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Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
We supply, provision, migrate, and support both. That means we gain nothing from talking you into one — so here are the real differences, laid out plainly, and the questions that actually decide it.
- Both platforms set up on your own domain, billed and supported by us
- Domain, DNS, and email authentication configured either way
- Migration from your current provider handled as part of the move
- A written recommendation after a free consultation — no obligation
At a glance
Both platforms cover the same fundamentals: professional email at your domain, cloud file storage, document apps, video meetings, and admin controls. The differences below are the ones that change how a team feels day to day.
| What you are comparing | Google Workspace | Microsoft 365 |
|---|---|---|
| Email and inbox app | Gmail, used in the browser or the Gmail mobile app. Standard mail protocols are available for desktop clients. | Outlook, available as an installed desktop app, a browser app, and a mobile app, with Exchange Online behind it. |
| File storage approach | Google Drive. Cloud-first — files live online and open in the browser by default, with optional desktop sync. | OneDrive for individual files and SharePoint for team sites, with folder-level sync into Windows and macOS. |
| Document apps | Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Browser-based and built around several people editing the same file at once. | Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Installed desktop apps on the plans that include them, plus browser versions. |
| Video meetings | Google Meet, joined from a calendar invite or a browser link with nothing to install. | Microsoft Teams, which combines meetings with persistent chat channels and file sharing. |
| Best-fit buyer | Teams already living in Gmail and browser tools, on mixed hardware, who want the shortest path to shared documents. | Teams on Windows desktops, with heavy Excel or Word use, or an existing Microsoft footprint to line up with. |
| Admin overhead | A single admin console for users, groups, and security policy. Fewer moving parts to configure or get wrong. | A deeper admin surface with more granular identity, compliance, and device policy controls — more power, more to set up. |
Plan names and feature tiers change on both platforms. We check current specifications against the seats you actually need and put the numbers in your written quote, rather than publishing a per-seat figure that would be wrong for most teams.
The honest version of the decision
Most teams already lean one way before they ask. These are the signals that usually settle it.
Choose Google Workspace if…
- Your team already works in Gmail and finds anything else a step backwards
- Most of the day happens in a browser, across mixed hardware
- Several people editing the same document at once matters more than heavyweight formatting
- You want the smallest possible admin surface to look after
- Shared calendars and straightforward file sharing cover how you collaborate
Choose Microsoft 365 if…
- Your team is on Windows desktops and expects the installed Office apps
- Excel is a working tool — models, pivot tables, macros — not just a viewer
- You already have Teams or other Microsoft services in play
- Clients and partners send Office files that have to open exactly as sent
- You need granular compliance, retention, or device policy controls
Still torn? That usually means either would work, and the tiebreaker is what your team already knows. Switching cost is measured in retraining, not licenses.
What is identical either way, with us
The platform choice changes which apps your team opens. It does not change the work we do around it — that part is the same on both.
Domain and DNS setup
We connect your domain to the platform and write the records it needs, alongside the records your website and other tools already depend on. No conflicting entries left behind.
See managed DNS →SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Email authentication configured properly on your domain from day one, not bolted on months later when something starts bouncing. Deliverability is our specialty.
Email deliverability →Migration handled
Mail, folders, contacts, and calendars moved from your current provider, checked once they land, with the switchover timed around your team rather than ours.
How migration works →One support contact
When something breaks you ask us, not a support portal in another time zone. The same team holds your domain, DNS, mailboxes, and website, so nothing falls between vendors.
Consolidated billing
Seats appear on the same invoice as everything else we run for you, in your own client area. One provider, one renewal date to remember, one place to check what you are paying for.
Written handover
You get the paperwork as well as the setup: what was configured, which records changed, and what to watch. Replace us tomorrow and your next provider inherits notes, not archaeology.
How we help you decide
Thirty minutes, no obligation, and a recommendation you can act on whether or not you buy it from us.
Tell us how the team works
Hardware, the apps people already open without thinking, what your clients send you, how many seats, and what you are paying now.
We recommend one, in writing
A named platform, the plan that fits, the reasoning behind it, and a written quote within 24 hours. If the honest answer is “stay where you are”, we will say that too.
We provision and migrate
Accounts created, domain configured, authentication in place, old mail moved and verified. Your team keeps the same addresses throughout.
Workspace vs Microsoft 365 FAQs
Which one is better, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
Neither, in the abstract. Both cover professional email at your own domain, file storage, document apps, video meetings, and admin controls. The right answer depends on the hardware your team uses, how heavily you work in spreadsheets and documents, and what your clients send you. We sell and support both, so we have no reason to push you toward one.
Do you charge more for one platform than the other?
Our setup, migration, and support work is scoped the same way for either platform. Seat costs differ by plan and by how many seats you need, so we quote both in writing after the consultation rather than publishing a per-seat figure that would be wrong for most teams.
Do I contract with Google or Microsoft directly?
No. Both are resold services with us: we provision the account, configure your domain, handle support, and bill you alongside your other services. One provider, one invoice, one place to ask a question.
Can different people in the same company use different platforms?
Yes, and it is more common than people expect. A finance team on Microsoft 365 and a marketing team on Google Workspace can share the same domain, provided the mail routing and authentication are designed for it. That design is our job, not yours.
Can we switch later if we pick the wrong one?
Yes. Moving between the two platforms is a migration like any other: mail, folders, contacts, and calendars are copied over, checked, and the switchover is timed with you. It is easier to do early, which is why the consultation is worth the half hour. See how email migration works.
Will our email addresses change?
No. Either platform runs on your own domain, so you stay at [email protected]. The domain belongs to you, which is exactly why changing platform later does not change your address.
What happens to our existing mail, contacts, and calendars?
They come with you. We migrate mail, folders, contacts, and calendars from your current provider, verify that everything arrived, and schedule the cutover so the team is not left waiting on it.
Will our email land in the inbox on either platform?
Inbox placement is decided by the receiving provider, so nobody can honestly guarantee it. What we control is the technical side: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured correctly on your domain, sending setup that matches how you actually send, and problems diagnosed rather than guessed at. That is our specialty.
Can we keep using the mail app we already like?
In most cases yes. Both platforms offer webmail, first-party mobile apps, and desktop apps, and both support standard mail protocols for third-party clients. If a specific app is non-negotiable for your team, tell us at the consultation and we will factor it into the recommendation.
Which platform is easier to administer?
Google Workspace generally has fewer moving parts to configure. Microsoft 365 offers a deeper set of identity, compliance, and device policy controls, which is an advantage if you need them and overhead if you do not. Either way we handle the admin side unless you would rather do it yourself.
Do we need our own IT person to run this?
No. Setup, domain configuration, authentication records, migration, and day-to-day admin are all handled by us, and you get one contact to raise anything with. If you do have internal IT, we work alongside them rather than around them.
Pick the one your team will actually use.
Read the detail on either platform, or tell us how you work and we’ll recommend one in writing within 24 hours.
Google Workspace Microsoft 365