Comparing MS 365, Zoho Docs and Google Doc

The aim of this post is to compare the three main online productivity suites, which are Office 365, Zoho Docs, and Google Apps. By evaluating the three productivity suites, I come up with the Table 1.0 which is pretty self explanatory.

The metrics of comparison are Applications, Files and Storage, Sharing and Collaboration, Compatibility, Mobile and Browsers, and price.

Table 1.0 – Comparison table of MS365, Zoho, Google Docs

Metrics of comparison	Office 365	Google Apps	Zoho Docs
Word Processing	Similar to Office 2007 or Office 2010 look and feelIt has diverse selection of fonts and formatting stylesIt can be open inside desktop office application	Strong interface through practical menu bar and features In general more limited in what it allows you to do in formatting and functionality	Similar to Office 2003 look and feeldrop-down formatting menuChange capitalization with one command
Spreadsheet	It does not deliver the power and flexibility of desktop excel application Better than other two in, in look and feelBetter capability in macros and formulas	It does not deliver the power and flexibility of desktop excel application	It does not deliver the power and flexibility of desktop excel application
Presentation	Presentation software similar to Microsoft Power Point	Presentation software similar to Microsoft Power Point	Presentation software similar to Microsoft Power Point
Email Client	Space allocated for emailis 25 GBHigher plans have unlimited email storageBiggest file attachments, up to 35MB	Space allocated for emailis 25 GBIt limits you to 25MB file attachments on email	Space allocated for email is either 10GB or 15GB, depending on the service planIt limits you to 10MB file attachments on email
Online File Storage	2GB of data storage space on SharePoint OnlineAdditional $2.50 per GB per user per month	1GB of online file storage 5GB of data storage for free, using its partner Box.net’s storage	1GB of online file storage additional 5GB for $3 per user per month
Real-time sharing & Collaboration	Through its native tool SharePoint Workspace, you can sync data from Office 365 SharePoint Online for offline access.With Lync Online service, you can share and collaborate in real time on any item on your desktop	No native tool You could use Box.net or Dropbox to sync data for offline access.Provide better collaboration from within the apps itself	No native tool You could use Box.net or Dropbox to sync data for offline accessProvide better collaboration from within the apps itself
Cross-platform availability	Better compatible with desktop office documents	Capable to open and work with Microsoft Office file formats, but many features–such as tables of contents, footnotes, or inserted images will not work properly	Same as Google Apps, but it can export files in the current XML-based formats used in Office
Mobile & Browsers	It works best with Windows Phone 7 and Internet Explorer 9	It works best with Android and in Chrome	doesn’t have the mobile platform or specified Web browserIt function normally in iOS using the mobile Safari browser. It offers consistent experience from mobile device to mobile device, and from browser to browser.
Price	Free for individual users and small companies with limited tools has a variety of plans for different-size companiesComparbly to the other two, costs $6 per user per month.	Free for individual users and small companies with limited tools For business costs $5 per user per month, or $50 per user per year.	Free for individual users and small companies with limited tools $3/months, and $5/monthsemail is a separate service that costs $2.50 or $3.50 per user per month, depending on the plan.

This comparison table makes it clear for me that Microsoft 365 is better choice among all if I am using my mobile platform however on my desktop, still my choice will be a desktop application version as it is more reliable and flexible.

As for ranking between the three, In my humble opinion which is based on data in above table and familiarity with office 2010 desktop suite, Office 365 is the best overall choice, with Google Apps in second position and Zoho Docs in third place.

From the perspective of benefiting businesses, it appears that these productivity suites are a single portal for doing everything and for people who travel and work all around the world, provide easy, cheap and reliable access therefore they may be a good choice form them.

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