Two big names in technology.
Which do you prefer? We know who wins in our mind!
You likely use a product of each of theirs daily.
Today, they go head to head in a lot of areas.
Whether it’s Operating Systems, search, maps or cloud services. Who should you choose?
Operating System
Microsoft has Windows 10. Everyone knows this system. It’s the most widely used system (windows in general that is) for desktop systems. It’s getting better these days, but is not without its quirks. Google has ChromeOS. While ChromeOS is more stable and faster. There’s simply not as much you can do with it as a power user. Even some regular users will find they have trouble getting what they want on it.
Winner: This depends what you’re doing. If you surf the web and just want a computer you can set and forget, Go with ChromeOS. If you want something more than bare bones, go with Windows 10.
Office Programs
I’ll admit, this one is a toss up. Microsoft Office has gotten much better over the years, though their auto backup and sync with OneDrive is still quite poor. Though this is the gold standard in the office program world, it’s quite easy to break and lose files.
Google has Google Docs, but it’s not as easy to open files with it that are local to your computer. Saves as you type and minimal error messages I’ve seen.
Winner: TIE. They have their pros and cons. If you can get by with uploading docs you need to use to Google, then definitely choose Google Docs, it’s far more stable. Otherwise, MS office.
Cloud Storage
When it comes to the cloud. One Drive is Microsoft’s baby, while Google Drive is Google’s.
The price for 1TB of Storage with Microsoft is commonly a good deal due to coming with Office. Google’s cost of storage shares email storage with Drive storage.
OneDrive is automatically integrated with Windows, and for a single computer is usually fine. Sharing and syncing files on the other hand is a nightmare. The software is clunky and slow.
Google does a much better job for sharing and syncing.
Winner: For sharing, Google. For backup. Tie, though prefer Google. For a LOT of files. Google via Gsuite, as File Stream is amazing compared to OneDrive.
Search Engine
Bing vs Google. Do we need to say more? No one says “Let’s Bing it”.
Winner: Some of this comes down to personal preference. If you want an in depth analysis, take a look here. Google is my preferred based on look and feel.
Maps
One thing I always liked about Bing maps was the aerial imagery. Though I still think Google has better function overall however.
Winner: Google, simply for better overall usage.
Let’s face it. This is the number one thing that prompted me to write this article. Gmail vs Outlook.
Microsoft’s Outlook is more centric on you using their Outlook application over their web interface. While the web interface has gotten better, as has the application, it’s still more of an interruption day to day. Those who love outlook probably don’t have to deal with the faults of it. Such as the constant connection problems, indexing problems and random crashes.
Google on the other hand has a fine tuned web email that integrates seamlessly with a plethora of apps that aren’t as disaster prone. Almost everything for the average user can be done without any special program.
Winner: Google, due to stability and needing to spend way less time troubleshooting.
Support
As far as consumer support, they both kind of lack since it’s mostly forums.
Looking at their business support however, Google has the option for Chat, while Microsoft does not. This is the game changer for me.
Most of the times I’ve had to deal with Microsoft Support, it was long and drawn out for one reason or another. Google has always been much quicker thanks to the chat option vs a call back or email.
Winner: Google
Let's face it....
We’re really not big fans of Microsoft after dealing with their messes all day.
There are so many better options in a lot of cases. To stay stress free, avoid MS as much as possible.
