Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace: the short answer
Choose Microsoft 365 if your staff rely on desktop Word, Excel and Outlook, exchange Office files with banks, regulators and partners, or need device management and data loss prevention in a small business plan. Choose Google Workspace if your team already works in Gmail and Google Docs in the browser and doesn’t need desktop Office apps. Both are capable, secure suites.
We are a Microsoft partner, so we have a view. But the right choice depends on how your people work today, and switching suites costs time and attention. This page sets out the differences fairly, says where Google Workspace is the better fit, and keeps the two price lists apart: Microsoft 365 prices through Priori come from our site settings, and Google’s prices are quoted from Google’s own pricing page with the date we checked it.
These are the Microsoft 365 plans for small and medium businesses most Kenyan organisations compare with Google Workspace. Prices are per user per month on an annual commitment, excluding VAT; billing is explained on our Microsoft 365 pricing page.
| Plan | Priori price (KES) | Priori price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | KES 865 | USD 6.65 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Standard | KES 1,729 | USD 13.30 |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | KES 2,717 | USD 20.90 |
Per user per month, annual commitment. Excludes VAT (16%). Converted at KES 130 to the US dollar. Prices checked 3 October 2026.
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Google Workspace plans and pricing
Google Workspace has four business plans: Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus and Enterprise. When we checked from Kenya, Google showed its prices in euros (EUR), with a flexible price and a lower price for a one-year commitment (Google Workspace pricing page, checked 4 October 2026).
| Google Workspace plan | Flexible price, per user per month | One-year commitment, per user per month | Pooled storage per user | Meet participants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Starter | €8.10 | €6.80 | 30 GB | 100 |
| Business Standard | €16.20 | €13.60 | 2 TB | 150 |
| Business Plus | €25.30 | €21.10 | 5 TB | 500 |
| Enterprise | Contact Google sales | Contact Google sales | 5 TB, more on request | 1,000 |
Source: Google Workspace pricing page, checked 4 October 2026. Prices as displayed by Google, in EUR; Google states “All plans billed monthly”. Google also showed an introductory 10% discount on Business Starter and Business Standard for new customers, for the first 20 users and 12 months.
Google sells Business Starter, Business Standard and Business Plus for a maximum of 300 users, with no user limit on Enterprise, the same 300-user line Microsoft draws for its Business plans (Google Workspace pricing page, checked 4 October 2026). Google’s prices change and depend on where you view them from, so check Google’s page for a current quote.
Feature comparison
The biggest differences are desktop apps, where security sits in the plan range, and storage. Microsoft facts come from Microsoft’s plan pages; Google facts come from the Google pages cited under the table.
| Feature | Microsoft 365 Business plans | Google Workspace business plans |
|---|---|---|
| User limit on small business plans | 300 (Basic, Standard, Premium) | 300 (Starter, Standard, Plus) |
| Email on your own domain | Exchange, 100 GB mailbox per user | Gmail custom business email |
| Office apps | Desktop Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook from Business Standard; web and mobile on Basic | Docs, Sheets, Slides and Vids, with interoperability with Office files |
| Storage per user | 1 TB OneDrive | 30 GB (Starter), 2 TB (Standard), 5 TB (Plus), pooled |
| Archive | 50 GB (Basic, Standard); 1.5 TB (Premium) | Vault to retain, archive and search data from Business Plus |
| Meetings | Teams chat, calls and meetings; webinars from Business Standard | Meet: 100, 150 or 500 participants by plan |
| AI included | Copilot Chat in every plan; Microsoft 365 Copilot as an add-on | Gemini in Gmail on Starter; Gemini in Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet from Standard |
| Device management | Intune Plan 1 in Business Premium | Fundamental (Starter, Standard), Advanced (Plus), Enterprise (Enterprise) |
| Device and phishing protection | Defender for Business and Defender for Office 365 Plan 1 in Business Premium | Phishing and spam protection in Gmail on every plan |
| Data loss prevention | Business Premium | Enterprise plan |
| Conditional or context-aware access | Business Premium (Entra ID) | Context-aware access on Enterprise |
| Nonprofit offer | Business Basic grant free for up to 300 users; discounted Standard and Premium | Google Workspace for Nonprofits at no charge; discounts on Business Standard, Plus and Enterprise |
| Education offer | Office 365 A1 donated at no cost to eligible institutions | Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals at no cost |
Google sources: Google Workspace pricing page, checked 4 October 2026 (user limit, email, apps, storage, Vault, Meet, Gemini, endpoint management, phishing protection, data loss prevention, context-aware access); Google for Nonprofits page, checked 4 October 2026; Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals page, checked 4 October 2026.
