Google Workspace vs Office 365: Best for Cold Email Hosting?
For setting up a cold email infrastructure, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are often the most popular choice for most outbound teams.
Because they’re the most reliable and gives the best deliverability in the industry.
But it’s really a tough call to pick one from this “Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 – who’s better” debate.
So, in this article, I’ll compare Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 from the POV of cold emailing set-up.
I will compare their differences, cost, features, and other critical factors, to help you make an informed choice.
By the end of this article, you will be able to figure out if Google Workspace is more suitable for your cold emailing needs or it’s Office 365.
Google Workspace vs Office 365: from the POV of cold email setup
For setting up the cold email infrastructure using two email service providers, we have compared them on factors such as –
- Scalability,
- Deliverability,
- Ease of setup, and
- Automation capabilities.
Here’s how Google Workspace and Office 365 compare:
Factor #1: Email deliverability
Email deliverability is one of the most important factors to look at when comparing Google Workspace vs Office 365 for business email hosting.
Both platforms have robust systems to maintain high deliverability rates:
| Features | Google Workspace | Office 365 |
| Deliverability rates | High, due to Google’s strong domain reputation and fewer blacklisted IPs. | High, supported by Microsoft’s global infrastructure and proactive monitoring. |
| Anti-spam system | Built-in spam filtering and real-time threat detection. | Advanced threat protection and AI-driven spam filtering. |
| Email authentication | Fully supports SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols. | Fully supports SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols. |
Key deliverability insights:
- Google Workspace → Easy to set up SPF and DKIM with guided steps in the admin console. Google’s IPs are rarely blacklisted, ensuring high inbox rates.
- Office 365 → Offers customizability for email security policies, making it an excellent choice for businesses needing advanced anti-phishing measures
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Factor #2: Outreach scalability
Scalability is critical for teams planning to grow their cold email campaigns over time.
The ability to seamlessly add more team members, monitor campaign performances, and scale operations is essential for maintaining campaign efficiency.
| Factors | Google Workspace | Office 365 |
| User limit | Scales up to hundreds of users; Enterprise plans support unlimited users | Suitable for small teams to large enterprises with no cap on user accounts |
| Resource management | Centralized console for adding/removing users and resources. | Advanced admin tools for managing licenses, roles, and security at scale |
| Sending limits | 2,000 emails/user in a rolling 24-hour period | 10,000 individual recipients within a 24-hour period |
Key scalability insights:
- Google Workspace → highly effective for startups and growing businesses due to its simple admin controls and affordable scalability.
- Office 365 → Provides more robust tools for managing large-scale operations, making it ideal for enterprises with complex needs.
💡 Google Workspace generally provides better email scalability due to its higher sending limits on a budget, helping SMBs.
Read more: Email Sending Limits for Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook & More
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Factor #3: User experience & interface
UI & UX of your email service plays a crucial role in the campaign set-up.
As you scale up with your outreach, your team members need to be able to set up and manage cold email campaigns easily on their own with minimal support.
Let’s see how Google Workspace vs Office 365 compare in this regards:
| Factors | Google Workspace | Office 365 |
| Interface | Simple, minimalistic, and user-friendly. | Feature-rich but requires a learning curve. |
| Ease of use | Ideal for beginners and small teams. | Better suited for experienced users or IT-backed setups. |
| Integrations | Seamless with Google Sheets, Zapier, and CRM tools like HubSpot. | Strong integration with CRMs like Dynamics 365 and Salesforce. |
Additional Insights:
- Google Workspace → Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses due to its lightweight design and seamless integration with Google apps.
- Office 365 → Best for large enterprises with diverse needs and experienced IT teams to manage advanced features.
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Factor #4: Automation and workflow support
Automation tools streamline repetitive tasks, making cold email campaigns more efficient.
The more automation the email service offers, the better.
| Features | Google Workspace | Office 365 |
| Workflow Automation | Supports third-party tools like Zapier and native integrations. | Advanced automation with Power Automate. |
| Scalability | Great for startups and growing teams. | Ideal for large-scale enterprise campaigns. |
| Templates | Easy to create and manage in Gmail or with add-ons. | Richer templating features in Outlook with add-ins. |
Practical use cases:
- Google Workspace → Combine Gmail and Google Sheets with tools like Mail Merge for quick campaign setups.
- Office 365 → Use Power Automate to create sophisticated workflows that integrate across Microsoft apps like Excel and Dynamics 365.
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Factor #5: Security & compliance
Cold emailing involves handling sensitive contact data of the prospects. So, tight security and compliance are essential.
| Features | Google Workspace | Office 365 |
| Data encryption | End-to-end encryption in Gmail. | Advanced encryption in Outlook with S/MIME. |
| Compliance standards | GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA (for enterprise plans). | GDPR, HIPAA, and additional certifications like FedRAMP. |
| Threat protection | AI-driven detection of phishing and malware. | Threat analytics with real-time monitoring. |
Security takeaways:
- Google Workspace → Simplified security for SMBs, with enterprise options available.
- Office 365 → A more comprehensive solution for enterprises with stringent compliance requirements.
Google Workspace vs Office 365: Email hosting cost comparison
Now let’s take a real scenario to look at the cost break down of setting up email infrastructure using both of these platforms.
For this example, we will take 15 email accounts for cold email set-up. (The domain costs are not added)
- We’ll send 30 emails per day per email account
- We’ll use the basic Google Workspace and Office 365 plan that starts @$6/user/month
Now let’s see the detailed cost breakdown for Google Workspace vs Office 365.
Gmail (Google Workspace Business Starter)
1. Monthly subscription cost –
- $6 per user per month.
- Total email accounts: 15.
- Monthly cost: $6 × 15 = $90/month.
2. Annual cost –
- $90/month × 12 months = $1,080/year.
