Outlook vs Gmail: Which Email Platform is the Best for Your Spending plan?
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are the dominant productivity suites on the planet of software application as a service (SaaS), both providing a wide range of applications that modern-day companies require.
While the functions of a lot of these applications are similar, Microsoft and Google's exclusive offerings each have their own quirks, for much better or worse.
In this post, we will look at email through Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail for Business. Separately, the pair are the leading email applications in service by market share and are pillars of M365 and Workspace, respectively.
Email might seem simple on the surface area, but the differences in between Outlook and Gmail reveal that things are more complicated than sending out and getting mail.
The workings of each are different, starting with how they are accessed, and ending with the security and personal privacy offered.
Pricing
Microsoft 365 and Google fixed price it support Workspace are priced each month, per user, and have different tiers of prices. As it relates to the mail accounts themselves, the distinction in tiers typically only affects storage area.
Utilizing Microsoft's Business Basic strategy ($ 5/month/user when billed every year), each user gets 50 GB of email storage space, which is independent of the extra 1 TB of cloud storage in OneDrive.
Bear in mind, one of the most basic level of M365 does not include any of Microsoft's desktop applications, including Outlook. Users purchasing this plan will need to enjoy with the Outlook web app.
Google's Business Basic strategy ($ 6), supplies just 30 GB of storage in general, combining e-mail storage and drive storage together.
That's right, 60% of the mail box storage attended to Microsoft accounts for 100% of your overall storage on Google's most inexpensive strategy.
That inconsistency is likely an attempt by Google to upsell users to their premium plans, with their Standard plan ($ 12) leaping to 2 TB of drive storage, and the Plus strategy ($ 18) going to 5 TB.
Microsoft offers 2-5 TB of drive storage with their business offerings, but mail box storage can essentially be endless through unlimited archiving beginning with the E3 plan ($ 32).
A grid showing the rates and storage capabilities of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Scoring round 1 here, let's call it a draw. At the cheapest level, the 2 platforms are comparable, and Gmail's web app could be worth the additional dollar monthly.
As you go up plans, the Outlook desktop app might swing your choice, as we will discuss later. Keep in mind, Microsoft's pricing is based on an annual commitment, while Google does not use annual discount rates as of this post.
This post is merely covering the 2 suites through the scope of their email applications, and these prices cover many other functions. If rate is your main aspect, consider each suite in total before making a decision.
Alleviate of Use
The most significant difference between the 2 suites overall is Microsoft's desktop apps, which are far more feature-packed relative to Google's web apps.
With Outlook's desktop app, users get the complete Exchange server experience, with the added benefit of having the ability to check out and draft emails while offline.
If you are on an airplane, responding to emails and working on documents you prepare to send out later on may be the finest use of your time.
With Outlook, you don't require to wait for the internet to continue working, only to deliver your work.
Gmail's interface can't be reached without internet connection unless you initially leap through some hoops.
At the time of this writing, you will require to use Google's Chrome web browser, have Gmail bookmarked, and sync your email through their offline feature, the reliability of which has been debatable throughout the years.
Both have mobile applications, so that concern can be worked around, however reacting to a bevy of work e-mails on a mobile device can be a battle.
The full suite of Microsoft Office desktop applications will be a much bigger benefit for Microsoft in comparing other apps, but we'll still provide Outlook a minor, however significant, benefit over Gmail due to relieve of use.
Searchability
As you would expect, the business understood for its search engine enables you to discover e-mails you need more dependably.
Gmail's advantage begins with its classification utilizing labels. Multiple labels can be used to each e-mail or thread, and subcategories can be created within labels to produce more of a filing system.
If numerous labels have been used to a single e-mail or term, those messages will appear under each label. Labels enable you to auto-filter inbound e-mails based on hand-chosen criteria.
In Outlook, arranging is limited to folders, forcing users to categorize each email/thread into a singular place.
When it comes to the actual search function, both enable users to browse utilizing keywords, in addition to folders/labels, senders, and date got.
Gmail not just has deeper advanced-search functions, by all accounts, but it is likewise flat-out more accurate.
This is the first solid win for Gmail, as Outlook's searchability and classification are not as robust.
Security
Microsoft is the leader in this category, and it is not especially close. Their superior standing is not just vast, however it is apparent on two various fronts.
Google has come under fire recently regarding its handling of individual information, with reports that the business scans user e-mails. More notably, Google apparently tracks your area, your activity, and even your voice for the function of targeted ads.
Microsoft is much more transparent about their personal privacy policy and the information they gather.
If your company transmits sensitive or individual information frequently, it probably goes without stating that you would feel more comfy using Microsoft and Outlook. Even if you aren't sending out and getting private data, it would take a great deal of other benefits to surpass such apparent personal privacy concerns.
For managers, Outlook offers much more internal security in the form of authorizations. While Outlook's folder organization does not provide the very same searchability as Gmail's labels, it does provide users the ability to permit and disallow particular actions within folders.
Outlook gives users 10 differing functions to select from, as well as a custom-made function where the supervisor can hand-select particular actions one by one.
These actions consist of whatever from reading, modifying, erasing, and sending messages to seeing your calendar's specific conferences or downtime.
Functionally, this enables supervisors to delegate tasks to their subordinates without providing major access to more important details. It also stops unhappy workers from potentially stealing or deleting info considered sensitive.
You can entrust account access to others in Gmail, which is basically like handing over the keys to your car. You can't designate levels of access, conceal private messages, or perhaps see messages sent out by your delegate in your place.
Among, if not the most important category is a runaway win for Outlook. With extensive 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 couple of clicks through Gmail's menu.
For the sake of taking a broader look at Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, we'll compare Outlook's calendar to Google Calendar here.
Initially, Gmail users lamented the platform's combination with other companies or customers who utilized Outlook.
Some grievances included that updates to standing conferences made from Outlook accounts would not update in Google Calendar, and the failure to press upgraded details to individuals.
Additionally, Google Calendar will immediately attempt to turn all of your video conferences into a Google Meet call. Its default setting will immediately post a Google Meet link into your calendar entry, which function needs to be disabled by an administrator.
Otherwise, both platforms have actually included combinations with the other, and by all accounts, they work flawlessly. For all intents and functions, this function is a draw.
Decision
Like a lot of things, this choice mainly comes down to individual choice. Many of the distinctions in between Outlook and Gmail have actually advantages based on how your business operates, as well as your spending plan.
Ultimately, the transparency and security of Outlook make it the more powerful offering. If you discover yourself sorting through thousands of emails a day, however, Gmail may be the right choice for you.