Side-by-Side comparison between SharePoint Vs. Google Drive

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In the contemporary digital landscape, a robust document management solution is indispensable for organizations of all sizes. With the ever-increasing volume of documents generated daily by businesses, the need for software that seamlessly generates, organizes, securely stores, and facilitates effortless file sharing across the entire enterprise becomes paramount.

Microsoft SharePoint and Google Drive stand out as the preeminent and widely embraced content and document management systems. With a global user base numbering in the millions, these platforms are the top choices for organizations seeking to optimize their cloud-based collaboration capabilities.

Certainly, SharePoint and Google Drive each offer distinct features, advantages, and drawbacks. The main question is how to make the right choice. This article addresses the query providing a comprehensive overview of both platforms. Learn about the key differentiators and helping you make an informed decision between SharePoint and Google Drive.

What is SharePoint?

SharePoint is a web-based platform allowing organizations to create websites for better collaboration, information sharing, and document management. Businesses use SharePoint to create their internal business portals and streamline workflow and data management. When integrated with MS 365, it allows access to efficient MS applications such as MS Excel, Word, Calendar, Teams, and Planner. SharePoint helps ensure the utmost security of data while providing centralized administration.

Google Drive is a cloud-based file storage and collaboration platform that empowers users to seamlessly create, store, upload, edit, and access files. It also provides easy access to popular applications such as Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets. Its core objective is to consolidate information and provide teams with effortless real-time collaboration capabilities, enabling them to work together efficiently from any location and across all devices.

Both Google Drive and SharePoint offer centralized solutions for storing and collaborating on company documents. In this comparison, we will assess SharePoint and Google Drive to determine which one aligns better with your organizational goals and specific business requirements.

SharePoint and Google Drive both provide a range of business and enterprise plans to cater to diverse organizational needs. SharePoint’s entry-level plan commences at just $5 per user per month, with a more robust plan available at $10 per user per month. However, SharePoint is already a part of the Microsoft Package making it a noteworthy advantage for those having Microsoft 365 subscription incurring no extra charges. Furthermore, you can augment your capabilities and storage by opting for Microsoft 365 Business or Enterprise plans, which offer an array of additional tools and enhanced features.

In a personal Google Drive account, you receive a generous 15GB of complimentary storage space. For businesses in need of greater storage capacity, they can opt for a Google Workspace plan, with prices beginning at just $6 per user per month. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that the cost may vary as you incorporate extra features and expand your storage requirements.

When we compare, SharePoint is more expensive than Google Drive with a Microsoft 365 subscription, but it has additional features and tools for business teams.

Note – Initially, Microsoft provided 1TB/User storage for OneDrive for Business which can increase to 5TB/user by contacting Microsoft Support.

SharePoint and Google Drive are part of Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, respectively. It provides teams with access to additional apps to promote productivity and collaboration.

Google Drive comes with other Google applications such as Gmail, Chat, Docs, Calendars, and others, promoting team collaboration and document creation.

SharePoint offers a wide array of robust capabilities that extend beyond mere document storage and management. It seamlessly integrates with various Microsoft applications, including OneDrive, Exchange, Excel, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and many others, empowering users to accomplish much more.

Both these platforms also have options to integrate third-party apps from their respective marketplaces.

Google Drive offers an easy way to share files and folders through direct sharing and shareable links. Even users can edit the permission level before sharing the content. Similarly, SharePoint allows users to share files and folders through shareable links and direct permission sharing.

Microsoft and Google boast some of the most secure data centers globally, setting standards in data security. Both SharePoint and Google Drive go above and beyond to safeguard data, employing robust encryption protocols to protect it both at rest and during transit. Microsoft’s SharePoint, in particular, stands out with its enterprise-grade security measures, providing businesses with a formidable shield against external cyber threats and assuring data integrity and confidentiality. The improved and advanced security features of SharePoint, like encrypted connections, SMTP ports, SMTP encryptions, and more, provide business with more flexibility and control over users.

Google also provides security. However, SharePoint holds a significant advantage over Google Drive in terms of security.

Conclusion

Certainly, when it comes to sharing and collaboration tools, SharePoint and Google Drive are top contenders. However, Google Drive is affordable, while SharePoint shines with its advanced and robust security features. If security and better collaboration are essential, go with SharePoint Online. To migrate data to SharePoint, we have a tool named Kernel Migration for SharePoint , which quickly migrates your files/folders from local and remote servers to SharePoint. To learn more about the tool, Download its free demo version.