Google Drive vs. Google Workspace

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Google Drive
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Google Drive is a cloud file storage, synchronization, and collaboration platform and service, that features Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for document editing and presentation.
$6
per month
Google Workspace
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Google Workspace enables teams of all sizes to connect, create and collaborate. It includes productivity and collaboration tools for work: Gmail for custom business email, Drive for cloud storage, Docs for word processing, Meet for video and voice conferencing, Chat for team messaging, Slides for presentation building, and shared Calendars.
$6
per user/per month
Pricing
Google DriveGoogle Workspace
Editions & Modules
Basic
$6.00
per month
Business
$12.00
per month
Enterprise
Contact Vendor for Quote
per month
Business Starter
$6
per user/per month
Business Standard
$12
per user/per month
Business Plus
$18
per user/per month
Enterprise
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Google DriveGoogle Workspace
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsDiscounts are available for students, educators, and non profit organizations.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Google DriveGoogle Workspace
Considered Both Products
Google Drive
Chose Google Drive
I used Dropbox before, but I selected Google Drive because it is more easy for daily work and team collaboration. It allows multiple users to edit documents at the same time and works well with Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides. File sharing is simple, and it helps our team work …
Chose Google Drive
I used to use Teams and it's not so good.
Chose Google Drive
Dropbox is way too expensive for what it is and I have had sync issues with it before. Onedrive is pushed too hard by Microsoft and I don't like feeling like I'm "forced" to use a product and I've also had sync issues. SugarSync I used sometime back and I just didn't like the …
Chose Google Drive
Dropbox is better, and we also use that, but it costs money. Google Drive makes it easier to save files among JUST my sales team, so we adopted it as it was easier to share an Excel file and each edit it together by doing so. Google Drive was free to use as well.
Chose Google Drive
it really helps us stay organized
Chose Google Drive
I think the way in which Google Drive allows collaboration on documents in a live way is far better than the way in Microsoft products do it and I find it much easier to work in a Google Drive enviroment companred to Microsoft 365 so I would always choose it over this option
Chose Google Drive
Box is something we tested but google ease of use won us over
Chose Google Drive
I feel like Google is a lot more affordable and though it would be nice to buy these products to use, drive provides what I need to meet my KPIs.
Chose Google Drive
Google Drive is more accessible and doesn't require additional implementation, downloading, and synchronization. You need a Google account. It makes it the first-choice instrument when working with non-technically savvy team members or clients. There are no complicated …
Chose Google Drive
I had significantly used these drives as well in my professional career as compared to Google Drive: Dropbox offers excellent file synchronization but as compared to Google Drive it seriously lacks dives unmatched ability in document editing. As well as its integration with …
Chose Google Drive
Compared to Microsoft Sharepoint, the interface and learning curve for Google Drive are better mainly because the solution is much simpler and focuses on doing the basics well.
Chose Google Drive
Since my official accounts are on Gmail and it has a paid service, So accessing Google Drive is easier. The cost is also less compared to other services.
Chose Google Drive
In terms of price, accessibility and ease of use, Google Drive is way better compared to other platforms like WeShare and others.
Chose Google Drive
Google Drive is more feature rich, it has stronger search capabilities and it's simple and intuitive to use.
Chose Google Drive
The most indeed reason is the security provided by Google. Every other company can provide lots of cloud space but my sensitive data is the key so, secure system is my first priority.

