Compare Teams vs. Workspace for collaboration needs

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams, typically included as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription, provides team chat functionality with support for one-on-one and channel-based conversations. Teams also provides video meetings. Through additional licenses, customers can add on functionality such as AI-based meeting and chat summarization, advanced call queuing, interactive voice response and analytics, security and support for room-based video conferencing systems.

Google Workspace

Like Microsoft 365, Google Workspace offers an integrated suite of features, including email, calendar, and office productivity capabilities such as document creation, presentations, spreadsheets and file management. Workspace also offers integrated chat and meetings, as well as add-on licenses to support room-based video conferencing systems and advanced security.

Collaboration platform adoption

Microsoft still owns the majority of the office productivity market. According to Metrigy's annual "Workplace Collaboration MetriCast" study of nearly 800 companies, more than 58% said they use 365/Teams compared to the 29% that use Google. Microsoft also gets the overwhelming nod when considering specific collaboration features, such as calling, meetings and messaging.

Microsoft Teams vs. Google Workspace: Key differences

The primary difference between Teams and Workspace is how they bundle generative AI and AI assistants (or copilots). Teams customers must purchase additional licenses to access AI features. These include Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Teams Premium, with the former extending Microsoft's AI capabilities across all Microsoft 365 apps, such as Office, Outlook and calendar.

Google makes its Gemini AI platform available across all its business plans, though its starter plan limits user access to only the Gemini app and Gemini within Gmail. Google's bundled AI offer includes content creation tools for text, video and presentations, as well as NotebookLM, which enables users to compile resources into a workspace that they may then query, or produce content from, including summaries and even podcasts.

The platforms also differ in how the apps are supported. Microsoft offers both online and desktop versions of all its apps. Workspace's office productivity suite, including Docs, Slides and Sheets, are cloud-only with optional offline editing.

Additional areas of difference include how the apps are integrated. Teams has a wide array of integrated apps from hundreds of partners, and it lets app developers build custom connections through the Azure API or use the Graph API to automate workflows. Google, while boasting its own application development capability, does not match Teams' prebuilt third-party integration library.

Finally, Teams offers a more integrated environment with capabilities such as calling, meetings, messaging, and third-party integrations, all available within the Teams app. Workspace has its integrations more centered around the Gmail UI. Third-party integrations are typically more extensive in Teams, as is the selection of integrated hardware for meetings.

Comparing calling options

Both Teams and Workspace have the ability to integrate PSTN calling through add-on licenses with Teams Phone and Google Voice, respectively. Teams Phone features are included with Microsoft 365 E5 licenses (or similar). Both offer integrated PSTN connectivity as well as PSTN calling through carrier partners. Google also offers unlimited U.S. domestic calling within its base rate. Teams requires the purchase of a calling plan that provides a set of minutes.

Microsoft enables larger organizations to rely on existing PSTN contracts and session border controllers through its Direct Routing features. Teams has a broad set of integrated calling partners, both for PSTN connectivity and for integrating third-party calling capabilities directly into the Teams app. For example, leading unified communications as a service providers, such as 8x8 Inc., Cisco, RingCentral and Zoom, all have the ability to seamlessly plug their calling features into the Teams app. Teams also has a broader set of third-party certified phones and headsets as well.

Picking the right platform

Selecting between Microsoft Teams vs. Google Workspace depends your organization's IT requirements. Companies heavily invested in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem and rely primarily on Windows as their desktop OS may find it easier to deploy and manage Teams with their existing management and governance approaches. Others may decide that Google's simpler operating environment and its bundled AI capabilities better meet their needs.

It's worth noting that many organizations rely on both Workspace and Teams, using Workspace for email and calendar while using Teams for chat and for the Microsoft 365 Office suite for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, SharePoint and OneDrive. Again, let specific requirements drive your decisions.

Irwin Lazar is president and principal analyst at Metrigy, where he leads coverage on the digital workplace. His research focus includes unified communications, VoIP, video conferencing and team collaboration.