Alternatives to Google G Suite and Microsoft Office 365

The office software market is dominated by two giants. On the one hand, according to a study by Bitglass, Office 365 had a 25.2% market share in mid-2015. On the other, Google G Suite which, again according to the same study, was hot on Microsoft's heels with 22.8% of the market. And this share is still growing. Behind them, the other office software vendors share the crumbs. Yet some of them represent real, serious alternatives to Office 365 and Google Apps (G Suite). To find out more, read our tips and best practices on office suites.

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G Suite and Office 365 popular with businesses

The Office 365 office suite is favored by companies with over 500 employees, who are increasingly adopting Cloud messaging. Office 365's market share in this segment is 34.3%, compared with 21.9% for Google, a distant second.

One of the main reasons for this success is that the majority of users are familiar with the Microsoft environment. Switching software is therefore a smooth and almost natural process. Companies don't have to implement any change management in this area.

However, this "practical" aspect of implementing the solution can also be found in Google G Suite. It's a very easy-to-use application, compatible with all browsers and operating systems. It can be deployed in half a day. Setup and user account creation included.

However, one of the main reasons for Office 365's success lies in the fact that it offers the best office suite in terms of functionality: Excel and Word are ultra-powerful in their field and are the benchmarks for spreadsheet and word processing.

Google G Suite, on the other hand, "makes up for it" with a high degree of flexibility and a single price point that enables it to be adapted to the needs of small businesses and large corporations alike. Google's security standards are excellent and perfectly meet the needs of large multinationals. Finally, although Office 365 is probably less flexible than Google, it offers far more features than its competitor. In this respect, it is better suited to SMEs and large groups than Google G Suite.

What are the alternatives to G Suite and MS Office?

Zimbra

Zimbra is an Open Source Solution customized by Ovea that represents a serious alternative to Microsoft 365 and G Suite (Google Apps) office suites. Hosted in France (data and application), Zimbra enables you to manage all your company's communications (email, contacts, calendar) as well as all aspects of collaborative working. Zimbra can also be used to create documents and share folders and files between colleagues. In addition, Zimbra offers excellent synchronization with all mobile devices. While Zimbra is a little more expensive than Google G Suite, it is more affordable than Office 365. What's more, it offers a very appreciable proximity of services, and migration is facilitated by integrator Ovea.

YaZiba

In the same spirit, YaZiba is a French office suite built on the Zimbra open source platform. All applications and data are hosted in France. What sets YaZiba apart from Zimbra is the addition of a document management component to its offering. It's an attractive, ergonomic and scalable solution. Every year, YaZiba adds new features without changing its price. The latest additions are document management and chat.

LibreOffice

LibreOffice is another possible alternative to the market leaders. In fact, it is used by many professionals who see it as a free, serious alternative to Microsoft Office. However, it should be noted that this software doesn't include an e-mail function, nor does it manage contacts or calendars. It works as a complement to an existing messaging system. Despite this, LibreOffice's growing success is set to continue.

BlueMind

Blue Mind is an open-source messaging system. Thanks to its carefully designed ergonomics, it's easy to install and use. Blue Mind facilitates collaborative working and is the perfect complement to the LibreOffice suite.

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of Zimbra, YaZiba and BlueMind?

While Office 365 and G Suite together account for almost half the market, there are many serious open-source alternatives to these giants. Showing flexibility and playing on the proximity of services, they are often deployed in open source offering ergonomic and dynamic interfaces. Better adapted to the specific needs of businesses, some of these alternatives will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in the office automation market.