Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 vs Yandex 360 for Business Email
Practice4 minInnovialabs editorial team
In short
Google Workspace is the easiest start for a small team, Microsoft 365 is stronger on management and security and fits if you work in Office, and Yandex 360 suits CIS-focused teams; whichever you pick, keep your domain and DNS under your own control so you can move later.
The short answer
Email itself is reliable in all three. The real decision is about what surrounds it: office apps, depth of administration and how you will pay.
- Google Workspace — Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Meet. Browser-first, a simple admin console and a fast start. A good fit for small and mid-size teams that don't depend on desktop Office.
- Microsoft 365 — Exchange Online, Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, Word and Excel. The broadest controls over access, devices and compliance. The natural choice if the company lives in Excel and Outlook or already runs Windows infrastructure.
- Yandex 360 for Business — Mail, Disk, Telemost, Documents. An interface familiar to Russian-speaking staff and a straightforward admin panel. Suits teams working mainly with CIS markets and with simple admin needs.
Side-by-side comparison
| Google Workspace | Microsoft 365 | Yandex 360 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gmail, web and apps, IMAP | Exchange Online, Outlook, IMAP | Yandex Mail, web and apps, IMAP | |
| Documents | Docs, Sheets, Slides in the browser | Word, Excel, PowerPoint: web, plus desktop on some plans | browser-based Documents built on Disk |
| Storage | pooled across the organization, size depends on plan | mailbox and OneDrive counted separately | size depends on plan |
| Administration | Admin console: users, policies, devices; Vault archiving on higher plans | admin center, Entra ID, with Intune and Purview depending on plan | admin panel: users, departments, domains, basic policies |
Exact storage limits and plan contents change, so check the official pages at the time you choose.
Price per user: what drives it
All three charge per user per month, but the total depends on several factors:
- Plan tier. Entry plans give you mail and storage; higher tiers add archiving, advanced security and device management.
- Mail only or the full suite. Microsoft offers Exchange Online plans without the office apps. If you don't need documents, this can change the total noticeably.
- Monthly or annual commitment. Annual is usually cheaper, but reducing the number of licenses before the term ends is harder.
- Country, currency and taxes. Prices vary by region.
- Direct or through a partner. A partner can invoice in local currency, but sets its own terms.
One simple saving: for addresses like info@ and sales@, use aliases and groups instead of a separate mailbox for each.
Availability in Uzbekistan
You can use the mail from any country. The friction is in buying and paying.
- Payment. Global services usually accept international Visa or Mastercard cards. Local Uzcard and Humo cards generally won't work. Confirm your payment method before migrating.
- Account country. You pick the organization's country at sign-up. It determines the plans, currency and payment methods available. Check each service's official list of supported countries.
- Partners. Google and Microsoft sell through partners. Find out whether a partner serves companies in Uzbekistan with invoices and bank transfers.
- Personal data. Uzbek law requires personal data of the country's citizens to be stored on servers located in Uzbekistan. If your email handles customer data, discuss with a lawyer how this applies to you.
How easy is it to leave later
- Email moves most easily: all three can import mail over IMAP.
- Between Google and Microsoft there are built-in migration tools that move calendars and contacts as well as mail.
- With an IMAP-based move, calendars, contacts and files have to be transferred separately via export and import.
- Files are the hardest part: links and sharing permissions break, and native Google Docs formats turn into Office files on export.
To keep leaving cheap, plan for it from day one:
- Keep the domain and DNS with your own registrar and under your own login.
- Document every email DNS record: MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and verification records.
- Register admin accounts to the company, not to a contractor's personal account.
A move usually goes like this: lower the TTL, create users in the new service, copy the mail, switch MX, copy messages that arrived during the switch, update SPF and DKIM.
How to choose: a short checklist
- What does the team use today? Desktop Excel and Outlook point to Microsoft 365.
- Do you need strict device policies, auditing and archiving? Compare the higher tiers of Microsoft and Google.
- How will you pay? Check your card or a partner in advance.
- How many real mailboxes do you need, and where will aliases do?
- Use a trial if one is available and test it on phones and in your mail client.