Updated 13 October 2026
Choosing business email becomes easier when you compare the work your staff do, rather than three starting prices. Use this guide to shortlist Microsoft 365, Google Workspace or Zoho Workplace, then ask for a proposal covering licences and the work needed to make the platform useful.
Start with your hardest workflow
| Requirement | Starting point | What to test |
|---|---|---|
| Installed Office applications are central to daily work | A Microsoft 365 plan with desktop apps | Real Excel workbooks, add-ins, document layouts and device requirements. |
| Browser-based document collaboration is the main workflow | Google Workspace | External sharing, file formats, storage and meeting requirements. |
| You want to evaluate mail and collaboration alongside Zoho tools | Zoho Workplace | Required applications, integrations and whether other Zoho subscriptions are separate. |
These are evaluation starting points, not a ranking. Test with your own documents and users. Familiarity, administration effort and migration work can matter more than a small difference in the advertised licence price.
Compare a complete cost, not a headline rate
First-year budget = licences for the agreed term + implementation + migration tools and services + support + applicable taxes. Compare renewal costs separately, especially when an introductory offer applies. Ask each supplier to use the same user counts, edition, commitment and service scope.
- Distinguish a monthly commitment from an annual commitment paid monthly.
- Specify desktop apps, storage, meetings, retention, device controls and the exact AI features needed.
- List costs for existing subscriptions that must stay active during transition.
- Allow time for user onboarding and any application or workflow changes.
- Ask what support covers, who owns administrator access and what happens when you change suppliers.
Three example teams: how to build a shortlist
The following are hypothetical planning examples, not customer projects or promised savings.
- 20 people, mainly email and browser documents: inventory storage and meetings first. Compare entry-level options against that inventory; confirm that nobody depends on desktop-only applications.
- 50 people, including 12 heavy spreadsheet users: test their actual files and add-ins. Compare an appropriate role-based licence mix before deciding that all 50 need the same edition.
- 100 people, managed devices and retention requirements: involve the person responsible for security. Match each control to a licence and configuration task, then test recovery and access processes.
Switching platform versus changing purchasing partner
Moving from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 is a data and workflow project. Changing subscription management within the same platform may be a commercial transfer. Confirm the route before creating a new tenant, buying duplicate subscriptions or cancelling the current service.
For a platform move, record email, contacts, calendars, shared files, aliases and application dependencies separately. Test representative users and agree exceptions. Plan the cutover, verification and source-retention period before switching mail routing. See the migration scope checklist.
Can you mix platforms?
Sometimes a business needs more than one suite. That decision brings ongoing work: identity, mail routing, calendar availability, file sharing and support ownership. Assess those costs before splitting the organisation. Mixing permitted editions within one platform may meet the requirement with less administration.
A useful brief to send to Invitty
Tell us your headcount, current platform, renewal date, required desktop applications, storage, security requirements and migration deadline. Specify whether you need licences only or implementation and support. We can use that brief to prepare a scoped recommendation; never include passwords or recovery codes.
Request a platform recommendation →
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest for a 25-person business?
Should everyone have the same licence?
Can we use Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace together?
Is Zoho Mail the same as Zoho Workplace?
Do we need to migrate to change a reseller?
Will switching platforms preserve all our files and workflows?
Official product references
Check current editions and entitlements with Microsoft, Google Workspace and Zoho Workplace. Prices and promotions vary by offer and term; confirm them in a dated quotation.