M365 vs Google Workspace bundled collaboration subscriptions

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace bundle business collaboration tools into recurring subscriptions. For Australian buyers, AUD prices show how selected business tiers compare on a per-user basis, while user limits, storage and licence flexibility help assess their cost fit.

Microsoft 365: specify the variant

Business Basic includes web and mobile Office apps, cloud email, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. Business Standard adds desktop Office apps, while Business Premium adds advanced security and device management to Standard.

Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium include 1 TB of OneDrive storage per user. Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 include 5 TB per user.

For Business Standard, Business Premium, Microsoft 365 Apps for business, Apps for enterprise, E3 and E5, each person can install Microsoft 365 on up to five PCs or Macs, five tablets and five phones.

Microsoft licence quantities are based on the number of people, and subscriptions recur. Different subscriptions can be assigned to different people, and licences can be reassigned when someone leaves.

Google Workspace: check the edition and pool

Google Workspace combines Gmail, Chat, Meet, Drive and browser-based Docs. Business Starter lists 30 GB of pooled storage per person, Business Standard 2 TB and Business Plus 5 TB.

Starter includes a Gemini AI assistant in Gmail and chat with AI in the Gemini app. Standard extends the assistant to Gmail, Docs, Meet and more; Plus includes Standard entitlements.

Australian prices are AU$10.80 for Starter, AU$16.80 for Standard and AU$27.00 for Plus per user/month, excluding GST. The Australian price figures state annual billing.

Google’s displayed list prices are £5.90 for Starter, £11.80 for Standard and £18.40 for Plus per user/month, excluding tax. Promotional prices shown for 15 October 2026 to 15 January 2027 are £4.13, £8.26 and £9.20 respectively.

Google advertises a 16% saving with a one-year commitment and also states that all plans are billed monthly. Starter, Standard and Plus are available for up to 300 users; Enterprise has no minimum or maximum user limit.

Compare the quotes on one sheet

Australian prices for Microsoft 365 are AU$9.00 for Business Basic, AU$18.90 for Business Standard and AU$33.00 for Business Premium per user/month. E3 is AU$54.90 and E5 is AU$82.50 per user/month. These figures exclude GST and state annual billing.

On those Australian price figures, Business Basic is AU$1.80 less per user/month than Google Workspace Starter. Google Workspace Standard is AU$2.10 less than Microsoft Business Standard, and Google Workspace Plus is AU$6.00 less than Microsoft Business Premium.

The entry and standard tiers do not include identical entitlements: Business Basic has web and mobile Office apps, while Business Standard adds desktop apps. Google’s pooled storage is 30 GB, 2 TB and 5 TB per person across Starter, Standard and Plus; Microsoft’s listed OneDrive allowances are 1 TB for Basic, Standard and Premium, and 5 TB for E3 and E5.

Business Premium adds advanced security and device management. Google Workspace Plus includes 5 TB of pooled storage per person and the Standard entitlements, so the lower Plus price does not make these tiers identical.

Google’s displayed GBP prices and promotional prices exclude tax and are separate from the Australian dollar figures. Google also advertises a one-year commitment with a 16% saving while stating that all plans are billed monthly; Microsoft subscriptions recur, and the Australian Microsoft price figures state annual billing.

Microsoft allows different subscriptions to be assigned to different people and licences to be reassigned when someone leaves. Google editions can be changed when multiple subscriptions for the service are available; in some cases, the previous licence can take up to 24 hours to become available for reassignment.

Google Starter, Standard and Plus each have a 300-user limit, while Google Workspace Enterprise has no minimum or maximum user limit.

For an Australian cost check, compare the per-user AUD prices on the same GST and billing basis, then match the edition to the required seat mix and entitlements. Among the stated business-tier prices, Microsoft is lower at entry level, while Google is lower at the standard and higher business tiers.

Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace tier inclusions

Storage, installs and user limits