Google Workspace vs Microsoft Exchange comparison

Google and Microsoft are both solutions in the Email Applications category. Google is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3. Google holds a 22.9% mindshare in EA, compared to Microsoft’s 11.4% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Google Workspace

Read 102 Google Workspace reviews

6,268 Views
5,616 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Microsoft Exchange

Read 91 Microsoft Exchange reviews

3,291 Views
2,842 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Google Workspace

Microsoft Exchange

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Apr 6, 2025

Microsoft Exchange and Google Workspace compete in the business email and collaboration software market. Based on feature comparison, customer feedback, and user deployment ease, Google Workspace seems to have an upper hand due to its strong collaboration tools and simpler deployment.

Features: Microsoft Exchange offers Message Tracking, integration with third-party apps, and on-premises data protection, which are ideal for businesses heavily invested in Microsoft products. Google Workspace stands out with its real-time collaboration tools like Google Docs and Google Meet, intuitive interface, and seamless integration across all Google services.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Exchange users suggest improvements in storage management, deployment processes, and integration with non-Microsoft products. Google Workspace users point out a high learning curve and desired enhancements in chat features and compatibility with traditional email clients.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Exchange offers flexibility with on-premises and hybrid cloud deployments but requires significant initial setup. Its customer service has room for improvement. Google Workspace provides simple cloud-based deployment, making it accessible for small teams, with generally satisfactory customer support.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Exchange has a complex licensing model, considered cost-effective for large enterprises but potentially costly for smaller companies. Google Workspace provides flexible pricing tiers suitable for businesses of varying sizes, offering a strong ROI, especially valued for collaboration efficiency.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Workspace vs. Microsoft Exchange Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace vs. Microsoft Exchange

April 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Google Workspace

Ranking in Email Applications

1st

Ranking in Wireless Email

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

102

Ranking in other categories

Cloud Storage (6th), Content Collaboration Platforms (2nd)

Microsoft Exchange

Ranking in Email Applications

3rd

Ranking in Wireless Email

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

File Archiving (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Email Applications category, the mindshare of Google Workspace is 22.9%, down from 23.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Exchange is 11.4%, down from 12.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Email Applications

Featured Reviews

Sunil-Nair

IT Manager at Universal Carpets & Rugs

Email collaboration and accessibility have improved team productivity

The valuable features include the email service, email updates, and Google Drive. People are given email access to Google Drive. The team can share manual files and work accordingly. They can access different teams from anywhere, collectively putting files, sharing them, and managing them. Additionally, the manufacturing product does not require any downgrades. It works fine and continuously for the last three or four years. Users can access their emails from anywhere in their browser without a laptop or can directly access from Gmail. This is helpful for salespeople.

Read full review

Hesham Hussain

Head Of Infrastructure at ValU

A good solution for large enterprises, but is expensive when compared to other solutions

Regarding the decision of increasing the number of users, it depends on the organization's choice, whether to opt for CapEx or OpEx. Both options involve expenses over the years. Building an in-house Exchange solution requires investing in hardware, storage, connectivity, and administrative resources. Office 365 shifts the budget solely to OpEx as a subscription service. Scalability is another factor. Starting a new company favors Office 365 due to cost efficiency. As the organization grows, the choice depends on available resources and technical expertise. An internal Exchange setup is feasible with skilled engineers, while Office 365 suits those lacking in-house resources.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It's easy to control the admin settings, like updating the SDS, NIK, etc. I"

"Good performance, even on relatively slow connections; no local apps required."

"The valuable feature of Google Workspace is its integrated environment where everything is pre-integrated, like chat and document sharing in Gmail."

"It has saved us money."

"The most valuable feature of Google Workspace is the sheets and documents."

"The most valuable feature is that it is simple to use."

"Good search features, reliable storage, and quick thinking."

"Being able to back up our data on Google Drive is a critical and valuable feature for our customers. It is just in sync. Imagine you change a file on the desktop, and it gets updated directly to your Google Drive. Our laptop is completely in sync with Google Drive. Google Meet, Google Sheets, and Google Docs are also amazing products. They're very versatile and easy to use as compared to Office 365. I am using Google Sheets and Google Docs, which first save the work on my memory or ROM, and then on my RAM. It gives me better productivity through Google Sheets and Google Docs."

More Google Workspace pros

"It's very well integrated with OneDrive and Teams Calendar."

"It is a product that is simple to manage, and easy to use."

"It is easy to use and we can allow many users because now our users are scattered They over a wide area. We can use it from anywhere. That is the main benefit for us."

"One of the most valuable features of Microsoft Exchange is its security."

"Microsoft Exchange is a user-friendly product that is easy to manage and configure."

"It gives me benefit in terms of integration with other services such as SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, and OneDrive. It makes my work much easier."

"It's a very user-friendly application. The mail server is also valuable when compared to other services like SquirrelMail."

"The integration of Microsoft Exchange with other tools allows for seamless collaboration and increased productivity within teams."

More Microsoft Exchange pros

Cons

"I would rate the stability a five out of ten."

"The solution could always be more secure, although that doesn't affect me so much."

"I find the price high for the full suite features. Compared to Exchange Online, the price might not be too high, but you cannot choose only one functionality. When you buy Google Workspace, you have to get everything, including file storage and communication tools, which I don't use."