3. Monthly emails sent
- 30 emails/day × 30 days × 15 accounts = 13,500 emails/month
4. Additional Google Workspace features
- 30 GB of pooled storage per user.
- Secure custom business email.
- Video meetings for up to 100 participants.
- Seamless integration with Google Workspace tools.
Outlook (Microsoft 365 Business Basic)
1. Monthly subscription cost
- $6 per user per month.
- Total accounts: 15.
- Monthly cost: $6 × 15 = $90/month.
2. Annual cost
- $90/month × 12 months = $1,080/year.
3. Monthly emails sent
- 30 emails/day × 30 days × 15 accounts = 13,500 emails/month.
4. Additional Office 365 features
- 50 GB mailbox per user.
- 1 TB OneDrive storage per user.
- Web/mobile versions of Office apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Collaboration and video conferencing tools.
Both of them cost pretty much the same except for their unique differentiation factors such as storage limits, apps etc.
But the problem is even with any of these workspaces, you will have to bear the cost of burner domains (used for hosting your emails).
We don’t recommend running cold emails from your primary domain due to the loss of reputation and nearly no scalability.
So, for an effective outreach system using Google workspace and Office 365, you will have to pay for inboxes + domain cost + email automation platform cost.
If you are a non-technical person (like me) and don’t want to bother about setting up the cold email infrastructure on your own, you should try SmartReach.io.
SmartReach with its Maildoso integration, provides a better email infrastructure (domain + mailbox) at a lower cost.
Let’s see how.
Maildoso costs breakdown
- Email account cost → $3 per account per month.
- 15 accounts (following the previous set-up) → $3 × 15 = $45/month.
1. Total monthly cost
- $45 (email accounts) = $45/month.
2. Total annual cost
- $45 × 12 months = $540
3. Monthly emails sent
- 30 emails/day × 30 x 15 accounts = 13,500 emails/day.
You can reach the same number of prospects every month at lower cost using Maildoso inside SmartReach.io.
Google Workspace vs Office 365 vs Maildoso pricing comparison
| Cost | Google Workspace | Office 365 | Maildoso |
| Monthly cost → | $90 | $90 | $45 |
| Annual cost → | $1080 | $1080 | $540 |
*SmartReach.io integrates natively with both Office 365 and Google Workspace.
Additionally, Maildoso takes care of all your email infrastructure set-up with –
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX Records setup → Improves email authentication for better deliverability.
- Domain redirect setup → Consolidates branding and ensures professionalism.
- Mailbox reputation checks → Optimizes inbox placement rates for cold emails.
Overall, Maildoso is ideal for teams focused on cold email campaigns.
It stands out with its reliable email hosting and great deliverability rate at a fraction of the cost of Gmail or Outlook.
Choose Maildoso for scalable, affordable, and great email performance.
Try it Inside SmartReach.io today. (available for all paid plans)
Conclusion
To choose Google Workspace vs Office 365 for cold emailing, the right choice depends on your specific requirements:
Both Google Workspace and Office 365 are excellent for cold emailers, but their unique strengths cater to different business needs.
One problem with Google Workspace and Office 365 is that they only provide inboxes.
And you need to buy domains separately for email hosting which increase the total cost of outreach even more.
More often than not, these email clients like Google Workspace and Office 365 are not suitable for start-ups or small teams who usually don’t have a dedicated IT team to set-up the email infrastructure manually.
Even in some cases non-technical cold emailers also suffer with these set-up part.
In those cases, Maildoso provides a great solution with its domains and email inboxes.
Try Maildoso with a reliable cold email automation platform like SmartReach.io for improved cold email deliverability and engagement.
Google Workspace vs Office 365: (FAQs)
1. What are the disadvantages of using Google Workspace?
The disadvantages of using Google Workspace include limited offline functionality, storage limitations on lower-tier plans, and potential data privacy concerns depending on your organization’s location. Integration with certain non-Google apps may also pose challenges.
2. What is the main advantage of Google Workspace?
The main advantage of Google Workspace is its seamless integration of productivity tools like Gmail, Drive, and Docs, enabling real-time collaboration and streamlined workflows across teams, enhancing efficiency and communication.
3. Can I use Google Workspace or Office 365 for bulk cold emails?
Using Google Workspace or Office 365 for bulk cold emails is discouraged due to strict email sending limits and potential spam flagging. Using email outreach tools like SmartReach.io are better suited for bulk outreach campaigns.
4. How do these platforms ensure email deliverability?
Google Workspace and Office 365 ensure email deliverability through advanced spam filtering, domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and reputation monitoring, helping emails reach recipient inboxes securely and reliably.
5. Are there any additional tools required for cold emailing with these platforms?
Additional tools like email automation software (e.g., SmartReach.io) and CRM integrations are required for effective cold emailing with Google Workspace or Office 365 to manage campaigns and track responses efficiently.
6. Is Google Workspace or Office 365 better for cold emails?
Both of these platforms are good. Google Workspace is easy to set-up and suitable for small teams while Office 365 is more complex and provides a more robust email security.
7. Why is deliverability important in cold emailing?
Deliverability ensures your emails land in the recipient’s inbox and not the spam folder, directly impacting the success of your campaign.
8. What storage limits Google Workspace and Office 365 offer?
| Platform | Storage |
| Google Workspace | 30GB to unlimited storage, depending on the plan |
| Office 365 | 50GB to 1TB, depending on the plan. |
9. Can Google Workspace and Office 365 integrate with CRMs?
Yes, both platforms integrate seamlessly with CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Dynamics 365.
10. Which platform offers better security features?
Office 365 provides enterprise-grade security in its higher-tier plans, while Google Workspace ensures robust protection with built-in spam filtering and authentication protocols.
