Outlook vs Gmail: Which Email Platform is the Best for Your Budget plan?
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are the dominant efficiency suites worldwide of software as a service (SaaS), both offering a wide range of applications that contemporary business need.
While the functions of much of these applications are comparable, Microsoft and Google's exclusive offerings each have their own peculiarities, for much better or worse.
In this post, we will take a look at e-mail through Microsoft Outlook and Google's Gmail for Business. Individually, the pair are the leading e-mail applications in organization by market share and are pillars of M365 and Workspace, respectively.
Email may appear basic on the surface, but the distinctions between Outlook and Gmail reveal that things are more complex than sending out and receiving mail.
The functions of each are different, starting with how they are accessed, and ending with the security and personal privacy offered.
Rates
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace are priced per month, per user, and have different tiers of rates. As it relates to the mail accounts themselves, the distinction in tiers normally only affects storage space.
Using Microsoft's Business Basic plan ($ 5/month/user when billed each year), 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 basic level of M365 does not consist of any of Microsoft's desktop applications, consisting of Outlook. Users buying this plan will need to be happy with the Outlook web app.
Meanwhile, Google's Business Basic strategy ($ 6), supplies simply 30 GB of storage overall, integrating email storage and drive storage together.
That disparity is likely an attempt by Google to upsell users to their premium plans, with their Standard plan ($ 12) jumping to 2 TB of drive storage, and the Plus plan ($ 18) going to 5 TB.
A grid revealing the costs and storage abilities of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
Scoring round 1 here, let's call it a draw. At the least expensive level, the 2 platforms are similar, and Gmail's web app might be worth the additional dollar each month.
As you go up strategies, the Outlook desktop app might swing your choice, as we will discuss later. Keep in mind, Microsoft's prices is based on an annual commitment, while Google does not offer yearly discounts as of this post.
This post is merely covering the 2 suites through the scope of their email applications, and these rates cover numerous other functions. If price is your primary aspect, consider each suite in overall prior to deciding.
Ease of Use
The most significant distinction between the 2 suites overall 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 e-mail 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 being able to check out and draft e-mails while offline.
If you are on an aircraft, replying to e-mails and working on documents you plan to send out later may be the best use of your time.
With Outlook, you don't require 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 first leap through some hoops.
At the time of this writing, you will require to use Google's Chrome browser, have Gmail bookmarked, and sync your email through 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 device can be a battle.
The complete 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, however considerable, advantage over Gmail due to ease of usage.
Searchability
As you would expect, the business known for its search engine allows you to find e-mails you need more dependably.
Gmail's advantage starts with its categorization using labels. Multiple labels can be applied to each e-mail or thread, and subcategories can be produced within labels to produce more of a filing system.
If several labels have actually been applied to a single email or term, managed it support services those messages will appear under each label. Labels enable you to auto-filter incoming emails based on hand-chosen criteria.
In Outlook, arranging is restricted to folders, forcing users to categorize each email/thread into a particular location.
As for the real search function, both allow users to browse utilizing keywords, in addition to folders/labels, senders, and date got.
Gmail not just has much deeper advanced-search functions, by all accounts, however it is likewise flat-out more accurate.
This is the first strong win for Gmail, as Outlook's searchability and categorization are not as robust.
Security
Microsoft is the leader in this category, and it is not particularly close. Their exceptional standing is not simply huge, but it is apparent on two various fronts.
Google has actually come under fire recently regarding its handling of individual data, with reports that the business scans user e-mails. More significantly, Google reportedly tracks your location, your activity, and even your voice for the purpose of targeted ads.
Microsoft is much more transparent about their privacy policy and the information they collect.
If your business sends sensitive or individual data frequently, 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 information, it would take a lot of other advantages to surpass such obvious privacy issues.
For managers, Outlook offers much more internal security in the kind of permissions. While Outlook's folder company does not present the exact same searchability as Gmail's labels, it does give users the ability to allow and prohibit specific actions within folders.
Outlook gives users 10 varying functions to pick from, along with a custom role where the supervisor can hand-select particular actions one by one.
These actions include everything from reading, modifying, erasing, and sending out messages to seeing your calendar's particular meetings or leisure time.
Functionally, this enables managers to delegate tasks to their subordinates without providing major access to more crucial details. It also stops unhappy staff members from possibly stealing or erasing details considered sensitive.
You can delegate account access to others in Gmail, which is basically like turning over the secrets to your automobile. You can't designate levels of access, hide private messages, and even see messages sent out by your delegate on your behalf.
One of, if not the most crucial category is a runaway win for Outlook. With detailed alternatives and a privacy policy that is a lot more transparent, Microsoft 365's email platform stands alone.
Calendar
Technically, Google Calendar is not a part of Gmail, though all it takes to sync the 2 is a Workspace account and a few clicks through Gmail's menu.
For the sake of taking a more comprehensive look at Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, we'll compare Outlook's calendar to Google Calendar here.
Initially, Gmail users regreted the platform's combination with other companies or clients who utilized Outlook.
Some problems consisted of that updates to standing conferences made from Outlook accounts would not update in Google Calendar, and the failure to push upgraded information to participants.
Furthermore, 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, which function needs to be disabled by an administrator.
Otherwise, both platforms have included integrations with the other, and by all accounts, they work flawlessly. For all intents and purposes, this function is a draw.
Decision
Like the majority of things, this decision mainly comes down to individual preference. Many of the distinctions in between Outlook and Gmail have benefits based on how your business runs, in addition to your budget.
Ultimately, the transparency and security of Outlook make it the more powerful offering. If you find yourself arranging through countless emails a day, however, Gmail may be the right alternative for you.