Choosing Between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for Your Church Team

When it comes to selecting a digital productivity platform for your church team, the decision often boils down to two leading options: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace. Both offer powerful tools for communication, collaboration, and document management, and both have nonprofit offerings that are attractive to churches. However, they differ in approach, features, and licensing flexibility. For a typical church team of 5 to 25 users, especially one that relies on presentation software or works with volunteers and casual staff, there are some key considerations worth unpacking.

Cost and Licensing Flexibility

Both Microsoft and Google offer nonprofit pricing, but they structure their plans differently:

• Microsoft 365 offers a mix of free and discounted licences for eligible nonprofits. Most notably, the Business Basic plan is available for free and includes web-based versions of Office apps. For users who need installed Office applications (like PowerPoint for integration with ProPresenter or Proclaim), discounted Business Standard or Premium licences are available.

• Google Workspace also provides a free tier for nonprofits, with core services like Gmail, Docs, Sheets, and Drive. Churches can also purchase discounted Business Standard or Plus licences for users who need more advanced features. Google supports partial domain licensing (PDL), allowing a mix of free and paid users in the same organisation.

While both platforms support mixed licensing, Microsoft’s approach tends to align better with environments that rely on desktop software. In contrast, Google Workspace is geared toward cloud-only workflows.

Installed vs Cloud-Native Applications

• Microsoft 365 includes both cloud-based and fully installed versions of Office apps, depending on the licence. This is a major benefit for churches using presentation-heavy tools that require PowerPoint to be installed locally.

• Google Workspace is entirely browser-based. While it can open and convert Microsoft Office files, it does not include access to installed Office apps. For churches needing local integration with ProPresenter or similar, this is a practical limitation.

Collaboration and File Sharing

Both platforms offer robust cloud storage and real-time collaboration:

• Microsoft provides OneDrive and SharePoint for file storage, with integration into Teams for collaboration.

• Google Workspace uses Google Drive and its suite of apps (Docs, Sheets, Slides) for seamless sharing and co-authoring.

While feature sets are comparable, Google Workspace has a slight edge in simplicity and ease-of-use for web-based collaboration, whereas Microsoft 365 excels in hybrid environments that need both cloud and desktop workflows.

Support and Administration

• Google Workspace includes standard support, with the option to upgrade to Enhanced or Premium support at additional cost. Managing different licence types may require careful use of organisational units and adds administrative complexity.

• Microsoft 365 offers centralised management through the Microsoft 365 admin portal. Support varies depending on the licence, but generally includes standard options with the ability to engage Microsoft partners or purchase additional support plans.

Things Churches Should Carefully Consider

1. Do any of your users rely on installed Office applications, especially PowerPoint?
   If so, you will need paid Microsoft licences regardless of your chosen platform.

2. Is your team comfortable working primarily in a browser, or do they prefer desktop apps?
   Google Workspace is designed for browser-based use, while Microsoft 365 supports both models.

3. Do you have the administrative capacity to manage mixed licence environments?
   Both platforms support this, but it adds complexity that smaller churches should plan for.

4. How important is long-term integration with other systems (e.g. ProPresenter, finance software, file sharing platforms)?
   Microsoft tends to have stronger integrations with legacy desktop applications.

5. Are you prepared to revisit this decision as your team grows or your needs change?
   Both platforms scale well, but migration costs (time, training, and data) should not be underestimated.

Final Thoughts

Choosing between Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace is not a matter of which platform is better, but which one is a better fit for your church’s unique workflows, technical needs, and future growth. Many churches succeed with either platform — or a combination of both.

Take time to assess what your team actually uses day-to-day, how technically confident they are, and whether presentation or collaboration is more critical to your ministry. And if you're unsure, pilot both with a few users before committing long-term.