How does G-SUITE compare to office 365?

There’s a new kid on the computer office suite block, and it’s slowly gaining traction among business based computer users. Many IT companies are fielding questions from clients who want to know if it’s worth making a switch to G- Suite. 

Google’s offering arrived some time ago to challenge Office 365 and has gained a loyal following, but would it work for your business? Because many of Office 365’s apps have been running for decades, it is much more widely adopted – it has around 60 million users, whilst G Suite has a modest 2 million. However, G Suite is cheaper and is definitely a viable choice for SMEs, or even larger companies who want to cut costs. Importantly, G Suite, like Office 365, works with the cloud, which means that data is safe – if one system crashes, everything is backed up via the internet.

Here, we give a quick rundown of the programs so you can get a better idea of how they compare.

• G-Suite

G Suite, in essence, is a paid alternative to Google Docs with the addition of a domain name for email, storage space, compatibility with Microsoft Outlook and extra security features. G Suite also includes the file management system, Google Docs, and the communication platform, Google Hangouts. It’s also compatible with computers, tablets and mobile, allowing you to take your work with you anywhere you go.

The basic G Suite package costs £3.30 per user per month, with up to 30GB of cloud storage, Drive, Hangouts, Calendar and a business email. This rises to £6.60 for their business plan, which offers the basic package with the addition of unlimited storage and a few extra features. The final, most expensive plan is Enterprise which gives you everything from the cheaper packages as well as additional security and data analysis features.

• Office 365

Office 365 gives users all of the Microsoft Office applications including Word, PowerPoint and Excel. It also includes Skype for Business and up to 60 minutes of free calls to use between employees. Office 365 comes with One-drive for file storage and SharePoint for document sharing. You can access a limited version of Office online, which contains only the most popular features, and it’s available for install on up to fifteen devices, five on each computer, mobile and tablet.

Their basic package, Office 365 Business Essentials, costs £3.80 a month if subscribed for a year, and comes with email with 50GB of storage, 1TB of file storage and HD video conferencing. With this package, you are only getting the online version of Office. For a more complete package, you can pay £7.90 for Office 365 Business, which gives you everything from the basic package, except business class email, as well as Office to be downloaded on any device. The final package combines the previous two, giving you email and Office Apps for £9.40 per month.

Summary

With both G Suite and Office 365, all of your work, your calendar, contacts and email will be automatically synced with the online version if you do work offline.

G Suite allows you to use important programs, like Docs, without an internet connection. It  is designed to be as flexible as possible with everything based online, allowing you to use any program wherever you are, with anyone you choose.

Office 365 is more focused on downloads, with the full package available for install on multiple devices in the more expensive package. This does not sacrifice portability, as it also syncs with the online versions if you have an internet connection.

Both options also come with complete user support via telephone or live chat if necessary.

Although Office 365 is undoubtedly the more popular option at the moment, Google is slowly gaining more users, particularly amongst newer SMEs who are finding it suits their business better depending on what they need most.