Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365: Which Should You Choose? (From a Google Workspace Specialist)

Small and mid-sized businesses in the Netherlands run largely on Microsoft 365. Outlook, Teams, SharePoint: almost any IT partner can set them up in their sleep. Google Workspace, by contrast, is often a blind spot. Few partners really know it, migrations get talked down "because nobody does it", and it is treated as an exotic alternative. At TRON Group we see it differently. We deliberately became Google Workspace specialists, because in practice we kept seeing businesses pushed into a Microsoft environment that simply did not suit the way they work. In this article we explain what Google Workspace actually is, how it genuinely differs from Microsoft 365, when it is the better choice and why a specialist partner makes the difference.

Why TRON Group chose to specialise in Google Workspace

The honest truth: Microsoft 365 is a perfectly good choice for many businesses. But "perfectly good" is not the same as "the best". More and more of our clients (especially creative agencies, e-commerce businesses, start-ups, architects and internationally focused organisations) were asking for something lighter, faster and more accessible than the classic Office model. That is why, alongside our Microsoft 365 practice, we built a fully fledged Google Workspace team.

Today we cover the complete lifecycle: advice, licensing, migrations from Microsoft 365 or other platforms, day-to-day management, security configuration, device management and user support. Not a side line, but a specialism on an equal footing with our Microsoft 365 services. That makes us one of the few IT partners in the Netherlands that can advise, on objective criteria, which platform suits your organisation, without the answer being decided in advance.

What exactly is Google Workspace?

Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) is Google's business productivity platform. It consists of:

• Gmail: business email on your own domain
• Google Drive: cloud storage with powerful search
• Google Docs, Sheets, Slides: browser-based counterparts to Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Google Meet: video meetings, comparable to Teams
• Google Chat and Spaces: chat and team collaboration
• Google Calendar: a calendar with smart scheduling tools
• Admin Console: central management of users, devices and security policies
• Google Vault: compliance, e-discovery and retention policies

The fundamental difference from Microsoft 365 is not in the individual tools but in the philosophy: Google is 100% cloud-native. There is no "local" Gmail and no installed Docs app. Everything lives in the browser and syncs in real time. That may sound like a limitation, but in practice it is one of the biggest advantages, especially for organisations that move fast and want to work from anywhere.

The 7 key differences from Microsoft 365

1. Philosophy: cloud-first vs hybrid

Microsoft 365 grew out of desktop software (Office) that was later moved into the cloud. Google Workspace was built cloud-native from day one. You notice that difference in everything: how quickly you can onboard people, how files are shared, how updates work and how devices become less important.

2. Real-time collaboration

In Google Docs, ten people can work in the same document at once without conflicts. That is now possible in Microsoft 365 too, but users still regularly run into small glitches, particularly in the desktop versions of Word and Excel. For teams that collaborate on documents a lot, Google Workspace is noticeably smoother.

3. Search and AI

Search is, and remains, Google's great strength. In Drive you can find literally anything with a search query, including text inside images and PDFs. Gemini (Google's AI assistant, built into Workspace) makes this even more powerful: email summaries, help drafting documents and smart suggestions in Meet.

4. Complexity and learning curve

Microsoft 365 has an enormous number of features, which is both its strength and its weakness. Many SMEs use only 10-20% of what they pay for. Google Workspace is simpler, deliberately more focused and therefore much quicker for users to master. New employees are often productive within an hour.

5. Device and browser independence

Because everything runs in the browser, in Google Workspace it makes no difference whether someone works on a Windows laptop, MacBook, Chromebook or tablet. In Microsoft 365 environments you more often run into Windows dependencies in practice (some Office features work better on Windows than on Mac).

6. Costs and licensing structure

Google Workspace has a simple pricing structure: Business Starter, Standard, Plus and Enterprise. Full stop. Microsoft 365 has dozens of plans, add-ons and licences that are all intertwined. We go into this in detail in our article on Microsoft 365 licences for SMEs. On top of that, Microsoft raised Microsoft 365 prices by 5-15% in 2026, which makes this a good moment for many businesses to take the alternatives seriously.

7. Security and compliance

Both platforms offer enterprise-grade security, MFA, Conditional Access, Data Loss Prevention and audit logging. Both are ISO 27001, SOC 2 and GDPR compliant. On paper there is little to choose between them. In practice, Google's admin interface is often more intuitive: setting up and maintaining a security policy is quicker. Microsoft 365, on the other hand, offers more granular controls for large organisations.

