Office Suite Cost per User: Google, Microsoft or Zoho
Published · updated · 4 min read
Key takeaways
- Google Workspace: Starter $7/user/mo, Standard $14, Plus $22.
- Microsoft 365: Business Basic $6/user/mo, Standard $12.50, Premium $22.
- Zoho Workplace is the cheapest mainstream option at $3-$6/user/mo.
- ONLYOFFICE Community Server is free to self-host; Docs Cloud starts around $20/mo.
- A 10-person team's real range is roughly $360 to $2,640 a year.
The ranking at a glance
| # | Tool | Pricing | Twinover Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Workspace | subscription | 9.5 |
| 2 | Microsoft 365 | subscription | 9.3 |
| 3 | ONLYOFFICE | freemium | 8.1 |
| 4 | Zoho Workplace | subscription | 8.0 |
Headcount is the multiplier
A $7 plan for ten people is $840 a year; a $22 plan for ten people is $2,640. The difference between tiers is real but rarely worth three times the money unless you specifically need what the top tier adds. Write your headcount down before reading any pricing page.
- Google Workspace: $7, $14 or $22 per user per month
- Microsoft 365: $6, $12.50 or $22 per user per month
- Zoho Workplace: $3 Standard or $6 Professional per user per month
- ONLYOFFICE: free self-hosted, Docs Cloud from about $20/mo
What you actually get for the extra money
The middle tier in each family is usually the useful one. Google's Starter caps storage and Gmail features; Standard adds more Drive space and better meeting capabilities. Microsoft's Basic is web-apps-only, while Standard adds desktop Office applications and a larger mailbox — that desktop-apps line is the most important boundary in Microsoft's pricing.
The desktop-app question decides Microsoft
If your team needs the real Word, Excel and Outlook installed, Microsoft 365 Standard is the answer and nothing else here replaces it cleanly. If your team works in a browser, Google Workspace's collaboration is better than Microsoft's, and the web-only argument stops mattering.
- Need installed Office apps: Microsoft 365 Standard or above
- Live co-editing in the browser: Google Workspace
- Budget first, features second: Zoho Workplace
- Must run on your own server: ONLYOFFICE
The self-hosted option and what it costs in time
ONLYOFFICE Community Server is free software you can run yourself, with excellent compatibility for Microsoft file formats — the best of the open suites. What it costs is the hosting and the person who maintains it. For a ten-person company that is often more expensive than a subscription, but for an organisation that must keep documents on its own servers, it is the only viable route.
Where the hidden costs sit
Every suite bills extra for things that seem basic: more storage, security and compliance features, and sometimes the video meetings your team relies on. Microsoft's licensing is the hardest to read, with different tiers for the same apps and compliance features reserved for Premium. Ask for the invoice of a company your size before committing.
A recommendation you can defend
Browser-first team: Google Workspace Starter or Standard. Team that needs installed Office apps: Microsoft 365 Standard. Budget-constrained and happy to switch habits: Zoho Workplace, which costs about half of either. Regulated or self-hosted: ONLYOFFICE, with the ops work acknowledged in the budget.
Frequently asked questions
- Which is cheaper for a small business, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
- At the entry tier they are close — Google Workspace Starter is $7/user/mo against Microsoft 365 Business Basic at $6/user/mo. The real difference is that Microsoft's cheap tier is web apps only, while Google's includes its full browser-based productivity set.
- Is there a free alternative to Microsoft Office?
- Yes. ONLYOFFICE Community Server is free and self-hostable with strong compatibility for Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats, and its cloud offering starts around $20/mo. The cost shifts from licences to the server and the person who maintains it.
- How much does a 10-person team pay for a business suite?
- Between roughly $360 and $2,640 a year, depending on the plan. Zoho Workplace at $3/user/mo is about $360 a year for ten people; Google Workspace Standard at $14/user/mo is about $1,680; the top tiers of either family are around $2,640.
- Do business suites include video meetings?
- Yes, but with limits that differ by tier. Google Meet and Microsoft Teams are included at the entry level, though meeting duration and participant caps rise with the plan, and webinar-style features often need an extra licence.