Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: how to actually decide
A platform-agnostic comparison from a team that runs both, for both kinds of clients. No vendor lock-in, no preference dressed up as advice. Read this if you are about to pick one for the first time, or wondering whether to move from one to the other.
Have a chat about itThe short version, then the long version below.
Pick M365 if you live in Office
Heavy Excel, heavy PowerPoint, established Windows estate, enterprise-grade security needs, integration with Microsoft-heavy business systems (Dynamics, Power Platform, Azure). Wider third-party ecosystem and deeper enterprise controls, at the cost of higher admin complexity.
See our Microsoft 365 service →Pick Workspace if you live in the browser
Real-time collaboration as the default, simpler admin, fewer licence SKUs, lighter on the device, strong on Mac and Chromebook fleets. Cleaner UX, smaller admin overhead, less depth in enterprise security than M365 Premium at the top end.
See our Google Workspace service →Cases where M365 is usually the right answer
These are the patterns we most often see lead to a clean M365 decision. None of these on their own is decisive, but two or three together usually settle it.
Excel is genuinely core to the business
Power Query, pivot tables, complex modelling, macros, Power BI integration. Google Sheets is excellent for most uses but Excel power-users will feel the gap immediately.
You're already on Windows everywhere
Domain-joined PCs, group policy, on-prem AD. Microsoft 365 slots into this estate with the least friction, particularly via Entra ID hybrid joins.
You need top-tier enterprise security
Conditional access, Defender for Endpoint, Purview compliance, sensitivity labels, DLP at scale. M365 Business Premium and the E5 tier go deeper than Workspace Enterprise Plus on most security controls.
You use other Microsoft business systems
Dynamics 365, Power Apps, Power Automate, Azure, SQL Server. The integration story across the Microsoft stack is much stronger when M365 is the identity foundation.
Compliance requires Microsoft-shaped evidence
Some regulated sectors and procurement processes are easier with M365 because Microsoft has a long history of producing the right compliance artefacts (SOC reports, ISO certifications, government accreditations) in the formats auditors expect.
You need Office desktop apps offline
Field workers, frequent travellers, environments with patchy connectivity. The full-fat desktop apps in M365 work properly offline. Workspace assumes a browser, with offline mode as a fallback.
Cases where Workspace is usually the right answer
And here are the patterns where Workspace almost always wins on the merits. Again, look for two or three of these together.
Real-time collaboration is daily work
Multiple people editing the same document live, comments and suggesting mode used heavily, async writing the default. Workspace's collaboration model is still cleaner than M365's, even after years of M365 trying to close the gap.
Your team is Mac-heavy or Chromebook-heavy
Workspace is lighter on the device, runs entirely in the browser, and doesn't make Macs feel like second-class citizens. M365 on Mac is fine but not as polished. See our Mac support service for context.
You want minimal admin overhead
Workspace has far fewer licence SKUs, a more opinionated admin console, and less to misconfigure. For a small business that doesn't want to think about IT, this matters.
You're a creative or design business
Agencies and studios tend to do well on Workspace: collaboration model, Chrome compatibility, lighter device footprint, easier sharing externally. Plus Macs everywhere.
You already use Google for everything else
Google Ads, Analytics, BigQuery, Looker, GA4 dashboards. If your business analytics live in Google, the identity and integration story is cleaner with Workspace.
You want predictable, simple licensing
Workspace SKUs are easier to reason about. M365 has many more tiers, add-ons, and edge cases. If you don't want to spend time on licensing review every renewal, Workspace removes that overhead.
Side-by-side at the SME tier
This is the practical comparison most UK SMEs care about: Microsoft 365 Business Premium vs Google Workspace Business Plus. Both sit at roughly the same point in their respective lineups.
The licence-list price is rarely the real cost
At equivalent tiers, both platforms cost similar per-user list prices. M365 Business Premium and Workspace Business Plus are within a few pounds of each other at standard UK pricing. The real cost difference shows up elsewhere.
On Microsoft 365, the saving opportunity is licence mix. Many businesses overspend on M365 by 20-30% because nobody ever reviewed who actually needs Business Premium versus Business Standard, or which users could be on a less expensive SKU entirely. We always do a licensing review before any M365 work, and it usually pays for the project on its own.
On Google Workspace, the SKU model is simpler, so the saving opportunity is smaller. Workspace tends to cost what it looks like it costs. The complexity is in third-party add-ons (backup, advanced security, identity tooling) where the right choices vary by business.
The honest answer to "which is cheaper?" is usually "the one that better fits how you work", because the cost of the wrong-fit platform shows up in friction, retraining, and migrations later. That's an expensive line item that doesn't appear in the list price of either.
Both directions are well-trodden
Workspace-to-Microsoft 365 is the more common direction for us right now. The drivers are usually licensing economics, a security posture refresh, or integration with Microsoft-heavy business systems. We've done these migrations across a range of business sizes, including a 6-week move at a London advisory firm with permissions automatically replicated via Microsoft Graph API rather than reconfigured manually. See the case study for the detail.
Microsoft 365-to-Google Workspace migrations also happen. They tend to be driven by going Mac-heavy, standardising on Chromebooks, or wanting to simplify the admin overhead. The mechanical pattern is similar (mail, files, identity, permissions) and we have automation for the high-effort parts.
Whichever direction you're moving, we do discovery up front, design the destination tenant first, run pilot migrations, and write the cutover runbook. See our Office 365 Migration service for the M365-direction detail.
Frequently asked questions
Is Microsoft 365 better than Google Workspace?
Neither is objectively better. Both are excellent productivity platforms. Microsoft 365 has a stronger Office heritage, deeper enterprise security tooling, and broader third-party integration. Google Workspace has a cleaner collaboration model, a simpler admin experience, and a faster pace of consumer-grade UX. The right answer depends on how your business actually works, not on which brand sounds more professional.
Which is cheaper, M365 or Workspace?
Per-user list prices are broadly similar at equivalent tiers. The real cost difference shows up in licensing complexity (M365 has many more SKUs to get right) and in implementation effort. We typically save businesses 20-30% on M365 by reviewing licence mix before purchase. Workspace licensing is simpler, so the saving opportunity is smaller, but the spend tends to be predictable.
Can we move between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace?
Yes, in either direction. Workspace-to-M365 migrations are the more common direction for us right now, often driven by Microsoft licensing economics or by integration with Microsoft-heavy business systems. M365-to-Workspace migrations also happen, usually when the business has gone Mac-heavy or wants to standardise on Chrome/Chromebooks. Both directions are well-trodden and we have automation for the high-effort parts (permissions, shared content).
Can we run both at the same time?
You can, but it's usually expensive and confusing. The most common scenario where it makes sense is a temporary phase during a migration. Some businesses run hybrid for years (one division on M365, another on Workspace) but the user experience and admin overhead make it harder to justify than people expect.
Which platform is more secure?
Out of the box, both platforms ship with sensible defaults but neither is properly secure on day one. Both have first-class security tooling at the higher tiers (Business Premium for M365, Enterprise Plus for Workspace) but those features only matter when configured. We see more breaches caused by misconfigured M365 than misconfigured Workspace, but that's largely because M365 has more knobs to misconfigure. Done properly, both platforms are equally defensible.
Want help deciding?
Have a conversation about what your business actually needs the platform to do. We've got no skin in either game, just a clear view of which fits which kind of business. No hard sell.