Which suite fits your organisation?
Each suite is the better fit for a different kind of team, and the honest answer is sometimes “stay where you are”.
Choose Microsoft 365 if…
- Your finance, legal or operations staff live in desktop Excel, Word and Outlook.
- You exchange Word and Excel files with banks, auditors, government agencies and donors every day.
- You want device management, device protection and data loss prevention in one plan for under 300 users: Business Premium.
- You may grow past 300 users and want a clear path to enterprise plans on the same platform.
Choose Google Workspace if…
- Your team is browser-first, already on Gmail and Google Docs, and happy there.
- Few staff need desktop Office apps, and the Office files you receive open well enough in Docs and Sheets.
- You want more pooled storage per user on a mid-range plan: Google lists 2 TB on Business Standard.
- Your school already teaches through Google Classroom, which Google includes in Education Fundamentals.
Google facts: Google Workspace pricing page and Education Fundamentals page, checked 4 October 2026.
What are the disadvantages of Google Workspace?
Google Workspace’s main limits are that it has no desktop Office apps and that its strongest data controls sit in its top plan: Google lists data loss prevention and context-aware access only in Enterprise, which is priced through its sales team. Business Starter also has 30 GB of pooled storage per person and Gemini in Gmail only, and from Kenya Google showed prices in euros, so your bill moves with the exchange rate (Google Workspace pricing page, checked 4 October 2026). None of this makes it a poor choice for a browser-first team.
Why do many businesses choose Microsoft 365 over Google?
Organisations that choose Microsoft 365 usually do so for the desktop Office apps, because their finance teams and the banks, auditors and donors they deal with work in Word and Excel files. The second reason is security in a small business plan: Business Premium puts Intune, Defender for Business and data loss prevention, controls that help you meet the Data Protection Act 2019, in one licence for up to 300 users, with enterprise plans on the same platform later. Not every business needs those things, which is why the choice is genuinely open.
Where Microsoft 365 falls short
Microsoft 365 has its own gaps, and we would rather you hear them from us. Business Basic has no desktop apps either. Business Basic and Business Standard have no device management or data loss prevention; those start at Business Premium. And Microsoft gives 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user on every business plan, where Google lists 2 TB on Business Standard and 5 TB on Business Plus.
Trying both before you decide
Both vendors let you test before you commit. Google lists a 14-day free trial on its pricing page (checked 4 October 2026). Microsoft offers a one-month free trial of Business Basic, Standard and Premium when you sign up online, with 25 licences and limited storage (Microsoft Learn, checked 4 October 2026). A trial shows how the apps feel; it won’t show how your own email and files behave after a migration, so we can help you plan a pilot group as well.
For small businesses, nonprofits and schools
For most small businesses the decision is between Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium and Google Workspace Business Standard or Plus, and it turns on desktop apps and security.
- Small business. Microsoft 365 Business Premium puts Intune, Defender for Business and data loss prevention in a plan for up to 300 users. On Google’s pricing page, data loss prevention and context-aware access are listed in the Enterprise plan (Google Workspace pricing page, checked 4 October 2026). If your staff mainly email and share documents, Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Google Business Starter may both be enough.
- Nonprofits. Microsoft gives eligible nonprofits Business Basic free for up to 300 users, and Business Premium at nonprofit pricing of KES 680 per user per month. Google offers Google Workspace for Nonprofits at no charge, plus discounts on Business Standard, Business Plus and Enterprise, for organisations verified through its partner Goodstack (Google for Nonprofits page, checked 4 October 2026). See Microsoft 365 for nonprofits.
- Education. Microsoft donates Office 365 A1, with Teams for Education and web apps, at no cost to eligible institutions. Google offers Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals at no cost, with Classroom and 100 TB of pooled storage (Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals page, checked 4 October 2026). See Microsoft 365 Education.
On AI, both suites include an assistant. Every Microsoft 365 business plan includes Copilot Chat, and Microsoft 365 Copilot is an add-on; we confirm availability for your tenant and plan before you commit. Google lists Gemini in Gmail on Business Starter and across Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet from Business Standard (Google Workspace pricing page, checked 4 October 2026).
Switching from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365
Moving from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 is a planned project, and we run it with you from start to finish so staff keep working throughout.
- Licence review. We match each group of staff to the right plan, so you only pay for what people will use.
- Migration. We move mailboxes and files from Google Workspace into Exchange, OneDrive and SharePoint using BitTitan MigrationWiz. How Microsoft 365 migration works.
- Security baseline. We switch on multifactor sign-in and the protection your plan includes before staff start using it. Microsoft 365 security.
- Training. Short sessions to help people used to Gmail and Google Drive find their way around Outlook, Teams and OneDrive. Training and advisory.
We supply the licences too, at 5% below the standard price, invoiced in KES or USD. See how to buy Microsoft 365 in Kenya through Priori.
Questions
Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace questions
Cost, switching and which suite suits your team.
Still have a question?
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Which is more expensive, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 (Office 365)?
Neither is clearly more expensive: tier for tier, the two suites are priced within a few dollars or euros per user per month of each other, so what each plan includes should decide.
Google lists Business Starter at €6.80, Business Standard at €13.60 and Business Plus at €21.10 per user per month on a one-year commitment (checked 4 October 2026). Microsoft 365 prices through Priori, excluding VAT, are in the plan table on this page. Microsoft 365 pricing.
Can we move our Gmail and Google Drive to Microsoft 365?
Yes, we move mailboxes and files from Google Workspace into Microsoft 365 using BitTitan MigrationWiz.
We plan the move with you, switch on security and train staff on Outlook, Teams and OneDrive. Microsoft 365 migration.
Which is more secure, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?
Both are secure platforms; the practical difference is which plan includes which controls.
Microsoft 365 Business Premium includes device management, device protection and data loss prevention for up to 300 users. Either suite still needs setting up properly. Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Is Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace better for a small business in Kenya?
Microsoft 365 usually suits small businesses that use desktop Excel, Word and Outlook; Google Workspace suits teams that already work in Gmail in the browser.
Both cap their small business plans at 300 users. Microsoft 365 for small and medium businesses.
Does Google Workspace work with Microsoft 365?
Partly: Google lists interoperability with Microsoft Office files on every Google Workspace plan, so staff can open and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint files in Google’s apps.
The two remain separate systems with separate accounts, mailboxes and storage, so one is usually your main system. If you are moving across, read our step-by-step Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 migration guide.
Is Microsoft 365 free for nonprofits in Kenya?
Yes, eligible nonprofits can get Microsoft 365 Business Basic free for up to 300 users through Microsoft’s nonprofit grant.
Business Standard and Business Premium are available at nonprofit pricing. The nonprofit must register with Microsoft itself. Microsoft 365 for nonprofits.
Should a school choose Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for Education?
Both offer a no-cost entry plan for eligible schools, so choose the one your teachers and students already use.
Microsoft’s is Office 365 A1, with Teams for Education and web apps; A3 adds desktop apps and device management. Microsoft 365 Education.
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