TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Google Workspace

    Score9.1 out of 10
    N/AGoogle 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 month per user

    Microsoft Exchange

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/AMicrosoft Exchange is a secure email / messaging gateway with file archiving and encryption / data loss capability, available as a hosted service (Exchange Online) or installed (Exchange Server).N/A
    Pricing
    Google WorkspaceMicrosoft Exchange
    Editions & Modules
    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
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Google WorkspaceMicrosoft Exchange
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Google WorkspaceMicrosoft Exchange
    Considered Both Products
    Google
    Chose Google Workspace
    Nothing beats the Gmail email service. It is more reliable, has far less down time, and everyone knows how to use it. We had a variety of issues with Microsoft Exchange, and we are extremely happy that we jumped ship years ago. It was worth the effort it took. Thankfully, the …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Workspace
    Microsoft Exchange is a pain to manage onsite, especially if its a global company where you want responsive access globally. If you have the staff, resources and multiple data centers, then perhaps Exchange is still the way to go. Also if you need the data to stay on prem.

    Offi…
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Workspace
    interface was more stable and no end client required. Also, completely cloud-based, so no local servers needed. Google is a stable platform and has to notch security. SO spam management is automated. no granular filtering required.
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Workspace
    When comparing G Suite to Exchange, G Suite takes the cake in almost every respect. It's easier to use, designed for the cloud (unlike Exchange Online), and you get all of the excellent other Google Services. It's a pretty insane value. Do your homework, make sure you've …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Workspace
    When we were planning to migrate off of our old Exchange server, G Suite (Google Apps, at the time) was the only online option that had the features we needed for a reasonable cost. I had used Gmail for years before, and set up a local non-profit club with Google Apps, and …
    Incentivized
    Chose Google Workspace
    I am very confident that G Suite stacks up well except that folks are simply too used to Word, Excel, and more particularly, Outlook and Exchange email. But for those things and the addiction of the older generation to them, we'd still be using G Suite.
    Incentivized
    Microsoft
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Google Workspace has much more limited functionality compared to Exchange. I believe it is a bit cheaper on the most basic subscription tier but that's about the only reason to consider using it. It may also be worth considering if you have other workloads using Google Cloud …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    1) The cost per user is almost the same (around $3 USD more than Google Workspace) but the Office tools that Microsoft includes are the best in the market. The end-users are really adapted to them and the other tools like Google Sheets and Google Documents are really bad. 2) …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Microsoft Exchange offered far more flexibility and customization than Google Workspace. From an administration perspective, it seemed easier to work with Exchange than with Gsuite/Google Workspace. Our employees were more familiar with Microsoft and their comfort level made …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Google Workspace has excellent spam filtering, but poor customizability without resorting to third-party software or hacks/workarounds. Microsoft 365 has its own problems. We are currently using both Microsoft Exchange and Exchange Online (Microsoft 365) to handle mailbox …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Given all businesses I have worked for used Windows OS and Microsoft applications, it makes sense to stick with Microsoft Exchange. It's a given that if you use Microsoft applications you should use Microsoft Exchange.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Microsoft Exchange is used by several companies worldwide due to its versatility and competitive rates which includes Office 365 (depending on the license purchased), it stacks up against other vendors e.g., Google. MS Exchange provides shared mailboxes which are not available …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    In comparison to Amazon SES, Microsoft Exchange was significantly more flexible and customizable. Amazon SES seems more complicated from an administrative standpoint. It became more difficult for us to consider migrating to a new platform since our workers were more comfortable …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Microsoft Exchange is the go-to software if you are going with the Microsoft stack as your main infrastructure provider. It made the most sense going with Microsoft to use Outlook with Exchange, as it would provide the most seamless experience when paired with Defender or most …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Most IT professionals understand Microsoft Exchange... getting a Linux expert or Google expert can be more challenging. Choosing Microsoft Exchange meant having access to a vast array of talent that understood the system if something went wrong, versus having to learn another …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Frankly we never tried anything else so I do not have anything to enter here. The largest competitor would probably be Google/Gmail/G Suite and a lot of start up and smaller companies do use it successfully. Since it is all off premises, Gmail does have some traction for …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    We are 100% a Microsoft shop from top to bottom, so for us, Exchange is the best in the business. It wouldn't make sense to integrate another vendor.
