Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for a Small Company?
By CodexierPublished 4 min read
For a small company, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are both good enough at the basics: email on your own domain, shared calendars, file storage and video meetings. Feature comparisons rarely settle the question. What does settle it is the documents your customers send you, the tools you already run, how you want to manage security and what it would cost to change. This guide works through those.
Email, calendar and files
| Area | Google Workspace | Microsoft 365 |
|---|---|---|
| Gmail, fast search, browser-first | Outlook, strong desktop app, familiar to many staff | |
| Calendar | Simple sharing and booking pages | Rich scheduling, strong in larger organisations |
| Files | Drive, shared drives per team | OneDrive for individuals, SharePoint for teams |
| Meetings and chat | Meet and Chat | Teams, which many customers also use |
| Working offline | Possible but secondary | Desktop apps work fully offline |
Office documents and customers
Look at what arrives in your inbox. If customers and partners send detailed Excel models, Word contracts with tracked changes or PowerPoint templates, Microsoft's desktop apps handle them without surprises. Google can open and edit these files, but complex formatting, macros and some formulas do not always survive the round trip. If your work is mostly your own documents, proposals and shared notes, Google Docs and Sheets are excellent and their live collaboration is still the smoothest.
- Accounting firms, larger B2B customers and public sector clients often work in Microsoft formats and Teams.
- Creative, tech and service businesses often work comfortably in Google.
- Mixed setups are possible, such as Google Workspace plus a few Microsoft desktop licences, but add admin.
Admin and security
Two-factor for everyone
Both support it. Enforce it from day one for every account, including the owner's.
Device management
Microsoft's tools are deeper, and useful if you manage many laptops. Google's are simpler and enough for most small teams.
Data location
Both offer EU data storage options, depending on plan. Check the plan before you promise customers EU-only processing.
Offboarding
Both let you transfer a leaver's files and mailbox. Write the routine down so nothing is lost when someone leaves.
Whichever you choose, the bigger security risks are weak passwords, shared accounts and missing offboarding, not the platform.
Integrations with your other tools
Your email and calendar sit at the centre of other systems: the CRM logs emails, the booking system reads calendars, the accounting system receives invoices by email, and automations react to new files. Most mainstream tools integrate with both suites, but depth varies. Before deciding, list your tools and check each one.
- CRM: does it sync email and calendar both ways with the suite?
- Booking system: can it read availability and write events?
- Accounting, such as Fortnox or Visma: how do invoices and receipts get in?
- Automation tools: are the triggers you need available for the suite?
- Single sign-on: can staff log into other tools with their suite account?
Our guide to APIs explained for business owners helps you read integration descriptions critically.
Switching cost
Moving from one suite to the other means migrating mailboxes, calendars, files and shared drives, updating DNS records, reconnecting every integration and retraining staff. It is a real project with a risk of lost email if done carelessly. It is worth it when the current suite actively blocks work, for example when customers require Teams or your core system only integrates with the other suite.
When you do not need to switch: if the current suite works and integrations are in place, fix the setup rather than the platform. If you are connecting the suite to your CRM, booking or accounting tools, our integration and automation work covers that; see the pricing page or book a short call.
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheaper for a small company?
List prices are broadly similar at the basic levels, and both change prices over time. The cost difference that matters is usually in the plan you need for security and storage, and in the integration work around the suite.
Can we use Gmail with Microsoft Office apps?
Yes. Many small companies use Google Workspace for email and files and buy a few Microsoft licences for staff who need desktop Excel or Word. It works, but you manage two systems.
Is one more GDPR-compliant than the other?
Both offer data processing agreements and EU storage options. Compliance depends more on your configuration, access control and retention routines than on the choice of suite.
How long does a migration take?
For a small team, the technical migration can be done over a weekend with planning. The preparation, testing integrations and helping staff settle in, takes longer and should not be rushed.
Get a second opinion before you choose
List your key tools and customers. In 15 minutes we will tell you which suite fits and what the integration work looks like.
Book a free 15-minute call