Gmail vs. Outlook – Important Differences and Advantages

Most people use either Gmail or Outlook for the workplace email. Statistically speaking, 13% of companies use either G-Suite, also known as Google Apps) or Office 365. The rest, which is 87%, use both of them or either an alternative private email. But what are the main differences between Gmail and Outlook?

Cost and Storage

If you want to get Outlook or Gmail for the company, you can download either one of them together with G-Suite or Microsoft Office 365. G-Suite charges $5/user/month for 30 GB of space shared with Gmail and the rest of the office apps. For extra $5, you can have unlimited space. Meanwhile, Outlook offers various plans, the cheapest one being the Office 365 Enterprise E1 – $8/user/month for 50 GB mailbox.

Inbox Search

If you want to look for an old email while you are writing a new one, you have to lose the message preview, the dates and a big part of the subject you’re searching. At the same time, Outlook offers a cleaner process for a new message, even though this isn’t perfect either. Their default inbox is represented by a double panel, but the view of the inbox is still blocked.

Calendar Integration

Neither of the two options offer the possibility of viewing the calendar and email at the same time. Though they two sync the events on your calendar, you can’t view both it and the inbox simultaneously in one tab. Outlook for instance takes you to a different calendar window, while Gmail opens a new window or tab with it.

Security

Both Gmail and Outlook offer two-step authentication, which is a good thing. The difference is that Gmail still sends third-party server emails (such as newsletters or images friends send you) to Spam, while Outlook displays them, even though it’s not as safe.