Alternatives to Google G Suite and Microsoft Office 365

The office software market is dominated by two giants. On the one hand, Office 365, which had a 25.2% market share in mid-2015, according to a study by Bitglass. 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 growing all the time. Behind it, the other office software suppliers are sharing the crumbs. And yet some of them represent real, serious alternatives to Office 365 and Google Apps (G Suite). To find out more, read all 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 a firm favourite with companies with more than 500 employees, who are increasingly adopting Cloud messaging. Office 365's market share in this segment is 34.3%, with Google a distant second at 21.9%.

One of the main reasons for this success is that the majority of users are familiar with the Microsoft environment. Changing software is therefore a smooth and almost natural process. As a result, companies do not 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 all operating systems. It can be deployed in half a day. This includes setting up and creating user accounts.

However, one of the main reasons for the success of Office 365 is 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 spreadsheets and word processing.

Google G Suite, on the other hand, 'makes up for it' with a high degree of flexibility and a single price that enables it to be adapted to the needs of very small businesses or large groups. It has to be said that the security standards offered by Google are excellent and perfectly meet the needs of large multinationals. Finally, although Office 365 is undoubtedly less flexible than Google, it offers far more functionality 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 customised by Ovea that represents a serious alternative to Microsoft 365 and G Suite (Google Apps). Hosted in France (data and application), Zimbra can be used to manage all your company's communications (email, contacts, diary) 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 synchronisation 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 attractive range of services, and migration is made easier by the Ovea integrator.

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 is 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. 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 does not include an e-mail function, nor does it allow you to manage contacts or a diary. 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 thought-out ergonomics, it is easy to install and use. Blue Mind is an e-mail, calendar and contact management software that 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 of 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 and offer ergonomic and dynamic interfaces. Some of these alternatives are better suited to the specific needs of businesses, and will undoubtedly play an increasingly important role in the office automation market.