migrate: when you’re growing and your current platform is creating friction. The wrong time: “just because.” If something works, the cost of switching usually isn’t worth it.
Our recommendation framework
- Office-heavy traditional businesses (legal, accounting, established offices) → Microsoft 365
- Newer agile businesses, design/marketing/creative shops → Google Workspace
- Already on one and it works → Stay there
If you’re starting fresh and torn, Google Workspace is usually the easier setup. If your team has muscle memory in Microsoft Office, lean Microsoft.
Need help deciding?
If you’re trying to make this call for your business, give us a call. We’ll spend 30 minutes asking how your team actually works and tell you honestly what would fit. Managed IT services include migration support if you decide to switch.
(732) 637-9640.