Gmail vs Microsoft Outlook

Gmail

• Anyone who wants a free personal address with 15 GB of shared storage
• Organizations that want email on their own domain inside Google Workspace
• People who already rely on Google Calendar, Meet, Chat and Drive

Microsoft Outlook

• People who want mail, calendar and contacts from several accounts in one app
• Organizations already paying for Microsoft 365 and Exchange email
• Windows users: Microsoft says Outlook is included free with Windows

Gmail

• Business email is only sold as part of Google Workspace, which also includes Calendar, Drive, Meet and Docs.
• The free 15 GB is shared with Drive and Photos. More space is a paid add-on: the US App Store listing shows 100 GB at $1.99 and 200 GB at $2.99, with no billing period given.
• Free accounts may show ads, though Google says it does not use Gmail content to personalize them.
• No desktop app is listed: Gmail runs in a browser and as Android and iOS apps, or through another mail client.

Microsoft Outlook

• Free accounts show ads in the inbox; a Microsoft 365 Basic, Personal or Family subscription removes them.
• Business Basic includes only the web and mobile versions of Outlook. Business Standard with Copilot, at $23.50 per user / month, adds the desktop apps.
• On home plans, Copilot in Outlook currently works only with outlook.com, hotmail.com, live.com and msn.com addresses, and only for the subscription owner.
• Microsoft lists Outlook for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and the web. No Linux app is listed.

Gmail

Spam, phishing and malware blocking

Google says Gmail automatically blocks 99.9% of spam, phishing attempts and malware, and flags a suspicious message that could still be legitimate.

Gemini in Gmail

Drafts and polishes replies and summarizes long threads. On personal accounts, asking Gemini to search the inbox is a premium feature of Google AI Pro or Ultra plans.

Smart Compose, Smart Reply and Nudges

Suggests replies and sentence completions as you type, and reminds you to answer or follow up on messages you have not dealt with.

Confidential Mode

Set an expiry date on a message, require the recipient to verify by text, and remove the options to forward, copy, download or print it.

Custom domain email and mail merge

Workspace puts addresses on your own domain, with up to 30 aliases per user. Mail merge, from Business Standard, takes up to 1,500 recipients from a linked spreadsheet.

Offline mail and other clients

Gmail offline lets you read, reply to, delete and search messages without a connection. Accounts also work in Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird.

Microsoft Outlook

Several accounts in one app

The desktop and mobile apps take Outlook.com, Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud and other mail services alongside work or school accounts, and switch between them without leaving the app.

Focused Inbox, Sweep and snooze

Focused Inbox and Sweep clear clutter out of the main view. Messages can be snoozed until later or flagged as important.

Calendar, contacts and to-do lists

Email, calendars, contacts and to-do lists sit in one view. Outlook can schedule events, set reminders, and track packages and flights on supported platforms.

Copilot in Outlook

Drafts a message from a prompt, adjusts tone, length and clarity, and summarizes long threads. Included with Microsoft 365 Personal and Family, with usage limits.

Mailbox protection

Outlook scans attachments and links for threats on Microsoft email addresses. Paid plans add mailbox encryption, checks on suspicious links and removal of dangerous attachments.

Office files from the inbox

Open, edit or send Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from the inbox, and attach OneDrive files as links.

Gmail

• Personal Google Account$0

  Gmail for personal use with 15 GB of storage shared with Drive and Photos. No address at your own domain, and the account may show ads.

• Business Starter$7

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($8.40 flexible)

  Google Workspace with email at your own domain, 30 GB of pooled storage per user and the Gemini assistant in Gmail.

• Business Standard$14

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($16.80 flexible)

  2 TB of pooled storage per user, plus custom email layouts, mail merge and Gemini in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more.

• Business Plus$22

  per user / month, 1-year commitment ($26.40 flexible)

  5 TB of pooled storage per user, with Google Vault for retention and eDiscovery and advanced endpoint management.

• EnterpriseCustom

  No user limit, where the Business editions stop at 300. Adds S/MIME encryption and data loss prevention; priced through Google sales.

Microsoft Outlook

• Outlook$0

  For 1 person: email and calendar on web, desktop and mobile, 15 GB of mailbox storage, 5 GB of cloud storage and core spam filtering, with ads.

• Microsoft 365 Basic$1.99

  per month, or $19.99 per year

  For 1 person: ad-free Outlook, 100 GB of mailbox storage, 100 GB of cloud storage and advanced Outlook security features.

• Business Basic$7.00

  per user / month, paid yearly ($5.40 without Teams)

  Custom business email on Exchange for up to 300 users, with the web and mobile versions of Outlook only and 1 TB of cloud storage per user.

• Microsoft 365 Personal$9.99

  per month, or $99.99 per year

  For 1 person on up to 5 devices at once: the Outlook desktop app with Copilot, 1 TB of cloud storage and Microsoft Defender.

• Microsoft 365 Family$12.99

  per month, or $129.99 per year

  The Personal benefits for 1 to 6 people, with 1 TB of cloud storage each. AI features are for the subscription owner only.

• Business Standard with Copilot$23.50

  per user / month, paid yearly ($20.30 without Teams)

  Adds desktop versions of Outlook and the other Office apps, plus Copilot grounded in work data. Business Premium with Copilot is $32.00.

Gmail

• Annual discount

  Lower rate with a 1-year commitment

  Business Starter costs $7 per user per month on the Annual/Fixed-Term Plan versus $8.40 on the Flexible Plan. Standard drops from $16.80 to $14 and Plus from $26.40 to $22.

• Other savings

  Introductory discount for the first 3 months

  The US pricing page gives new Workspace customers 50% off Starter, 30% off Standard and 20% off Plus for their first 3 months, and describes the offer as valid for a limited time.

• Nonprofit

  Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0

  Eligible nonprofits get Google Workspace for Nonprofits at $0 per user, or Business Standard at $3.50 and Business Plus at $6.16 per user per month on a 1-year commitment.

• Education

  Education Fundamentals at no charge

  Google Workspace for Education Fundamentals is available at no charge to qualifying institutions. Education Plus is a paid edition.

Microsoft Outlook

• Annual discount

  About 16% lower with yearly billing

  Paying yearly costs $19.99 for Microsoft 365 Basic, $99.99 for Personal and $129.99 for Family, against $1.99, $9.99 and $12.99 a month.

• Education

  Students save 50% on Microsoft 365 Personal

  College and university students who verify their status get 50% off Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes the Outlook desktop app with Copilot. Eligibility is re-verified each year.

• Nonprofit

  Business Basic free for eligible nonprofits

  Microsoft lists Business Basic as a grant, free for up to 300 users. Nonprofit staff pricing is $3.50 per user / month for Business Standard and $5.50 for Business Premium, paid yearly.