Outlook vs Gmail - Which one is better?

The Outlook vs Gmail matchup is rarely a competition for settling which one is second to none. Both are top-notch products and fully comply with their purpose.

However, fair differences exist between them and can make someone choose one over the other depending on what they need or prefer.

Let's compare.

Interface

While the appeal of an interface can be more than subjective, this point alone can resolve the Gmail vs outlook dilemma.

Gmail's interface feels lighter and faster, although the Hangouts chat on the left seems a bit out of place—especially if you never use it. Outlook does a better job in balancing what's on the screen; its apps are at reach but don't intrude. Moreover, Outlook's minimalist color scheme looks in better shape.

Both offer customization in terms of layout, view, and display density. Here Gmail takes the lead. In preserving its UI identity, Outlook offers a limited number of themes, while in Gmail you can use whatever you have in Google Photos as background.

Lastly, Outlook's advertising banners and product fake notifications can be intentionally intrusive—after all, getting rid of ads is one of the selling points of its paid version.

Features

At first glance, Microsoft and Google offer an accessible yet deep out-of-the-box number of solutions for most people.

There are a few differences, nevertheless. Including:

• You can create and use multiple aliases with different domains in the free version of Outlook. Gmail, in turn, only offers aliases as part of Google Workspace.
• Gmail lets you customize your hotkeys; Outlook doesn't, although it supports different predefined sets of hotkeys (including Gmail's).
• Gmail has a *confidential mode* to automatically delete emails and deny recipients from forwarding, copying, or downloading them.
• Aside from categories, Gmail and Outlook use labels and folders respectively as a second form of organizing the inbox.

Gmail vs Outlook: Storage and attachment limits

Gmail has 15 GB of free storage shared by all its services. Outlook, on the other hand, grants 15 GB for your email and another 5 GB for OneDrive.

Gmail attachment limit per mail is 25 MB; Outlook's limit is 33 MB in the web app and 20 MB in the desktop client. However, both can handle larger files by automatically uploading them to Google Drive or OneDrive.

Extensions and integrations

Both support add-ons, which are great for third-party software integration. For personal use, integration is arguably where Gmail baffles Outlook. Most Google apps, including Gmail, come by default on Android.

On the business side of things, Gmail vs Outlook is a matter of circumstance. For enterprise systems, both offer their own number of tools and technologies, and we and our organization may be more familiar with one over the other. As a general rule, Microsoft services can rely on local machines or the cloud, while Google keeps cloud computing at the center of their product identity.

Outlook vs Gmail: Pricing

Perhaps Microsoft 365 offers the cheapest option: $5 a month for a 50 GB mailbox, 1 TB of OneDrive storage, a custom domain, and a 150 MB attachment limit.

Google Workspace's entry-level option (custom domain and 30 GB of storage) is $6. Still, if storage is all you need, Google One is the cheapest option, starting at 100 GB for nearly two dollars a month.

Use Stack to open side-by-side windows of Gmail and Outlook

In terms of Outlook vs Gmail, Stack has your back even if you go with both. A web browser for multitasking properly, Stack enhances your emailing by fitting your accounts in a single place:

• On Stack, click on the Gmail app icon and login into your account.
• Now look for the Outlook app at the right of the Gmail tab, click it and log in.
• There you go. Now both apps are conveniently next to each other and ready to be used.

But what if you use more than one account per email service? Slack has its own answer for this matter. In the case of Gmail:

- Launch Gmail on Stack and log in.

- Launch a new tab. We are going to make this tab independent from the others by selecting "Private Session" in the three dots menu.

- Now login into your second account. As simple as that.

You can do the same with Outlook, and have multiple accounts, even from different mail services, next to each other on a dedicated screen.