Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace for your Miami business? You're choosing for the next 5+ years. Here's how we help clients decide — and why the answer almost always surprises them.
The default answer
For most Miami small businesses (5-50 employees), Microsoft 365 Business Premium wins. Reasons: Word/Excel/PowerPoint are still the corporate standard, Defender for Endpoint is included (saves $15-25/user/month vs standalone EDR), Teams is acceptable for most teams, and the security tooling is far more mature than Google's equivalent.
When Google Workspace wins instead
- You're under 10 employees and don't need enterprise security features. Workspace Business Starter at $7/user/mo undercuts M365 Business Basic.
- Marketing / creative agencies where everyone lives in Docs/Sheets/Slides anyway. Real-time collaboration in Google is still better than M365.
- Heavy YouTube / Google Ads / GMB workflows. The Google ecosystem rewards staying inside it.
- Mac-only shops. Workspace runs natively in the browser; M365 desktop apps on Mac are second-class citizens.
The real cost comparison (10 users)
| Plan | /user/mo | Total/mo | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| M365 Business Basic | $6 | $60 | Web apps only, no EDR |
| M365 Business Standard | $12.50 | $125 | Desktop apps, no EDR |
| M365 Business Premium | $22 | $220 | Everything + Defender for Endpoint + Intune |
| Google Workspace Starter | $7 | $70 | Basics |
| Google Workspace Business Plus | $22 | $220 | Includes Vault, eDiscovery, more storage |
The trap most Miami SMBs fall into
Buying M365 Business Basic to save money. Then paying $15-25/user/mo separately for an EDR product (SentinelOne, CrowdStrike). Net cost: $21-31/user/mo. M365 Business Premium at $22 was cheaper AND includes more.
Migration considerations
If you're switching:
- Google → M365: Mail (good migration tools), Drive (use SharePoint migration tool), Calendar (manual ICS export). Expect 2-3 weeks for 10-50 users with proper planning.
- M365 → Google: Outlook → Gmail is the biggest pain (PSTs don't map cleanly). Plan 3-4 weeks. Consider keeping both during transition.
Bilingual reality for Miami
Both platforms handle Spanish fine. Where it matters: Google Translate inside Docs is slightly better; Microsoft Translator inside Word is more accurate for legal/medical Spanish. For Miami's bilingual workflow, this is functionally a tie.
We migrate Miami SMBs between Workspace and M365 every month. Free 30-min consultation to look at your specific setup. See our Managed IT plans.