When it comes to office productivity applications, Microsoft and Google seem to both be at the top of the list and in constant competition. Their latest releases, Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps for Work, are similar in function. Whether you are new to cloud services or fairly informed, it can be tough to know which of the two cloud storage solutions are best for your workplace. However, there are some clear differences between the two. We have gathered the pros and cons of each in order to help you make the most informed decision.
How They Compare in Cost
Microsoft Office 365 and Google Apps charge the exact same price: a monthly payment of $5. It is the way their contracts work that makes a difference. Google lets you cancel your service any time and can be renewed every month through your payments. Microsoft expects you to use their service for an entire year before you can choose to end things, meaning if you don’t like the program, you’re stuck with it and its monthly fee until your contract expires naturally.
But What Do I Get for These Payments?
Both Apps and Office offer an assortment of service plans for you to choose from. Office comes with six plans in all, three aimed at corporations and three aimed at smaller businesses. The higher up you go, the more the price of your plan increases, the highest being at a rate of $35 for every month of use. Google, however, has just two plans.
As for space? Each user under your company’s Office account gets one terabyte all for themselves. Google users get only 30 gigabytes worth of space—unless you opt for their monthly $10 plan, which gives each user a limitless amount of space, provided that you join with a group of five people or more.
Does One Service Have Any Advantages Over the Other?
In terms of price, Apps is clearly the better option. If your company is on the smaller side in budget or in size, Apps would work well based on affordability alone. However, Apps has its share of issues that may mean it won’t mesh well with your company. Specifically, it deliberately fails to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Business Associate Act, instituted by the United States medical system. In addition, there are a few problems with Apps’ compatibility with other programs, including computational conflicts with Microsoft Excel, as well as with Apps’ calendar function.
Despite these issues, Apps and Office are still mostly identical in terms of features. Office may be the better option for your company if your employees are the most acquainted with Microsoft’s productivity software.
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