Outlook vs Gmail: Which Email Platform is the Best for Your Budget?
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are the dominant productivity suites in the world of software application as a service (SaaS), both offering a wide range of applications that contemporary business need.
While the functions of a lot of these applications are comparable, Microsoft and Google's exclusive offerings each have their own quirks, for much better or even worse.
In this post, we will take a look at email through Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail for Business. Individually, the set are the leading email applications in company by market share and are pillars of M365 and Workspace, respectively.
Email may appear simple on the surface, however the differences in between Outlook and Gmail reveal that things are more complicated than sending and receiving mail.
The workings of each are various, beginning with how they are accessed, and ending with the security and privacy provided.
Rates
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are priced per month, per user, and have different tiers of rates. As it refers to the mail accounts themselves, the difference in tiers normally only affects storage area.
Utilizing Microsoft's Business Basic plan ($ 5/month/user when billed yearly), each user gets 50 GB of email storage area, which is independent of the additional 1 TB of cloud storage in OneDrive.
Keep in mind, one of the most fundamental level of M365 does not consist of any of Microsoft's desktop applications, consisting of Outlook. Users buying this plan will need to more than happy with the Outlook web app.
On the other hand, Google's Business Basic plan ($ 6), offers just 30 GB of storage in general, integrating email storage and drive storage together.
That's right, 60% of the mail box storage attended to Microsoft represent 100% of your total storage on Google's cheapest plan.
That discrepancy is likely an effort by Google to upsell users to their premium strategies, with their Standard strategy ($ 12) jumping to 2 TB of drive storage, and the Plus plan ($ 18) going to 5 TB.
Microsoft provides 2-5 TB of drive storage with their business offerings, but mail box storage can basically be unlimited through limitless archiving starting with the E3 strategy ($ 32).
A grid showing the prices and storage capabilities of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Scoring round 1 here, let's call it a draw. At the most affordable level, the two platforms are comparable, and Gmail's web app might be worth the extra dollar each month.
As you go up plans, the Outlook desktop app could swing your choice, as we will discuss later. Keep in mind, Microsoft's prices is based on a yearly commitment, while Google does not use annual discount rates as of this post.
This post is just covering the two suites through the scope of their email applications, and these prices cover numerous other functions. If price is your main factor, think about each suite in overall before deciding.
Ease of Use
The most significant difference in between the two suites total is Microsoft's desktop apps, which are far more feature-packed relative to Google's web apps.
While the functions are not as different between the email applications, the full Gmail experience is only available through a web browser.
With Outlook's desktop app, users get the complete Exchange server experience, with the included benefit of being able to read and prepare emails while offline.
For instance, if you are on a plane, replying to e-mails and working on files you prepare to send out later may be the best use of your time.
With Outlook, you do not require to wait on the internet to continue working, only to provide your work.
Gmail's user interface can't be reached without web connection unless you initially leap through some hoops.
At the time of this writing, you will require to utilize Google's Chrome web browser, have Gmail bookmarked, and sync your email through their offline feature, the dependability of which has actually been arguable throughout the years.
Both have mobile applications, so that concern can be worked around, however responding to a bunch of work e-mails on a mobile phone can be a battle.
The full suite of Microsoft Office desktop applications will be a much larger advantage for Microsoft in comparing other apps, but we'll still offer Outlook a slight, but substantial, benefit over Gmail due to ease of usage.
Searchability
As you would anticipate, the business understood for its search engine allows you to discover e-mails you require more dependably.
Gmail's advantage begins with its categorization utilizing labels. Numerous labels can be used to each e-mail or thread, and subcategories can be developed within labels to produce more of a filing system.
If multiple labels have been used to a single e-mail or term, those messages will appear under each label. In addition, labels permit you to auto-filter incoming emails based on hand-chosen requirements.
In Outlook, sorting is limited to folders, forcing users to categorize each email/thread into a singular location.
When it comes to the real search function, both allow users to search using keywords, along with folders/labels, senders, and date received.
Gmail not just has much deeper advanced-search functions, by all accounts, but it is also flat-out more precise.
This is the very first strong win for Gmail, as Outlook's searchability and classification are not as robust.
Security
Microsoft is the leader in this classification, and it is not especially close. Their remarkable standing is not just huge, however it is apparent on two different fronts.
Google has actually come under fire just recently regarding its handling of personal information, with reports that the business scans user emails. More significantly, Google apparently tracks your area, your activity, and even your voice for the purpose of targeted ads.
Microsoft is much more transparent about their personal privacy policy and the data they gather.
If your organization transfers delicate or individual information routinely, it probably goes without stating that you would feel more comfortable utilizing Microsoft and Outlook. Even if you aren't data backup solutions sending out and getting personal data, it would take a lot of other advantages to exceed such obvious personal privacy concerns.
For supervisors, Outlook offers much more internal security in the type of permissions. While Outlook's folder company does not present the very same searchability as Gmail's labels, it does provide users the ability to enable and prohibit specific actions within folders.
Outlook gives users 10 differing roles to select from, in addition to a custom function where the supervisor can hand-select specific actions one by one.
These actions include everything from reading, modifying, erasing, and sending messages to seeing your calendar's specific conferences or downtime.
Functionally, this enables managers to hand over tasks to their subordinates without providing major access to more vital information. It likewise stops unhappy workers from potentially stealing or deleting info considered sensitive.
You can delegate account access to others in Gmail, which is basically like turning over the secrets to your car. You can't appoint levels of access, hide personal messages, or perhaps see messages sent by your delegate on your behalf.
One of, if not the most essential category is a runaway win for Outlook. With thorough alternatives and a personal privacy policy that is much more transparent, Microsoft 365's e-mail platform stands alone.
Calendar
Technically, Google Calendar is not a part of Gmail, though all it requires to sync the two is a Workspace account and a few clicks through Gmail's menu.
For the sake of taking a more comprehensive take a look at Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, we'll compare Outlook's calendar to Google Calendar here.
Gmail users lamented the platform's integration with other companies or clients who utilized Outlook.
Some problems included that updates to standing meetings made from Outlook accounts would not update in Google Calendar, and the failure to press updated info to individuals.
Additionally, Google Calendar will automatically try to turn all of your video conferences into a Google Meet call. Its default setting will instantly post a Google Meet link into your calendar entry, which function needs to be disabled by an administrator.
Otherwise, both platforms have included combinations with the other, and by all accounts, they work effortlessly. For all intents and functions, this function is a draw.
Verdict
Like most things, this decision largely comes down to individual choice. Much of the differences between Outlook and Gmail have advantages based on how your business operates, along with your spending plan.
Ultimately, the transparency and security of Outlook make it the more powerful offering. If you find yourself sorting through countless emails a day, however, Gmail might be the right alternative for you.