Most UAE companies we work with reach the same fork in the road: the business needs proper email on its own domain, shared files and video meetings, and the choice comes down to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. Both are mature, both run your mail on your own domain, and both changed their offers in 2026. The real differences sit in mailbox size, file storage, desktop apps, meeting limits and how much work the move will take. Below we compare the two on the vendors’ own published figures, show what each costs through us, and say which one we would pick for which kind of company.
Quick Answer
Pick Microsoft 365 if your staff live in Excel, Word and Outlook on the desktop: Business Standard and Premium include desktop apps, a 100 GB mailbox and 1 TB of OneDrive per user, and Microsoft’s list price for Business Standard is $14 per user per month from 1 July 2026. Pick Google Workspace if your team works in the browser and wants shared storage: Business Standard lists at $14 per user per month with 2 TB pooled storage per user and Gemini built in. Through us, managed plans start at $17.00 (Microsoft 365) and $18.00 (Google Workspace) per user per month, including setup and support. See our business email service for details.
What Each Suite Gives You
Mailbox size. Microsoft’s Exchange Online limits page lists a 100 GB user mailbox for Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium and Office 365 E3/E5, and 50 GB for Office 365 E1. The archive mailbox is 50 GB on Basic and Standard, and up to 1.5 TB on Business Premium once auto-expanding archiving is on. Google’s pricing page does not list a separate mailbox quota; it describes storage as a per-user pool shared across the organisation.
File storage. Microsoft’s OneDrive service description gives 1 TB per user on Business Basic, Standard and Premium. Google’s Workspace pricing page gives 30 GB pooled storage per user on Business Starter, 2 TB on Business Standard and 5 TB on Business Plus.
Desktop apps. Microsoft’s Microsoft 365 Apps service description shows that Business Standard, Business Premium and Office 365 E3/E5 include 5 installs per user on PC or Mac, while Business Basic and Office 365 E1 do not. Google Workspace is browser-first: Docs, Sheets and Slides run online, and teams that depend on complex Excel models usually feel the gap.
Meetings. Microsoft’s Teams limits page allows meetings of up to 300 people on Business Basic, Standard and Premium, rising to 1,000 on Office 365 E1/E3/E5 and Microsoft 365 E3/E5. Google lists Meet at 100 participants on Business Starter, 150 with recording on Business Standard and 500 with attendance tracking on Business Plus.
AI. Google’s pricing page lists the Gemini assistant in Gmail on Business Starter, and in Gmail, Docs, Meet and more on Business Standard. On the Microsoft side, Copilot Business is a paid add-on: Microsoft’s December 2025 partner announcement priced it at 21.00 USD per user per month on top of a Business Basic, Standard or Premium licence.
Vendor List Prices in 2026
Microsoft raised prices on 1 July 2026. In its pricing update announcement, Microsoft moved Business Basic from $6 to $7, Business Standard from $12.50 to $14, Office 365 E3 from $23 to $26, Microsoft 365 E3 from $36 to $39 and Microsoft 365 E5 from $57 to $60 per user per month. Business Premium stayed at $22 and Office 365 E1 at $10. Microsoft notes these list prices are for the editions that include Teams, and that the editions without Teams rise by an equivalent dollar amount. The same announcement adds URL checks for links in email and Office apps to Office 365 E1, Business Basic and Business Standard.
Renewals see the new price. According to the partner announcement, existing customers see the new prices at their first renewal after 1 July 2026. If your licence renewed before that date, budget for the rise at your next renewal.
Google Workspace. The Workspace pricing page lists Business Starter at $7, Business Standard at $14 and Business Plus at $22 per user per month on the annual plan, excluding tax, and caps all three Business plans at 300 users. Google also shows a time-limited introductory discount for new customers, so the first-year price you see can differ from the renewal price.
What It Costs Through BIGBANG ITS
Our prices are managed-service prices: the licence plus setup, DNS records, user onboarding and ongoing support from our team. They are per user, from our store on 22 October 2026. The annual price carries a 10% discount against 12 monthly payments.
The gap between our price and the vendor list price pays for the work most small teams do not want to do in-house: domain verification, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, mailbox creation, phone setup, and a support line that answers when a mailbox stops syncing. Our article on managed Microsoft 365 plans in the UAE explains what the Microsoft side includes, and our Google business email pricing guide does the same for Workspace.
Moving Your Mail: Effort and Risk
From a hosting mailbox or another provider. We move mail into both suites regularly, and Google lists its Workspace Migrate tool on Business Standard. In our experience the work is less about copying mail and more about cut-over: changing MX records at the right hour, re-adding phones and laptops, and keeping shared mailboxes and calendars intact.
Between the two suites. Moving from Microsoft 365 to Google, or the other way, is common and doable, but plan it as a project with a test group first. We cover both directions in migrating from Office 365 to Google Workspace and migrating email to Microsoft 365, and our email migration service runs the cut-over for you.
Security after the move. Whichever suite you choose, switch on two-step sign-in for every user and publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC for your domain. Our SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide and two-factor authentication service cover both steps.
Three Decisions to Make
- Desktop or browser? If finance and operations staff need installed Excel and Outlook, start at Microsoft 365 Business Standard. If everyone works in the browser, Google Workspace Business Starter or Standard is simpler.
- How much storage per person? Heavy mail and file users fit better on Microsoft 365 (100 GB mail plus 1 TB files) or Google Business Standard (2 TB pooled). Google Business Starter, at 30 GB pooled per user, suits light users.
- Do you need Teams, larger meetings or compliance tools? Choose a “+ Teams” Microsoft plan if Teams is your phone and chat hub, Office 365 E1/E3/E5 for meetings up to 1,000 people, or Google Business Plus for Vault retention and eDiscovery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace cheaper for a UAE business?
At list price, Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Google Workspace Business Standard are both $14 per user per month in 2026. Through us, managed Microsoft 365 Business Standard is $22.00 and managed Google Workspace Business Standard is $28.00 per user per month. The right choice depends on desktop apps and storage needs, not price alone.
How big is a Microsoft 365 mailbox in 2026?
Microsoft’s Exchange Online limits page lists 100 GB per user mailbox on Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium and Office 365 E3/E5, and 50 GB on Office 365 E1. Business Basic and Standard add a 50 GB archive, while Business Premium can grow its archive to 1.5 TB with auto-expanding archiving turned on.
Can we move from one suite to the other later?
Yes. Mail, calendars and contacts can be moved in either direction, and many companies switch at renewal. The main work is planning the MX record change, reconnecting devices and checking shared mailboxes. We recommend migrating a small test group first, then the rest of the company over a weekend to keep downtime short.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn, Exchange Online limits (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Microsoft Learn, OneDrive service description (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Microsoft Learn, Microsoft 365 and Office applications service description (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Microsoft Learn, Limits and specifications for Microsoft Teams (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Microsoft, Advancing Microsoft 365: New capabilities and pricing update (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Microsoft Learn, Partner Center announcements, December 2025 (accessed 2026-10-22)
- Google, Google Workspace pricing (accessed 2026-10-22)
Where We Are
BIGBANG ITS has planned and run technology for UAE businesses since 2003, headquartered at the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park with a branch in Business Bay, Dubai. Support runs 24/7 and the office is open Saturday to Thursday, 09:00–18:00 Gulf time. If you want us to set up, migrate or manage either suite, contact us or message us on WhatsApp.
Talk to us directly — we usually reply within minutes during business hours.