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    G Suite is a far more superior solution than Microsoft Exchange. The cost is less, the reliability is better, it's easier to use, and we haven't had an issue with it thus far. We initially selected Microsoft Exchange because Microsoft is supposed to be the leader when it comes …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    There are a few e-mail providers for business out there, but none are nearly as robust and versatile as MS Exchange. There aren't really any out there anymore that even seem to come close. Google has their G Suite, but the mail rules don't work as well, and the only other was …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    We chose Microsoft Exchange, because we wanted to keep control of our emails on-site. The Google Suite in the cloud was just not something that we wanted to trust with all our valuable company emails. With Exchange, we have the peace of mind in knowing that our email is safe …
    Incentivized
    Chose Microsoft Exchange
    Exchange is more private than Google Apps, however, it does seem costly for Windows licensing fees and a little outdated but it does remain a strong solid program and does perform excellently when used by our corporation. Google Apps doesn't allow rules for mail like exchange …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    97%
    Would buy again
    58 Answers
    94%
    Would buy again
    65 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    98%
    Delivers good value for the price
    54 Answers
    97%
    Delivers good value for the price
    63 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    57 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    68 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    43 Answers
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    46 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    46 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    52 Answers
    Features
    Google WorkspaceMicrosoft Exchange
    Secure Email Gateway
    Comparison of Secure Email Gateway features of Google Workspace and Microsoft Exchange
    Feature
    Google Workspace
    -
    Ratings
    Microsoft Exchange
    7.3
    84 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Anti-malware00 Ratings6.567 Ratings
    Customizability00 Ratings8.079 Ratings
    Data Loss Protection00 Ratings8.368 Ratings
    Threat Detection00 Ratings6.566 Ratings
    Sandboxing00 Ratings7.444 Ratings
    End-to-End Encryption00 Ratings6.767 Ratings
    Management Tools00 Ratings8.080 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Google WorkspaceMicrosoft Exchange
    Small Businesses
    Google Workspace Essentials
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Sophos Email
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Apache OpenOffice
    Score9.3 out of 10
    Sophos Email
    Score9.1 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Microsoft 365 Business Premium
    Score9 out of 10
    OpenText Core Email Threat Protection
    Score7.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Google WorkspaceMicrosoft Exchange
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.3
    (121 ratings)
    9.0
    (102 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    10.0
    (4 ratings)
    Usability
    8.5
    (12 ratings)
    8.5
    (6 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    2.2
    (12 ratings)
    9.9
    (12 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Google WorkspaceMicrosoft Exchange
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Google
    Google Workspace does offer several different plans that can match well with the stage of your business. As your business grows, the higher plans can provide the better tooling or expanded features/products to scale with your needs. It would probably become very complicated to swap over to, if you are deeply embedded with another competitor. But, it could be a nice platform to consolidate several disconnected systems under one roof.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Creating and receiving emails is simple. Managing contacts is a nice feature, especially connecting to Active Directory. Calendar management is also helpful and sharing access to others' calendars for scheduling meetings is useful. And reserving resources such as rooms or equipment is also useful. Personal and shared mailboxes are good features, as well. Tasks are a little lacking, but other than that, the features are thorough.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Google
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • As we have a large user base of 11,000 users we use MailTips to avoid people getting confused with people with similar names in the organization.
    • The integration between Teams Meeting and Resource booking is generally very good. The Scheduling Assistance makes it easy to scan calendars and find free periods to provisionally scheduled events.
    • Marking yourself as Out of the Office and busy is easy, as is sharing your calendar within the team/organization or individuals.
    • Voicemail integration and the ability to receive missed chats in your inbox are highly used and useful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Google
    • Pricing is a little bit higher than other services
    • The cost of each email inbox costs the same whether you want just email or all of the features. For example, we wanted a support email address that we could setup our support desk with. The cost of that added account is the same as the account I use with all of the features.
