Introduction
Welcome to our comparison between G Suite and Office 365 – two of the best cloud-based productivity suites on the market today. As a savvy business owner, choosing the right software can be overwhelming. With that in mind, we have done the research for you and put together this unbiased comparison of the two services. So, whether you are just starting out or looking to change services, read on to learn about the key differences between G Suite and Office 365.
Pricing
One of the most important factors when considering a productivity suite is pricing. Let us take a closer look at the pricing plans for both G Suite and Office 365:
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G Suite offers three pricing tiers:
- Basic ($6/user/month)
- Business ($12/user/month)
- Enterprise ($25/user/month)
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Office 365 offers four tiers:
- Basic ($5/user/month)
- Standard ($12.50/user/month)
- Premium ($20/user/month)
- Apps ($8.25/user/month)
While G Suite offers more features in their lower-tier pricing, Office 365 has a range of pricing plans that are aimed at different audience sizes. For larger businesses, Office 365 offers more features and better value for money.
Features
Now let's compare the features of each service:
G Suite
G Suite is ideal for small business owners, startups, and companies that want to manage productivity software for employees. Its key features include:
- Google Drive, which functions as a cloud storage service and offers file sharing and real-time collaborative editing
- Gmail, Google’s email service
- Google Calendar, the calendar sharing and scheduling tool
- Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, Google’s answer to Microsoft Office’s Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Hangouts, a messaging and video conferencing app that enables screensharing
- Google Sites, a website builder that can be used for creating intranets
G Suite's real standout features are their Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. They offer the same functionality and ease of use as Microsoft's Office Suite. Plus, the easy collabration, and cloud-based storage make G Suite very appealing.
Office 365
Office 365 is a more comprehensive, business-focused productivity suite that is designed for businesses of all sizes. Its key features include:
- Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and OneNote
- OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud storage service
- Microsoft Teams – Microsoft’s own version of Slack, a video conferencing and chat app designed for workplaces
- Skype for Business – a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) communication service that integrates well with Microsoft Office
- SharePoint – allows users to create their own online site for managing files, documents and content
- Yammer – a private enterprise social network tool
Office 365 is designed with businesses in mind and offers more extensive document management and collaboration features than G Suite. Its real power lies in its extensive tools for document creation, data analysis, and output.
Compatibility
Compatibility with other software can be crucial, especially when considering what software your business already uses. Let's take a closer look at compatibility:
G Suite
G Suite uses Chrome as its native browser and is compatible on all mainstream browsers. Most of the software is browser-based, making it compatible with each other and able to run on any device that can access the web.
Office 365
Office 365's biggest advantage is that it is compatible with all versions of Microsoft Office, a standard for most businesses. It can also be installed on a vast range of operating systems, making it the most widely applicable option.
Conclusion
Both G Suite and Office 365 offer great bundles of software for businesses looking for cloud productivity solutions. They are both widely respected, and their functionality is quite similar. However, choosing between them depends on what you are looking for. G Suite is best suited to those running small businesses or startups, with basic productivity needs. Office 365 offers a much more comprehensive range of features for businesses with more substantial productivity needs.