Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace — what suits a small business?

Updated: 9 October 2026

Both packages do what a business needs: email on your own domain, storage, calendars, video meetings and shared editing. The difference lies in two points: Microsoft 365 includes the installed Office applications and is the obvious choice when business software, templates or bookkeeping depend on Word and Excel. Google Workspace is faster and simpler in the browser as long as nobody relies on complex Excel files or Office templates. Setting up Microsoft 365 costs €290 as a one-off with us.

This question is rarely decided on technical grounds and mostly by the surroundings: what do your clients, your accountant, your business software use? Anyone exchanging files daily saves a lot of trouble by using the same format as the other side. We deliberately quote no prices here — both vendors change their packages, and an out-of-date figure about a third party is worse than none.

Side by side

Criterion	Microsoft 365	Google Workspace
Office applications on the device	Included (from the Standard plan)	Not included — work happens in the browser
Complex Excel files and templates	The benchmark everything else is measured against	Opens them, but does not reproduce everything identically
Shared editing in the browser	Possible, but feels heavier	The strength of the package
Integration with business software	Almost every industry package assumes Outlook or Excel	Frequently only via workarounds
Device management	Included in the Premium plan	Available, less used in small businesses
Learning curve	Familiar to everyone used to Windows	Quick to learn, but unfamiliar
Backups	Not included — must be added	Not included either

The table scrolls sideways.

When Microsoft 365 is the right choice

Business software requires Outlook, Word or Excel — the rule in trades, retail and professional practices.
There are established templates, mail merges or spreadsheets with formulas that must keep working.
Laptops leave the building and should be centrally managed and encrypted.
Exchange with accountants, authorities or clients happens in Office formats.

When Google Workspace fits better

Work happens almost entirely in the browser, on changing devices.
Several people write in the same documents at the same time.
There is no business software that assumes Office applications.
The team is used to Android devices and Google accounts.

Switching is possible — but it costs order

Moving from one package to the other is technically feasible: mail, contacts and calendars can be carried over, and so can files. The effort appears elsewhere — in templates, formulas, distribution lists, sharing and all the small connections built up over years. It is therefore worth making the decision properly once and then sticking with it. If you are unsure, the question about business software is nearly always decisive: whatever it requires wins.

Guide prices, net plus VAT. As of: October 2026 · All prices at a glance

For businesses in Upper Austria: tax advisers, record retention and cash registers

In Austrian businesses the tax adviser often has a say: accounting data and receipts frequently travel back and forth in Office formats, and the records must be kept for 7 years (BAO § 132). Neither package replaces archiving, because a cloud mailbox is not a retention concept. Decide where receipts, invoices and cash-register records are kept before you choose a package, and have the backup planned at the same time. For the cash register itself, the rules on registration cash registers and issuing receipts apply regardless of the email package.

Florin Feier from Lenzing sets up Microsoft 365 by remote maintenance, and on site if needed, for example in Linz, Wels, Salzburg, Gmunden, Vöcklabruck and the Salzkammergut. Which licence suits how many mailboxes is explained in the article Microsoft 365 licence for small businesses, and the deadlines in the article Retention periods in Austria. Anyone moving from an existing mailbox first gets a list of all addresses, distribution lists and forwarding rules, so that nothing is lost in the switch. This also applies to emails containing invoices: they should be stored where they can still be found in seven years. What ongoing IT support looks like after the decision is described on the service page.

Frequently asked questions

Can we run both in parallel?

Technically yes, sensibly almost never. Two storage systems mean two places for the same file, and the question „where is the current version" costs more time than any licence. If a transition period is needed, it should have an end date rather than becoming permanent.

Is our data held in the EU?

Both vendors operate data centres in Europe and can be configured accordingly; both are US companies, which raises data protection questions that have to be assessed as matters stand. What we can do is configure it properly and record in writing what goes where — you need that for your processing register in any case.

What about email with our current provider?

A plain mailbox at a web host is cheaper than either package and sometimes exactly right for a business with two addresses. But as soon as shared calendars, storage, video meetings or managed devices come into play, the comparison is unfair — you are then comparing a mailbox with a working environment.

Do you set up both?

We set up Microsoft 365; the setup costs €290 as a one-off. Ongoing support is separate and agreed on its own. We set up Google Workspace as well when it is the right choice for your business — billed by effort at €95 per hour. We do not recommend what suits us better but what suits your software.

Want to sort this out for your business? You can discuss your case on Microsoft 365 or Google or put together an offer for Microsoft 365 or Google.