As I am tech person i feel its very easy to use and lot of features that make it better than …
Chose Google Drive
One drive is a little bit better because you can save it as a Word document. I currently use the paid version which allows access to all the Microsoft Office features. I have used the unpaid version and this was an issue due to HIPPA compliance. Working with medical records …
Chose Google Drive
Feature-wise, Google Drive is at the bottom of its peers. However, due to its Google Mail user base, Google Drive has wide acceptance and penetration. Its ease-of-use feature is probably somewhere in the middle, lower than Dropbox but higher than OneDrive. It is free but so are …
Chose Google Drive
Apple Drive dosn't offer that much storage and doesn't provide vast features with collaborative tools like docs , spreadsheet and forms etc. Google drive also allows you to search for files and folders that contain certain words in their title or content in any perticular file. …
Chose Google Drive
Google Drive is much easier to use and does not require hassle to upload files. Most people have a Google account as a gmail for example and this adds value rather than using a platform such as Tresorit. The reminders Google Drive provides when you reach a certain limit of …
Chose Google Drive
Price, costs/benefits ratio is excellent, comparing with others products. This facilitating access and use by a large number of people, with a fair price and with all the support of google behind. When compared to other products, the price, ease of implementation, and multiple …
Chose Google Drive
We are also a Microsoft school in addition to GSuite. The Microsoft products don't seem to flow as well in my opinion. I also have had serious synchronization issues with OneDrive. I found OneDrive a little more difficult to navigate when looking for files within folders. …
Chose Google Drive
In short, Google Drive is better for independent users who store a normal amount of stuff. OneDrive makes more sense for businesses and teams that are doing heavy-duty storage or large-scale syncing. Realistically, though, most users will fall somewhere in between the two, …
Chose Google Drive
The free plan takes Google Drive at the top of the stack, paying nothing you can store data up to 15GB. This could be really important for a startup that has to consider how to manage the initial budget. I selected Google Drive because I had already a Google account, before …
Google Workspace
Chose Google Workspace
Google got a good jumpstart on building out a more comprehensive and consolidated platform. Microsoft has been around such a long time that they still have some archaic tech debt in their platform. Dropbox feels like it decided to pursue the more comprehensive suite a little …
Chose Google Workspace
Google Workspace is in a good competition with Microsoft 365 and is ahead in many areas. Although MS365 is moving in the 'cloud' direction, Google has always been 'cloud' based and is still ahead in that area. For newer, smaller companies, Workspace is a great choice. For …
Chose Google Workspace
Something I highlight is the management of email and G-Drive. Since they are services directly connected to the network and mostly require a browser, emails or files are not lost, since they will always be in a trash can. It has happened to me with Microsoft that files get …
Chose Google Workspace
We selected Google Workspace for it's ease of use and clean UI. Microsoft Office granted does have a lot of features and may be more advanced in certain areas (Excel vs sheets), however for the range of functions we need, google workspace provided the necessary features for an …
Chose Google Workspace
I've used Microsoft Teams (and sometimes still do for client projects with Teams being the client's workspace), but I find it to be a difficult and cumbersome work environment to manage and navigate.
Chose Google Workspace
Google Workspace offers many more collaboration tools then the Microsoft products. Although the Microsoft products are familiar to so many people, picking up The Google suite of tools is easy. Google also allows us to truly be in the cloud and work from any device from …
Chose Google Workspace
never looked at anyone else - we knew Google Workspace was right for us!
Chose Google Workspace
We used before on my previous role Microsoft teams where you can only casually exchange messages, but Google Workspace allows me to access all the applications that I need in just once access without closing the window that I'm currently working on and it can be used to email …
Chose Google Workspace
I find Workspace easier to use and manage, better security, and the gmail interface and features is way better. Plus 3rd party integrations. Support sucks though from my experience. Most other email solutions do not enforce authentication and domain alignment or have MFA, which …
Chose Google Workspace
It is like a one stop shop for all the software needed at work. Easy to create an account and easy to access.
Chose Google Workspace
Google Workspace huge advantage is the interface that everyone is familiar with (from using personal Google services). Also, the administration panel is straightforward and easy to use - does not require expert tech knowledge to move around. As a result, it is a perfect tool …
Chose Google Workspace
Simpler onboarding and most used tool by SMEs
Chose Google Workspace
Google Workspace is your all in one go-to tool. No other product offers the versatility and a large selection of tools like Google workspace does. Gmail is incredibly faster than any other email client available out there, and some tools like Google Spreadsheets have replaced …
Chose Google Workspace
Though Microsoft offers some great ideas to help you better your work, I believe Google tops Microsoft in the area of office applications. Google mail, Google Sheets, Google forms, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Google Video Meetings are easy to use to …
Chose Google Workspace
Google Drive blows Dropbox out of the water by making its shared assets accessible without requiring app installs and paid subscriptions for outside users. The speed at which it handles all of your stored assets makes it advantageous for demanding projects in the music and film …
Chose Google Workspace
Google Workspace's web-based word processing apps are much more robust than Microsoft's equivalent. For example, multiple users working on a single google docs document will very rarely run into issues with synching or continuity, whereas Microsoft's online Word is not as …
Chose Google Workspace
Slack has more IT functional integrations that Google Chat/Spaces at this time. It is being used in more of a "shadow IT" configuration currently with a limited set of paid licenses. Facebook for business was missing key integrations and with Google Spaces/Currents, it was …
Chose Google Workspace
Google Workspace is a formidable opponent to Microsoft 365. It provides all of the solutions that 365 does, but does it with more finesse. I find it easier to navigate Google Workspace than I do 365, especially when comparing Google Drive to Microsoft OneDrive. Google Drive is …
Chose Google Workspace
I've used Office 365 in the past, along with some of Zoho's tools, and none of them have delivered the experience that I get from Google Workspace. Office 365 was slow and cumbersome when I evaluated it, and the interoperability of Google apps far surpasses that which I can get …
Chose Google Workspace
There are lots of things that Microsoft 365 does better than Workspace. The problem is that I am stuck in the Google world. It would take way too much time and energy to change platforms. There are lots of other options to choose from but none of them are perfect. Workspace is …
Chose Google Workspace
The tools are similar, however, in Excel and Sheets specifically, Microsoft is much more useful in transforming and manipulating a lot of data.
