Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace: which should you choose?

Applies to: All plans

If you mostly live in Outlook, Word and Excel, choose Microsoft 365. If you prefer Gmail, Google Docs and Google Drive, choose Google Workspace. Both give you professional mailboxes on your own domain, both work on desktop and mobile, and you can run either alongside your Maxinodes hosting. This article walks you through the differences so you can decide.

Your email is resold Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, bought per seat (one seat = one mailbox). We do not host mailboxes on the hosting server, and there is no cPanel webmail — your mail lives in Microsoft's or Google's cloud, and your DNS records are managed in your client area (Maxinodes-managed, on our own nameservers), not the cPanel zone editor.

The short version

The plans we resell

Prices are per seat, per month, quoted excluding VAT and indicative — check the live rate in the client area store before you order. Microsoft raised its prices on 1 July 2026; the figures below reflect the new rates.

Note: VAT is not charged at checkout today. You can pay by PayPal, card, bank transfer (SEPA) or cryptocurrency.

Microsoft 365 at a glance

• Mailbox + calendar run on Exchange Online; you read mail at outlook.office.com (Outlook on the web).
• Exchange Online Plan 1 is email and calendar only — no Office apps. It is the cheapest way to get a proper business mailbox on your domain.
• Business Basic adds Teams and the web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneDrive.
• Business Standard adds the full desktop Office apps you install on your computer.
• Business Premium is Business Standard plus advanced security and device management for the whole team.
• Best if your team already works in Outlook and Office, or you need installed desktop apps.

Google Workspace at a glance

• Mailbox + calendar run on Gmail; you read mail at mail.google.com.
• Starter includes Gmail on your domain plus Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive and Meet.
• Business Standard adds more storage per user and larger Meet meetings.
• Business Plus adds more storage again, plus Vault eDiscovery and advanced security controls.
• Best if your team prefers Gmail and real-time collaboration in Google Docs and Drive.

What's the same either way

• On your own domain. Both put addresses like you@yourdomain.com on the provider's platform.
• Webmail and apps. Read mail in the browser (Outlook on the web or Gmail), or add an Exchange / Microsoft 365 account (for M365) or a Google / Gmail account (for Workspace) to Outlook, Apple Mail, iPhone or Android. The provider supplies the server settings automatically — there are no Maxinodes mail server names to enter.
• DNS lives in your client area. You add MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records in the client area DNS manager, not cPanel. The exact values come from your Microsoft 365 admin centre or the Google Workspace setup wizard — we never invent tenant-specific values.
• Managed help. On Managed plans we provide guided setup, free migration of your existing mailboxes, and we configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC for you. Self-Managed is self-serve.

How to decide

1. Pick the ecosystem your team already uses. This matters more than price — switching habits costs more than a euro or two a month.
2. Decide if you need installed desktop Office apps. If yes, choose Microsoft 365 Business Standard. If browser apps are fine, Business Basic or Google Workspace Starter are cheaper.
3. If you only need email, Exchange Online Plan 1 is the lowest-cost option.
4. Order the seats in your client area and set the number of mailboxes you need.

Result: You've chosen a provider and plan. Place the order in the client area store, then set up your first mailbox.

You can mix and match later, but running both providers on one domain at the same time is not recommended — a domain's MX records can only point at one mail platform.

Related articles

• How email works at Maxinodes (Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace)
• How to add Professional Email to your hosting
• How to set up your first Microsoft 365 mailbox
• How to set up your first Google Workspace mailbox