When it comes to setting up a proper company email address for your team, two names dominate the market: Google Workspace (formerly G Suite — powering Gmail for business) and Microsoft 365 (powering Outlook business email).
Both are premium, enterprise-grade platforms. But which one is actually right for your business in 2026? Let's compare every dimension that matters.
Quick Overview
| Feature | Google Workspace | Microsoft 365 Business |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | /user/mo | /user/mo |
| Email App | Gmail (web + mobile) | Outlook (web, desktop, mobile) |
| Storage (email) | 30 GB (Starter) | 50 GB (Basic) |
| Video Calls | Google Meet (250 participants) | Microsoft Teams (300 participants) |
| Office Suite | Google Docs/Sheets/Slides | Word/Excel/PowerPoint |
| Custom Domain | Yes | Yes |
| Offline Access | Limited (Chrome extension) | Full desktop apps |
| Admin Console | Google Admin | Microsoft 365 Admin Center |
Google Workspace: Gmail for Business
Google Workspace is the premium version of the same Gmail interface you already know. With Google Workspace, your team gets yourname@yourdomain.com addresses powered by Google's infrastructure — the same servers that handle billions of emails per day.
What Makes It Exceptional
- Google Meet integration: Start a video call with your entire team directly from your inbox in two clicks.
- Google Drive: 30 GB of cloud storage per user (shared between Gmail, Drive, and Photos) on the Starter plan.
- Real-time collaboration: Multiple team members can edit the same Google Doc at the same time — this is arguably Google's biggest advantage.
- Familiarity: If your team already uses Gmail personally, the zero-learning-curve of Gmail corporate email is a massive time saver.
Google Workspace Pricing in 2026
- Business Starter: /user/month — 30 GB storage, video calls up to 100 participants
- Business Standard: /user/month — 2 TB storage, video calls up to 150 participants, recording
- Business Plus: /user/month — 5 TB storage, eDiscovery and Vault
- Enterprise: Custom pricing — unlimited storage, advanced security
Note: "Gmail for business free" is not a thing as a standalone product. The closest option is using bundled email hosting (see below).
Microsoft 365: Outlook Business Email
Microsoft business email through Microsoft 365 is a better fit for industries that are heavily document-centric — law firms, accountancies, enterprises, and anyone for whom Word, Excel, and PowerPoint are mission-critical daily tools.
What Makes It Exceptional
- Full desktop Office suite: Higher plans include full Windows/Mac installs of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — not just web apps.
- Larger inbox storage: Even the Basic plan gives 50 GB per user, compared to Google's 30 GB.
- Microsoft Teams: If your company communicates heavily via Slack or similar, Teams is a native deep-integrated alternative.
- Regulatory compliance: Advanced compliance tools make Microsoft 365 the dominant choice for legal, medical, and governmental organizations.
The Budget Alternative: Bundled Email Hosting
If you're a solo freelancer, a small agency, or a startup of under 10 people, paying /user/month to Google or Microsoft is likely overkill. The smartest financial decision is to choose a web hosting plan that includes professional business email at no extra cost.
For businesses that primarily operate through a website, RunHost's hosting-bundled email provides everything you need: unlimited company email addresses under your domain, webmail access, IMAP/SMTP sync with any email client (Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Gmail app), and SSL-encrypted connections — all included free.
Which Should You Choose?
Google Workspace
Google Workspace Business Starter from .../user
Get professional Gmail, Google Meet, Drive, and more for your team. Seamless collaboration with 30GB+ storage.
Can You Have Both?
Yes. Many businesses use Google Workspace for their primary collaboration suite, but also maintain cheap hosting-bundled email addresses for catch-all mailboxes or department addresses that don't need a full Google license.
Get Started With Business Email