Outlook vs Gmail: Which Email Platform is the Best for Your Budget?
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are the dominant efficiency suites on the planet of software as a service (SaaS), both providing a wide variety of applications that modern-day business require.
While the functions of much 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 take a look at email through Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail for Business. Independently, the pair are the leading email applications in organization 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 complex than sending and receiving mail.
The workings of each are different, starting with how they are accessed, and ending with the security and privacy provided.
Rates
Utilizing Microsoft's Business Basic plan ($ 5/month/user when billed each year), each user gets 50 GB of e-mail storage area, which is independent of the extra 1 TB of cloud storage in OneDrive.
Remember, the most basic level of M365 does not include any of Microsoft's desktop applications, consisting of Outlook. Users acquiring this strategy will need to be happy with the Outlook web app.
Google's Business Basic strategy ($ 6), supplies just 30 GB of storage in general, integrating email storage and drive storage together.
That's right, 60% of the mailbox storage provided for Microsoft represent 100% of your overall storage on Google's cheapest strategy.
That inconsistency is likely an attempt by Google to upsell users to their premium strategies, with their Standard plan ($ 12) leaping to 2 TB of drive storage, and the Plus strategy ($ 18) going to 5 TB.
Microsoft provides 2-5 TB of drive storage with their enterprise offerings, however mail box storage can essentially be endless through unrestricted archiving starting with the E3 plan ($ 32).
A grid showing the costs and storage capabilities of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Scoring round 1 here, let's call it a draw. At the cheapest level, the two platforms are comparable, and Gmail's web app could be worth the extra dollar each month.
As you move up strategies, the Outlook desktop app could swing your decision, as we will discuss later on. Keep in mind, Microsoft's prices is based on an annual dedication, while Google does not offer yearly discount rates since this post.
This post is merely covering the two suites through the scope of their e-mail applications, and these rates cover many other features. If price is your primary element, think about each suite in overall prior to deciding.
Reduce of Use
The biggest distinction in between the two suites general is Microsoft's desktop apps, which are much 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 accessible through a web browser.
With Outlook's desktop app, users get the full Exchange server experience, with the included benefit of having the ability to check out and draft e-mails while offline.
If you are on a plane, replying to e-mails and working on documents you prepare to send later might be the best usage of your time.
With Outlook, you do not need to wait on the web to continue working, just to provide your work.
Gmail's user interface can't be reached without internet connectivity unless you initially leap 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 feature, the dependability of which has actually been debatable over the years.
Both have mobile applications, so that problem can be worked around, but responding to a bunch of work e-mails on a mobile phone can be a battle.
The complete 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 minor, but significant, advantage over Gmail due to relieve of usage.
Searchability
As you would anticipate, the business known for its search engine enables you to find emails you need more reliably.
Gmail's benefit begins with its categorization utilizing labels. Several 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 actually been applied to a single email or term, those messages will appear under each label. Labels permit you to auto-filter inbound emails based on hand-chosen criteria.
In Outlook, sorting is restricted to folders, forcing users to classify each email/thread into a singular place.
As for the actual search function, both allow users to search utilizing keywords, as well as folders/labels, senders, and date received.
Gmail not only has deeper advanced-search functions, by all accounts, however it is likewise flat-out more precise.
This is the first strong 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 exceptional standing is not just large, but it is apparent on 2 different fronts.
Google has fixed price it support come under fire recently regarding its handling of personal data, with reports that the business scans user emails. More notably, Google reportedly tracks your place, your activity, and even your voice for the function of targeted ads.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is far more transparent about their personal privacy policy and the data they gather.
If your business transmits delicate or personal data frequently, it probably goes without stating that you would feel more comfortable utilizing Microsoft and Outlook. Even if you aren't sending out and getting private information, it would take a lot of other benefits to exceed such apparent privacy concerns.
For managers, Outlook uses a lot more internal security in the form of authorizations. While Outlook's folder company does not provide the exact same searchability as Gmail's labels, it does offer users the capability to permit and prohibit specific actions within folders.
Outlook provides users 10 varying functions to pick from, as well as a custom-made role where the supervisor can hand-select particular actions one by one.
These actions consist of everything from reading, modifying, erasing, and sending out messages to seeing your calendar's particular meetings or free time.
Functionally, this permits managers to delegate jobs to their subordinates without giving them full-scale access to more important info. It also stops disgruntled staff members from possibly stealing or deleting info deemed sensitive.
Among, if not the most important classification is a runaway win for Outlook. With comprehensive choices and a privacy policy that is far 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 2 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.
Gmail users regreted the platform's combination with other services or customers who used Outlook.
Some grievances included that updates to standing meetings made from Outlook accounts would not upgrade in Google Calendar, and the inability to press updated info to participants.
In Addition, Google Calendar will instantly attempt to turn all of your video conferences 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 added integrations with the other, and by all accounts, they work seamlessly. For all intents and purposes, this function is a draw.
Decision
Like the majority of things, this choice largely boils down to personal preference. Much of the differences in between Outlook and Gmail have actually advantages based upon how your business operates, along with your budget plan.
Eventually, 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 might be the right option for you.