Google Apps vs. Microsoft 365

Having used both systems quite extensively (Google in my placement schools, and Office at the university), I took it for granted that the two systems are competing for business in the education market. With rival systems readily available, it begs the question - which one is better for my classroom/school/district?

	Google Apps	Microsoft Online
Email	Gmail	Outlook
Word Processing	Docs	Word
Presentation	Slides	Excel
Spreadsheet	Sheets	PowerPoint
Storage	Drive	Skydrive
Marking	Classroom	?

(I made my own table before researching blogs on the topic, and realized that many more impressive tables already exist)

From my understanding, both are quite similar in a number of ways. Both offer similar tools (see table and links), both of which offer collaboration and sharing opportunities for students. On the surface, it seems that either one would be a good choice. Yet, when you dig deeper, the issue becomes much more complicated.

Some give upper hand to Google Apps for a variety of reasons: certain aspects of Sheets (http://bit.ly/1GMeloJ), as well as the ease of set up and use of Google (http://bit.ly/1djGNDT). Other sites report the superiority of 365. Some sites prefer the professional feel and more synchronous nature (http://bit.ly/1m0Und0), the offline compatibility and familiarity (http://bit.ly/1J8JaF5), as well as other elements such as the preferred privacy policy.

One major difference for me is the concern for the cost of 365 (http://tek.io/1SOUuL6). One site reports saving over $1.5 million dollars by switching from Microsoft to Google (http://ubm.io/1QSlyf0). This presents a major advantage for Google Apps for me. Similarly, having just discovered Google Classroom, I realized that 365 doesn’t seem to have a direct parallel. While I haven’t seen Google Classroom run myself, and I am already quite attached to Sesame HQ, it is interesting to see apps for educators designed.

Ultimately, it seems as though both systems are quite comparable. Different people prefer one over the other, for a variety of reasons (some of which are clearly due to affiliation with one brand). More balanced articles highlight the benefits of both systems, their efficiency and their use in the 21st century classroom.