    • They removed their free tier for small organizations like mine and restricted the free tier from adding new domain names. This was likely due to abuse, but everyone lost the privilege of the free service.
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • The two main factors for the better reliability & Uptime of internally hosted Exchange Server depends on Exchange Server configuration and the level of investment the organization is willing to provide for hosting the Exchange Server On-Premise Environment. As the data is stored in the organization’s hardware, any disaster may lead to the loss of email and servers.
    • Losing data might affect business continuity and rebuilding it can be costly.
    • Security remains a major concern.
    • Security of data loss is main concern. To ensure that, organization needs to configure networks, systems and Exchange platform against possible threats.
    • Hardware and license costs are high.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Google
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Email and calendars in a business setting are requirements. And Microsoft continues to be the standard of business applications. Microsoft 365 makes Microsoft Exchange easy to use. Everything is in the cloud. Let Microsoft take care of the hardware, the software, and the security. You just enable your business users with the functionality they need.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Google
    Google Workspace is incredibly intuitive and user friendly. It's easy to adopt through simple features, for example the prompts to enable Gemini on each call for note taking is reliable, and helps to stop you forgetting to use the feature. The main reason for a strong rating is the consistency and reliability, whilst there's definitely areas for improvement, for example additional calendar features (sharing), or deeper functionality in sheets. The level that it provides means that anyone adopting it will be able to take full use of features within a day or two. Gmail, calendar and the documentation suite contain all the basic features for a small / medium business to run at a high level day to day, with minimal downtime or learning curves.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Exchange has come a long way over the years and has nowhere near the technical overhead required for support as it did back in 2003/2007 and prior. The integrations with Teams, Defender, Sharepoint, Copilot and many other products make it a solid and well-rounded tool used for many day-to-day tasks.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    Exchange is setup with multiple servers behind load balancers to provide high availability.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    I would say it's the best email product I've experienced.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Google
    My experiences of getting support have been positive. Calling in is not overly difficult, but it does require getting a PIN. The knowledge of those responding to the calls has been impressive. I have managed to work with them to fix two Google bugs that I had identified. These bugs required a some technical expertise and the support staff were able to understand the issue and forward the concerns to the appropriate persons. The first bug was fixed with 24 hours. The second bug took a little longer, but it was also more complicated to reproduce.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    We have a good enterprise agreement with Microsoft which affords us quick phone support. I have found the support staff knowledgeable and prompt with a solution when required. At times it may be difficult to schedule a call back, this is mainly due to our need for calls early in the morning which happens to be during a shift change at Microsoft support.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Google
    nothing to say
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Implementation/conversion can be quite complex and, unless you have certified Exchange administrators in-house, you should strongly consider a 3rd party consultant for this implementation.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Google
    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. For items that I only need for myself and can keep on my own computer, I typically rely on Microsoft Word, Excel, etc. For items that I need to share, I turn to Workspace a lot. Being able to collaborate in real-time and not having to send documents back and forth is so amazing, and such a time saver. And I love that Workspace is also a built-in tool with Dropbox now.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    Microsoft Exchange Product The best cloud-based enterprise-grade archiving platform with a host of features that enable files to be securely archived and retrieved with advanced search options. This tool is very easy to use and has a User-friendly interface. It is a highly reliable platform that allows all employees to automatically store their data without any limitations. It offers a cost-effective solution with customized policy management. We are happy that the customer support team is always fast and concerned, and the product's uninterrupted service experience. It is very good that it stores data in real-time without losing it, even in the event of a disaster. The cost-effective solution and integration with other tools are seamless.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Google
    No answers on this topic
    Microsoft
    The only time Exchange has failed us is when we did something to cause the failure.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Google
    • Zero to no time managing tools allows us to focus on work saving us time and money
    • Google Workspace allowed us to seamlessly transition to a fully remote workforce when the Coronavirus pandemic started - no lost time or productivity.
    • Easily able to extend our workspace and add features, e.g. Voice, saving us time implementing other services.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Microsoft
    • It has been an important factor in allowing seamless communication with clients and scheduling business meetings, which in turn works in the company's favor.
    • Haven't noticed any negative impact Exchange has had on our ROI. The support team is also responsive and helpful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots