Choosing between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace is one of the most consequential IT decisions a small business will make. The platform you pick determines your email, your file storage, your collaboration tools, and your day-to-day productivity for years.
Most Langley businesses don’t need both. They need to pick one and commit. Here’s how to decide.
The short answer
For most BC small businesses, Microsoft 365 is the better choice. But Google Workspace is the better choice for some. The key differences come down to a few specific factors.
Where Microsoft 365 wins
Desktop apps
If your team uses Word, Excel, or PowerPoint daily — especially for anything beyond simple documents — Microsoft 365 wins decisively. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides are functional but feature-incomplete compared to their desktop equivalents. Excel power users in particular will find Google Sheets limiting.
Compatibility with the rest of the world
The business world runs on .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx. If you regularly send and receive documents to clients, vendors, accountants, or lawyers, you’ll have a smoother experience on Microsoft 365 because everyone else is on Microsoft 365.
Industry-specific software integrations
Most accounting, legal, and healthcare software in Canada integrates better with Microsoft 365 than with Google Workspace. QuickBooks, Sage, Clio, OSCAR EMR, and others all play more nicely with Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint.
Security and compliance tooling
Microsoft’s security ecosystem (Defender for Business, Intune, Purview) is more mature for small business compliance needs than Google’s equivalents. For BC businesses dealing with PIPEDA, PHIA, or industry-specific compliance, this matters.
Where Google Workspace wins
Real-time collaboration
Google Docs was built for collaborative editing. Microsoft has caught up significantly with co-authoring in Word and Excel, but Google’s collaboration UX is still smoother and faster, especially for teams that constantly work on documents together.
Simplicity
Google Workspace is easier to administer and easier for non-technical users to learn. If your team has limited IT support and just wants email and basic productivity to work, Google Workspace is the more forgiving choice.
Mobile-first teams
Google’s mobile apps are still ahead of Microsoft’s for most use cases. If your team works primarily from phones and tablets, the experience on Google Workspace is more polished.
Pricing comparison
Pricing is roughly comparable between the two. The cheapest business tier of each is around $8–$10/user/month in CAD, scaling up to $25–$30/user/month for advanced security and compliance features.
Where Microsoft has an advantage is the bundling of Windows licensing, Microsoft Defender, Intune device management, and other tools in their higher-tier plans. For an all-in-one productivity + security stack, Microsoft 365 Business Premium is hard to beat at the price point.
What about migrations?
If you’re currently on Google Workspace and considering a move to Microsoft 365 (or vice versa), the migration is straightforward but requires planning. Email, calendars, contacts, and documents can all be migrated with minimal disruption when done properly. Plan on 1–3 weeks for a full migration depending on data volume.
Our recommendation for most Langley businesses
Microsoft 365 Business Premium ($32.30 CAD/user/month at time of writing) is the strongest value for small businesses with 5–100 employees. You get email, the desktop apps, Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, advanced security, device management, and compliance tools in one bundle.
If you’d like help choosing or migrating, we offer a free assessment as part of our cloud services. We’ll evaluate your current setup, recommend the right tier, and handle the migration end-to-end if you decide to proceed.