Chose Google Workspace
From an ease of use standpoint, Google Workspace is far simpler and easier to use. It offers what we need where Office offers too much of each app/service adding complexity over convenience. Our prior use of Office and even some occasional use of 365 just as a backup is often …
Chose Google Workspace
I believe Google tops Microsoft in all areas EXCEPT the office applications. I prefer Gmail, Drive, and Google Video Meetings to Outlook, OneDrive, and Teams meetings, but that could just be me. In my experience, it has been easier to use these applications without much trouble …
Chose Google Workspace
We previously used Zoho Suite free tier. Deliverability was good and their spam protection was almost as good as Google's. The one drawback to Zoho was the inability to host more than one domain. Zoho's paid tier is cheaper than Google's, but [I feel] you don't get the same …
Chose Google Workspace
There are lots of competitors to various tools in Workspace, like Meet versus Zoom. However, Microsoft is the other big competitor I can think of for Google Workspace as a whole. To me, at least, the strength of Workspace is how easy it is to share and collaborate with others. …
Features
Google DriveGoogle Workspace
File Sharing & Management
Comparison of File Sharing & Management features of Product A and Product B
Google Drive
8.2
Ratings
2% below category average
Google Workspace
-
Ratings
Versioning8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Video files7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Audio files8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Document collaboration8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Access control7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
File search7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Device sync8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Cloud Storage Security & Administration
Comparison of Cloud Storage Security & Administration features of Product A and Product B
Google Drive
8.4
Ratings
3% below category average
Google Workspace
-
Ratings
User and role management8.80 Ratings00 Ratings
File organization7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Device management8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Cloud Storage Platform
Comparison of Cloud Storage Platform features of Product A and Product B
Google Drive
8.8
Ratings
2% above category average
Google Workspace
-
Ratings
Performance9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Reliability8.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Storage Reports8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Google DriveGoogle Workspace
Small Businesses
SugarSync
SugarSync
Score 3.8 out of 10
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.4 out of 10
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Druva Security Cloud
Druva Security Cloud
Score 9.4 out of 10
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Google DriveGoogle Workspace
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.1
(0 ratings)
2.2
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Configurability
6.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Google DriveGoogle Workspace
Likelihood to Recommend
Suppose you require quick access to files across multiple systems. Real-time collaboration on Google Docs, Slides, and Sheets. You don’t have to send ten different versions of the same file back and forth. One person can write a document in Los Angeles, and someone in Tokyo can be on at the same time and see their edits as they make them.
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I find that google workspace covers all the bases that I would need my day to day work solution to offer. Workspace is perfect if you're someone working in sales who regularly sets up and hosts meetings. The meet solution is reliable, the transcription through Gemini is almost always perfect, and the recording function is easy to use. Calendar backs this up well by being simple and easy to use. Although having the ability to share your calendar link for people to book in meetings would elevate this further. You can also never go wrong with Gmail, it is reliable, has strong spam filters and rarely ever goes down. On the flip side, despite Docs, Slides and Sheets covering the basic functionalities that you would need to create a good base level of documents, it does lack some advanced functionalities that other providers offer. Especially in Sheets, I use sheets regularly for importing and exporting data for cold outreach, it works perfectly fine for this, but if you were looking to start creating dashboards etc using sheets as the base for this, it can start to get a bit tricky and limited.
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Pros
  • Any user with access can store a file using different platforms like Android, IOS, Windows, or Ubuntu (Desktop version)
  • You can share files with any number of different users with different access rights or you can even keep it public by providing the access link and assign different rights for public access
  • You can open Excel/Word files using google software Sheets/Docs in the browser environment without having to install software like Microsoft Office etc on your Windows OS
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  • Google Calendar...amazing. I don't need to ask team members when they're busy anymore and play this game of bouncing times back and forth. All I need to do is enter their email address and it shows my calendar and theirs side by side and then select the day and time I find that works best for the both of us.
  • I actually prefer Google Meet over Zoom. Zoom bogs down my computer and I find their UI overcomplicated for what it actually does. Google Meet is simple and does practically everything Zoom does without needing to pay any extra money.
  • Sheets integrates with our CRM (Copper) so it's perfect for us. Being able to export information out of our CRM into sheets and then create pivot tables from that data makes our lives a million times better.