You will find a complete feature-by-feature comparison on our detailed page Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace.

When is Google Workspace the better choice?

Based on our hands-on experience, we usually recommend Google Workspace in these situations:

• Creative, advertising and design agencies: real-time collaboration on documents is everyday work
• E-commerce businesses and start-ups: speed, flexibility and low overheads matter more than complex configurations
• Architecture and engineering firms: lots of graphic content, visual work and cross-platform teams
• International organisations: Google Workspace works identically worldwide and is language-independent
• Teams that work heavily with Android and Chromebooks: the integration is seamless
• Businesses with a BYOD policy: fewer device dependencies
• Organisations that are just starting out: no legacy, so a cloud-native start makes sense

And to be honest: organisations that are simply "done with Microsoft's complexity" and want a fresher way of working have a valid reason too.

When are you better off staying with Microsoft 365?

We are Google Workspace specialists, but we are also honest: in these cases Microsoft 365 is usually the better choice:

• Businesses that rely heavily on Excel (finance, accountancy, data analysis): Google Sheets is good, but not equivalent
• Organisations with existing Microsoft infrastructure (Active Directory, SharePoint, Windows Server): migration only really pays off as part of a larger overhaul
• Heavily regulated sectors (finance, law firms, large healthcare organisations): Microsoft has more industry-specific compliance tools
• Businesses that have fully embraced Teams: Teams is more than video calling, it is a workflow platform
• Organisations with complex Power BI or Power Automate flows: these have no one-to-one Google equivalent

That is exactly why we have both specialisms in house. A partner that only does Microsoft will always recommend Microsoft. We recommend what fits.

Migrating from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace: how does it work?

One of the questions we hear most often: "Can I actually leave Microsoft?" The answer is yes, and it is much simpler than you might think. A typical migration from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace runs like this:

1. Inventory: which mailboxes, files, calendars and contacts need to move? Which applications connect to your email?
2. Set up the account structure: users, groups, permissions and organisational units in Google Workspace
3. Pilot migration: migrate 2-3 users to validate the process
4. Full migration: sync email, Drive files, calendars and contacts to Google Workspace
5. DNS switchover: update MX records and SPF/DKIM/DMARC records (see also our guide to email security)
6. Training and aftercare: get users up to speed, with Q&A sessions and documentation
7. Phase out Microsoft licences: in stages, so no data is lost

For a business with 20-50 employees, a complete migration usually takes 1-3 weeks. We carry out the critical steps outside working hours, so your team can simply keep working. You can read more about our approach on our Google Workspace Netherlands page.

What you get with TRON Group as your Google Workspace partner

As a specialist partner, we cover the full spectrum:

• Licences: we supply every Google Workspace edition at competitive rates
• Setup and configuration: domain, security baseline, MFA, Conditional Access, device management
• Migrations: from Microsoft 365, Exchange, consumer Gmail, IMAP servers or other platforms
• Day-to-day management: creating and removing users, managing policies, monitoring
• Security and compliance: DLP policies, audit logs, Google Vault, GDPR configuration
• End-user support: a Dutch-speaking helpdesk by phone, email and ticket portal
• Integration with other tools: connections to CRM, accounting and HR software
• Training and adoption: workshops for employees so they get the most out of the platform

Combine this with our other services (cloud, cybersecurity and the online workplace) and you have one partner for your entire digital work environment.

Conclusion

Google Workspace is not an exotic alternative. For many Dutch SMEs it is a better choice than Microsoft 365, especially if you value simplicity, real-time collaboration and lower overheads. The challenge is not the platform itself, but finding a partner that can genuinely implement, manage and support it. Most Dutch IT partners only have Microsoft expertise. We deliberately chose to build a fully fledged Google Workspace team alongside Microsoft 365, so we can always give you the best advice, not the easiest.

Thinking about moving to Google Workspace, or want to find out first whether the platform suits your business? Call us on +31 85 303 5869 or take a look at our Google Workspace services. In a no-obligation introductory call we analyse your current situation and give you honest advice, even if that means you are better off staying with Microsoft 365. For us, specialisation means honest advice, not a sales pitch.