"In some cases, we are using the Google Meet functions but only when we have external clients. Internally, we are using Slack. Google Meet virtual meeting function is not as advanced as the one in Slack and should improve."

"Scalability is not as good as we would like."

"I don't recommend Google Workspace to others. It's expensive. Also, Google doesn't have enough oversight on their partners, so you will face some difficulties dealing with them instead of directly with Google."

"There is some redundancy in the functionality between certain modules."

"The UI could be simplified and made more user friendly."

More Google Workspace cons

"The price of Microsoft Exchange could improve, it is priced high."

"After 2022, users of Microsoft Exchange have to migrate mailboxes to Microsoft Exchange Online, and what I'd like to improve is for Microsoft to publish more on-premise versions for customers using Microsoft Exchange. Having more security is another room for improvement in the solution, particularly for mailboxes that develop the Exchange Edge rule to protect internal mailboxes. What I'd like to see from Microsoft Exchange in the future is for Microsoft to still update the latest, existing version which is 2022. I'd like Microsoft to still push more cumulative updates for Microsoft Exchange 2022."

"They could continue to improve the consolidation and integration of mailbox services to make them more flexible, easier to deploy, and more manageable."

"The default storage capacity is too small."

"It's not always the finest solution in terms of integration with products that are not from Microsoft. It integrates very well with Microsoft products but not with third-party products."

"There is a problem when scheduling an event for the whole day."

"We would prefer to be able to manage the solution on the cloud."

"When an update wants to come, it should just come maybe once or twice rather than having us deal with constant updating."

More Microsoft Exchange cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Careful consideration should be given to the different licensing options and provisions should be made for additional applications that may be required for your particular business."

"The pricing of Google Workspace, so far, has been reasonable."

"There are different versions of the solution available, such as premium."

"The solution is expensive."

"The price of the solution can vary."

"I rate Google Workspace's pricing five to six out of ten. We do not pay any extra costs."

"Pricing is something concerning. We find the solution very expensive."

"There are several areas where a G Suite implementation can reduce costs: lower license fees than some competing products, reduced hardware, and IT support costs."

More Google Workspace pricing and cost advice

"We renew the product license with Microsoft every three years. The cost is included within a bundle of services. It's an enterprise agreement with Microsoft."

"Microsoft Exchange is a very well-priced solution."

"The price of Microsoft Exchange is reasonable."

"Compared to the other options in the market, the licensing costs attached to Microsoft Exchange seem reasonable."

"Since my company is on Microsoft Cloud, we pay for the licenses per user. Compared to volume licensing, I would say the present licensing cost is not expensive."

"Its price is fair."

"We pay for the license annually."

"The platform has a reasonable price."

More Microsoft Exchange pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Google Workspace?

Easy-to-build forms are allowing me to get feedback and information from my internal teams as well as from the customers very efficiently with the result data in structured manner.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Workspace?

I'm not satisfied with the cost because I feel these services should be free as they use our data.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Workspace?

As far as Google Workspace is concerned, it is working fine for us. Our needs are fulfilled, so that's fine. However, integration with Microsoft Outlook could be improved. The new integration was i...

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How does Zimbra Collaboration compare with Microsoft Exchange?

Zimbra is a free, open source collaborative software suite. The features I like best are the ease of integration and the email, calendar, and collaboration server with web interface. In addition, I...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Exchange?

The initial setup was straightforward and fast.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Exchange?

The licensing and pricing are quite costly, which can demotivate customers from opting for features and upgrades. However, the solution provides value for money if one is well-acquainted with Excha...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Exchange Online vs Google Workspace

Compared 29% of the time

Amazon WorkMail vs Google Workspace

Compared 29% of the time

ProtonMail vs Google Workspace

Compared 9% of the time

Office 365 vs Google Workspace

Compared 4% of the time

GoDaddy vs Google Workspace

Compared 2% of the time

More Google Workspace Competitors

Zimbra Collaboration vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 20% of the time

KerioConnect vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 18% of the time

Open-Xchange vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 13% of the time

HCL Domino vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 12% of the time

ProtonMail vs Microsoft Exchange

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Exchange Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace

April 2025

Download Google Workspace product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Exchange

April 2025

Download Microsoft Exchange product report

Also Known As

G-Suite Enterprise, G-Suite, Google Apps for Business, G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G-Suite Basic, G-Suite Business, Google Vault

Exchange, MS Exchange

Overview

Similar to G Suite, all Google Workspace plans provide a custom email for your business and include collaboration tools like Gmail, Calendar, Meet, Chat, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, and more.

As we’ve evolved G Suite into a more integrated experience across our communication and collaboration tools, we’ve rebranded to Google Workspace to more accurately represent the product vision.

Google

Built to deliver the enterprise-grade security and reliability that businesses require, Microsoft Exchange provides email, calendar and contacts on your PC, phone and web browser.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

There are over five million businesses that use Google Apps for Business worldwide. Some key customers include The Roche Group, National Geographic, American Red Cross, City of Los Angeles, Flight Centre, and Konica Minolta.

Paderborn-Lippstadt Airport, Scitec Nutrition, British Airways, InnoGames, Osteology Foundation, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, NTC Contracting

Buyer's Guide

Google Workspace vs. Microsoft Exchange

April 2025

Free Report: Google Workspace vs. Microsoft Exchange

Find out what your peers are saying about Google Workspace vs. Microsoft Exchange and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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