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Cons
  • Advanced File Search, personally I find it uncomfortable to search for files with specific extensions within my drive in Google Drive, the interface is not very clear and the search options are limited, making this work tedious.
  • In applications like Google Sheets, the number of cells is extremely small, which limits the amount of information that can be saved, this makes the tool focus on small files.
  • Inherited permissions, it happens to me that in certain shared files when analyzing the permissions granted to the participants some of them are left with owner permissions without having given such property, that point is confusing so I would like the interface to be clearer.
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  • I have several Workspace accounts, and it can be kind of annoying to switch between them. For example, if I click in my work email but my Chrome defaults to my personal Workspace, I have to open the file differently or log in and out of the other account.
  • Meet is my least favorite feature. I find it very subpar to Zoom in both ease and picture resolution. It's harder to tell when you're sharing your screen and you can't see comments if you're presenting.
  • Google My Business can be difficult to navigate. I frequently forget where features are and have to hunt around for them.
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Likelihood to Renew
It's perfect for me. It keeps things saved and is easy to remove items if needed. Also, I very much enjoy the formatting options. Along with the integrations it has for SSO. Overall, this is the most user friendly system I have ever come across.
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There is no better solution for cloud storage and real time collaboration. The amount of features included in G Suite is unmatched and out of other things we’ve tried over the years, nothing comes close to being as great of a tool.
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Usability
It's easy enough to use for computer users of all ages and skill levels. I am an advanced user, and I think the hardest part might be showing someone how to download and set up the app on their device if they weren't too familiar with computers, but overall it is very easy to understand.
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On the user end, it's great, probably some of the most user friendly products out there. On the admin side, it can get a little more arcane, but it's still better than a lot of other services. At worst I wrangle some CSVs to perform mass changes, but it's a far cry from the days of Powershell scripts or purely manual entry.
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Reliability and Availability
Always available
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No answers on this topic
Performance
The documents load fairly quickly and also update in real time, especially given the fact that multiple people can be using it at once. The "Offline" feature works great to allow the user to make edits and access the document without access to the internet, and then sync changes later once they're back.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
It takes a few days for customer support to get back to you. Although, I have not had to use support too often. Once you get an email back, they are very thorough and work hard to fix the problem quickly. It is a really great resource and a great way to get the help you need if you're stuck. A phone call also works quickly but you have to call during specific times.
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I have not had to use much support for G Suite, but I imagine it would be a great service, as is everything else that Google provides. I've searched for questions through the help center, and that was easy to use and easy to find. I'm sure I would have no complaints.
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In-Person Training
The effective google workspace using training that my organization received and was conducted by me (as a team lead of the ICT team) was mind-blowing and as a result, our staff is performing well in terms of using the application for their daily jobs than before. Now, in my institution, all teachers and all the administrative personnel are very much interested in cloud storage facilities, in previous my institution was afraid of losing all important documents in the cloud storage. But, after having received the training they are now realized that if anyone has only one google account then he or she can use 15GB of cloud storage freely and they are now happy because now it is not necessary for anyone to carry the traditional pen drive.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
It's an extremely easy software to implement, once you sign up for a google account you automatically have access to google drive with a set amount of storage space. The business or Google Suite accounts have more storage space than a regular free account, but setting up and accessing google drive is very easy in both cases
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nothing to say
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Alternatives Considered
Apple Drive dosn't offer that much storage and doesn't provide vast features with collaborative tools like docs , spreadsheet and forms etc. Google drive also allows you to search for files and folders that contain certain words in their title or content in any perticular file. therefore search is very deep and reliable and hepls to access your data easily
Read full review
Google got a good jumpstart on building out a more comprehensive and consolidated platform. Microsoft has been around such a long time that they still have some archaic tech debt in their platform. Dropbox feels like it decided to pursue the more comprehensive suite a little late, and only seems to appeal to smaller businesses instead of being able to scale as big. Google Workspace covers all of the bases well enough with good add-on or enhanced functionality that satisfies the needs of different businesses across the spectrum.
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Scalability
I have always been able to access
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • It has given our operation remote capabilities
  • Easier to access and understand client's need through collaborative enviroment
  • availability to digital resources fast and easy
  • saved our operation hundreds of dollars in physical storage (both investment and maintenance)
  • our operation became easier for new staff to get onboard: small learning curve to use it
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  • Google Workspace costs us a little more, but our inboxes are safer for it.
  • Our email deliverability has improved significantly. No more lost or bounced emails with our invoices attached. Workspace helps us get paid!
  • Our support requests for undelivered email has disappeared.
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ScreenShots

Google Drive Screenshots

Screenshot of Google Drive PriorityScreenshot of Comment on Microsoft Files in Google DriveScreenshot of Shared drives