Outlook vs Gmail: Which Email Platform is the Best for Your Budget plan?
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are the dominant performance suites worldwide of software as a service (SaaS), both offering a wide range of applications that contemporary companies require.
While the functions of a number of these applications are similar, Microsoft and Google's proprietary offerings each have their own quirks, for much better or even worse.
In this post, we will look at e-mail through Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail for Business. Individually, the set are the leading e-mail applications in business by market share and are pillars of M365 and Workspace, respectively.
Email might seem easy on the surface area, however the differences in between Outlook and Gmail show that things are more complex than sending out and getting mail.
The functions of each are various, starting with how they are accessed, and ending with the security and privacy provided.
Rates
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are priced each month, per user, and have different tiers of pricing. As it refers to the mail accounts themselves, the difference in tiers typically only affects storage space.
Using 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, the most fundamental level of M365 does not consist of any of Microsoft's desktop applications, consisting of Outlook. Users purchasing this strategy will have to be happy with the Outlook web app.
That's right, 60% of the mail box storage provided for Microsoft accounts for 100% of your overall storage on Google's least expensive plan.
That disparity is likely an effort by Google to upsell users to their premium strategies, with their Standard plan ($ 12) jumping to 2 TB of drive storage, and the Plus plan ($ 18) going to 5 TB.
Microsoft supplies 2-5 TB of drive storage with their enterprise offerings, however mail box storage can basically be limitless through unlimited archiving starting 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 least expensive level, the two platforms are comparable, and Gmail's web app might be worth the additional dollar each month.
As you move up plans, the Outlook desktop app could swing your decision, as we will talk about later on. Bear in mind, Microsoft's pricing is based on an annual commitment, while Google does not provide yearly discounts since this post.
This post is simply covering the 2 suites through the scope of their e-mail applications, and these rates cover lots of other functions. If cost is your main element, consider each suite in total prior to making a decision.
Reduce of Use
The most significant difference in between the 2 suites total is Microsoft's desktop apps, which are even more feature-packed relative to Google's web apps.
While the features are not as different between the email applications, the full Gmail experience is only accessible through a managed it service gold coast web internet browser.
With Outlook's desktop app, users get the complete Exchange server experience, with the added advantage of being able to read and draft e-mails while offline.
If you are on a plane, responding to emails and working on documents you prepare to send out later on may be the best usage of your time.
With Outlook, you don't require to await the web to continue working, just to deliver your work.
Gmail's interface can't be reached without web connectivity unless you first jump through some hoops.
At the time of this writing, you will require to utilize Google's Chrome browser, have Gmail bookmarked, and sync your e-mail via their offline function, the reliability of which has been arguable over the years.
Both have mobile applications, so that problem can be worked around, but responding to a bevy of work emails on a mobile phone can be a struggle.
The full suite of Microsoft Office desktop applications will be a much larger advantage for Microsoft in comparing other apps, however we'll still give Outlook a slight, however substantial, advantage over Gmail due to ease of usage.
Searchability
As you would expect, the company known for its search engine enables you to discover e-mails you require more reliably.
Gmail's advantage begins with its classification utilizing labels. Several labels can be used to each e-mail or thread, and subcategories can be produced within labels to produce more of a filing system.
If multiple labels have actually been applied to a single email or term, those messages will appear under each label. Labels allow you to auto-filter incoming e-mails based on hand-chosen criteria.
In Outlook, arranging is restricted to folders, forcing users to classify each email/thread into a singular place.
When it comes to the real search function, both allow users to browse using keywords, as well as folders/labels, senders, and date received.
Gmail not just has deeper advanced-search functions, by all accounts, but it is likewise flat-out more accurate.
This is the very first solid win for Gmail, as Outlook's searchability and categorization are not as robust.
Security
Microsoft is the leader in this classification, and it is not particularly close. Their exceptional standing is not simply vast, but it is apparent on 2 different fronts.
Google has come under fire just recently regarding its handling of individual information, with reports that the company scans user e-mails. More especially, Google apparently tracks your location, your activity, and even your voice for the purpose of targeted advertisements.
On the other hand, Microsoft is much more transparent about their privacy policy and the information they gather.
If your company transfers sensitive or individual information regularly, it most likely goes without saying that you would feel more comfortable using Microsoft and Outlook. Even if you aren't sending out and getting private data, it would take a great deal of other advantages to surpass such evident privacy concerns.
For supervisors, Outlook uses much more internal security in the kind of permissions. While Outlook's folder company does not present the same searchability as Gmail's labels, it does give users the ability to allow and prohibit particular actions within folders.
Outlook offers users 10 differing functions to pick from, along with a custom function where the supervisor can hand-select particular actions one by one.
These actions include everything from reading, editing, erasing, and sending messages to seeing your calendar's particular conferences or spare time.
Functionally, this enables managers to delegate jobs to their subordinates without providing full-blown access to more vital info. It likewise stops unhappy workers from possibly taking or erasing info considered delicate.
You can delegate account access to others in Gmail, which is essentially like handing over the keys to your automobile. You can't designate levels of gain access to, conceal private messages, and even see messages sent out by your delegate on your behalf.
Among, if not the most essential classification is a runaway win for Outlook. With extensive alternatives and a privacy policy that is a lot more transparent, Microsoft 365's e-mail platform stands alone.
Calendar
Technically, Google Calendar is not a part of Gmail, though all it takes to sync the two is a Workspace account and a couple of clicks through Gmail's menu.
For the sake of taking a broader take a look at Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, we'll compare Outlook's calendar to Google Calendar here.
Initially, Gmail users lamented the platform's integration with other organizations or clients who utilized Outlook.
Some complaints consisted of that updates to standing meetings made from Outlook accounts would not upgrade in Google Calendar, and the inability to push upgraded details to participants.
Furthermore, Google Calendar will immediately attempt to turn all of your video meetings into a Google Meet call. Its default setting will automatically publish a Google Meet link into your calendar entry, and that function requires to be disabled by an administrator.
Otherwise, both platforms have actually added combinations with the other, and by all accounts, they work seamlessly. For all intents and purposes, this function is a draw.
Verdict
Like a lot of things, this decision mainly comes down to individual choice. A lot of the differences between Outlook and Gmail have actually advantages based on how your company operates, along with your spending plan.
Ultimately, the transparency and security of Outlook make it the more powerful offering. If you find yourself arranging through countless e-mails a day, however, Gmail might be the right choice for you.