Gartner analyst Domenico Scriva has warned that businesses switching from Microsoft 365 to Google Workspace are often driven by frustration rather than sound financial reasoning, and that the move rarely delivers meaningful savings. Speaking at Gartner's IT Symposium in Australia, he said Google's suite lacks telephony, security, business intelligence and OS licensing that come bundled with Microsoft's premium E5 plan, meaning organisations typically end up paying more once those gaps are filled, even accounting for Google's free inclusion of its Gemini AI versus Microsoft's paid Copilot add-on.

Scriva estimated the true cost of matching Microsoft's offering with Google Workspace works out around $2 a month more per user, though Google can prove cheaper when paired with Apple Macs or Chromebooks due to hardware lifespan and cost differences. He also cautioned that migration complexity and training needs are frequently underestimated, and that threatening to switch as a renewal negotiating tactic only works if started early, since a full migration takes at least two years. He suggested holding a clear goal for any move rather than just swapping suites, adding that productivity software has changed little in 30 years, though he expects AI to disrupt the market significantly within the next development wave.