Feature comparison: G Suite for Education and Office 365 Education

Last reviewed on 8 January 2021

Ref: 40055

School types: All · School phases: All

Get to grips with how these digital education platforms can solve your remote learning problems, so you can make an informed decision about which to go for. If you've got one of these already, remind yourself what it can do and how else you might use it.

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Comparison: G Suite for Education and Office 365 Education

As of 4 January 2021, all schools have closed to all pupils except children of critical workers and vulnerable children. You must provide remote education to all pupils learning at home.

The DfE now expects schools to use a digital education platform, like G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education, to deliver remote learning.

Stay up to date on the full list of expectations (pages 46 to 50 of Restricting attendance during the national lockdown: schools).

No matter which platform you choose, you won't have to compromise on your pupils' education or sense of community. You'll be able to live-stream assemblies, upload video lessons, set work and provide feedback so pupils can continue learning while they're self-isolating.

Here's a breakdown of how Google and Microsoft each help you to create a virtual school that mimics real-life schooling as closely as possible. Where there are differences in what each platform can do, we make it clear.

Comparison: G Suite for Education and Office 365 Education

I want to...	Google's solution	Microsoft's solution
Assign and receive work	Google Classroom A central hub for learning. Set tasks, and attach resources like worksheets or YouTube videos. Set tasks for the whole class or for groups of pupils (to differentiate learning). Staff and pupils can log in on a computer, tablet or mobile device (using the Google Classroom app). Pupils complete tasks in Google Classroom using tools like Google Docs and Google Sheets. Here's what Classroom looks like in action.	Microsoft Teams A central hub for learning. Set tasks, and attach resources like worksheets or YouTube videos. Set tasks for the whole class or for groups of pupils (to differentiate learning). Staff and pupils can log in on a computer, tablet or mobile device (using the Microsoft Teams app). Pupils complete tasks in Office 365 using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Class Notebook and so on. Take a look at the Teams interactive classroom demo.
Communicate with staff	Google Meet Video-call up to 100 staff members at once in your web browser or on the Google Meet app. Your device will need at least a microphone to do this (and a camera if you want to show video). Give presentations remotely by sharing your screen. Google Chat Send private messages to staff members in your web browser or on the mobile app. You can also make group conversations with multiple staff members. Google Classroom Create a class and invite your teachers to it to make a virtual staff room. Send them updates using the 'Stream' (it looks a bit like a social media timeline/feed).	Teams Meetings Set up video and voice-only calls with up to 250 staff members in your web browser or the Teams app. Share your screen to give presentations, and work on shared documents together. Teams Chat Send private messages to staff members with 1-to-1 or group chats, and make group conversations by creating separate teams (e.g. a team for senior leadership).
Communicate with pupils	Google Classroom Make announcements to a class, groups of pupils, or the whole school. These appear in the 'Stream' section. Give pupils feedback on tasks they've completed. Comments appear in real-time, so pupils can see your marking before you hand work back to them. Google Meet Video or voice-call pupils - you can do this within Classroom.	Class Teams Make announcements to a class, group of pupils, or the whole school. Give pupils feedback on any work they've handed in. Teams Chat and Online Meetings Video or voice-call pupils. Respond to pupils either in group conversations or 1-to-1 messages.
Communicate with parents	Google Classroom Set up automatic email digests to parents. These can be daily or weekly, and summarise class activity and work that's due or overdue.	Teams Set up weekly automatic email digests to parents. These summarise work completed, when upcoming tasks are due and if anything is overdue. Schedule a parent-teacher conference or create a Team with guest access for parents to share announcements.
Enable collaboration between pupils	Google Classroom Assign a task to a group of pupils and create a shared Google Doc for all of the pupils on the task to write in (you can also share spreadsheets, slideshows, and Google Sites in Classroom). Google Meet Pupils can discuss their project on a video or voice call. Staff can sit in to supervise. Jamboard Teachers and pupils can work together on an interactive whiteboard and share their ideas. Link this to a Classroom for all pupils to see.	Class Teams Create a private channel for a group of pupils so they can work on a project together. Link Office 365 apps (like Word, Excel or PowerPoint) for pupils to use together. Teams Chat Pupils can discuss their project on a video or voice call. Staff can sit in to supervise. Class Notebook Each pupil can have access to a content library maintained by a teacher, a collaboration space for group work, and an individual area. Teams Whiteboard Teachers and pupils can work together on an interactive whiteboard to share their ideas. The entire class can see this.
Teach remotely	Google Meet Live-stream* a lesson to pupils, and save a recording so pupils can watch (or re-watch) later. Google Classroom Upload videos you've recorded (e.g. on a mobile phone) to Google Drive or YouTube. When you set a task, you can attach the video for pupils to watch alongside any written instructions.	Teams Meetings and Live Events Live-stream a lesson to pupils, and record it for pupils to watch later, with a transcript for full accessibility. Microsoft Stream** Pre-record lessons and upload them to Stream. Link the video lessons to assignments and other resources (like worksheets).
Test pupils' learning	Google Classroom Set quizzes and mark them. Make template mark schemes (called 'rubrics') to speed up marking on any task. Google Forms Test pupils' learning with quizzes and surveys.	Class Teams Set quizzes and mark them. Make rubric templates to speed up marking on any task. Microsoft Forms Test pupils' learning with quizzes and surveys.
Store resources for pupils and staff	Google Drive Unlimited cloud storage space for worksheets, videos, and any other resources you need. Link resources to assignments in Classroom.	Microsoft Teams and Sharepoint Online Upload teaching resources to a team's dedicated storage space. OneDrive Unlimited cloud storage space for worksheets, videos, and any other resources you need.
Safeguard pupils	G Suite for Education Disable specific features (e.g. video conferencing, text chat, or emails) for pupils. You can break this down by year group (e.g. year 6 can use Gmail, but year 4 cannot). Google Meet Record all calls* (group and 1-to-1 calls) so you have an audit trail in case of safeguarding concerns. Set up calls so pupils can't re-join the call once it's ended, and pupils and staff can only join if the teacher has invited them. Google Chat Adjust settings to log messages.	Office 365 Education Disable specific features (e.g. video conferencing, chat in Teams, or emails) for pupils. You can break this down by year group. Teams Meeting Record all group calls so you have an audit trail in case of safeguarding concerns (you can record 1-to-1 calls with Meet Now). Teams Chat** Adjust settings so pupils can't chat to each other 1-to-1. Administrators can view all chat messages.
Comply with subject access requests under the GDPR	Google Vault and Google Drive audit log Search for and export data on a staff member or pupil.	Microsoft eDiscovery content search Search for and export data on a staff member or pupil.

For more information, take a look at what Google and Microsoft say about their platforms.

* As of 30 September 2020, you'll need to upgrade to G Suite Enterprise for Education to live stream, record calls, or hold Google Meet calls with up to 250 people.

**Live-streaming, recording calls and the 250 participant meeting limit in Microsoft Teams will continue to be free after schools reopen.

What to read next

Take a look at our case studies on how primary and secondary schools are using these platforms to keep their pupils learning while they're self-isolating.

Or, apply directly for DfE-funded support with setting up G Suite for Education or Office 365 Education via our digital education platform hub.

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In the news 19 Jan 2021

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Comparison: G Suite for Education and Office 365 Education

More from The Key

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Evidence-led training courses that make it easy to upskill staff, anytime, anywhere.