Almost every small business ends up choosing between the same two: Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. Both give you business email on your own domain, cloud storage, video calls and office apps. The prices are now almost identical. The real difference is how your people like to work.
This review uses each vendor's own published plans and prices, checked on 11 October 2026. 4ITX did not run its own tests, no vendor paid for this post, and there are no affiliate links.
Prices side by side
US prices in US dollars, per user per month, before tax.
Google Workspace (monthly, "Flexible" plan; Google says a one-year commitment saves about 16%):
- Business Starter: USD 8.40
- Business Standard: USD 16.80
- Business Plus: USD 26.40
Microsoft 365 (with a one-year commitment, paid yearly; paying month to month is USD 8.40 / 16.80 / 26.40):
- Business Basic: USD 7
- Business Standard: USD 14
- Business Premium: USD 22
Both cap these plans at 300 users. Prices in Egypt may be billed in Egyptian pounds and can differ; check at checkout.
What you get on the entry plan
Google Business Starter
- Gmail on your own domain
- 30 GB storage per user, pooled across the company
- Google Meet calls up to 100 people
- Docs, Sheets and Slides in the browser
- Basic access to Gemini, Google's AI assistant
Microsoft 365 Business Basic
- Outlook email with a 100 GB mailbox
- 1 TB OneDrive storage per user
- Teams
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint in the browser and on phones only, no desktop apps
The middle plans are where most offices land
- Google Business Standard: 2 TB pooled storage per user, Meet up to 150 people with recording, more Gemini.
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: everything in Basic plus the full desktop apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) on up to five PCs or Macs per user.
If your team lives in Excel files with heavy formulas, macros or shared templates from clients, that last point usually decides it.
The top plans: security
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium adds device management and Microsoft Defender for Business. Defender for Business alone is USD 3 per user per month, so Premium includes protection you would otherwise buy separately.
- Google Business Plus adds 5 TB pooled storage, Meet up to 500 people, Vault for keeping and searching email for legal needs, and stronger device controls.
AI assistants
- Gemini is included in Google Workspace business plans, with more features on Standard and Plus.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot is an add-on, listed at USD 21 per user per month. Microsoft is running a first-year offer at USD 18 until 31 December 2026 for eligible existing business customers. There are also bundles of Standard or Premium with Copilot.
Which one fits
Choose Google Workspace if:
- your team works mostly in the browser and shares documents a lot
- you want the simplest admin and fewest settings
- people already use Gmail and Android every day
Choose Microsoft 365 if:
- your work depends on desktop Excel, Word or Outlook
- clients and suppliers send you Office files with complex formatting
- you want device management and antivirus in the same subscription (Business Premium)
Things nobody tells you
- Moving later is work. Mail, files, calendars and shared drives all have to move. Pick carefully once.
- Neither plan includes a full backup service. If a file is deleted or encrypted by ransomware and the change syncs, you need your own backup.
- Security settings are not all on by default. Turn on two-step sign-in for every user on day one.
In short: at the same price, Google wins on simplicity and sharing in the browser; Microsoft wins when desktop Office files are part of daily work. Both are solid. The wrong choice is the one that does not match how your people already work.
Not sure which one fits your team? Book a free 30-minute consultation and we will walk through how your office works. Want the next guide in your inbox? Use the newsletter box below.
Sources: Google Workspace pricing · Google Workspace Flexible plan · Compare Microsoft 365 business plans · Exchange Online limits. Checked 11 October 2026.